To become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) is the objective of the AI Continent Action Plan launched today. As set out by President von der Leyen at the AI Action Summit in February 2025 in Paris, this ambitious initiative is set to transform Europe's strong traditional industries and its exceptional talent pool into powerful engines of AI innovation and acceleration.
The race for leadership in AI is far from over. From cutting-edge foundation models to specialised AI applications, the AI landscape in the EU is dynamic. It is driven by research, emerging technologies and a thriving ecosystem of startups and scaleups. The AI Continent Action Plan will boost the European Union's AI innovation capabilities through actions and policies around five key pillars:
- Building a large-scale AI data and computing infrastructure
- Increasing access to large and high-quality data
- Developing algorithms and fostering AI adoption in strategic EU sectors
- Strengthening AI skills and talents
- Regulatory simplification
Next Steps
With this Action Plan the Commission opens today two public consultations, running until 4 June 2025, to further shape these AI Continent Action Plan initiatives.
- A public consultation inviting all interested parties to share their views on the Cloud and AI Development Act
- A public consultation on Apply AI to identify stakeholder priorities, challenges to the uptake of AI, and the relevance of proposed solutions and policy approaches—including additional measures to ensure the smooth and simple application of the AI Act.
A third public consultation on Data Union Strategy will be launched in May.
