European governments need to take urgent co-ordinated action with the private sector and wider society to deal with the most pressing challenges of the 21st century - including preparing citizens for massive technological developments, digital disruption and climate change - according to a group of leading European businesses.

A new report from the European Round Table of Industrialists, a group of 55 major European businesses whose members include Heineken, L’Oréal, Nestlé and Rolls Royce, highlighted the need to strengthen the peace and prosperity offered by European unity in the last seven decades and called for joint action in the face of wide-ranging digital and environmental disruption.

The pledges set out by the group included furthering digital transformation within companies looking to accelerate their own digitalisation, data and artificial intelligence strategies; continuing to build on the more than €50 billion in research and development already invested; developing skills including traineeships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities to train the current and future workforce with digital skills of automation and artificial intelligence.

The group also called on the European Parliament, which is due to be re-elected in May, to focus on six policy priorities, including strengthening the single market, driving digital transformation, increasing competitiveness, ensuring rules based global trade and closing the skills gap.

It also called on the EU to deliver effective energy transition to reach the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement while safeguarding European companies’ global competitiveness.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, chairman of Volvo and ERT chairman, said: “We have never been more united and determined to stand up for Europe and the EU, this is a critical moment for citizens and these pledges are not made lightly.

“We are absolutely committed to creating jobs and prosperity across Europe but also ask policymakers to create the conditions to allow us to invest.”

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