European Summit

Smart cities are urban areas that use technologies and data analysis to improve sustainability and quality of life for citizens. The concept of smart cities first emerged in the 1990s due to new technologies such as the Internet of Things, which is a network of devices and objects that share and exchange data, and Geographic Information Systems, which are computer systems that display and analyze geographic data. The first smart city in Europe was Amsterdam, which created De Digitale Stad, or The Digital City, in 1994.

Smart cities often utilize artificial intelligence to improve resource management and public safety, among other things. The artificial intelligence systems used include smart transportation, smart energy, and smart construction, all of which involve using advanced technologies to improve efficiency and sustainability in their respective fields.

In 2012, the European Commission established the Smart Cities Marketplace, which helps cities throughout Europe increase sustainability by providing technical assistance, consulting, and free information. In 2017, the European Commission launched the Intelligent Cities Challenge, which has brought together 136 cities throughout Europe to transform digital policy. This initiative provides expert advisory services to involved cities, allowing them to learn from others that have pioneered the implementation of smart city technologies.

The 2008 financial crisis played a major role in increasing political polarization in Europe by fueling the rise of groups associated with the radical right. The radical right refers to political movements focused on authoritarianism, which emphasize strong leadership and law and order, and nativism, which focuses on anti-immigration policies and ideologies. The far right is also often associated with populism in Europe, a political ideology that focuses on the perceived divide between “the people” and “the elites.” The financial crisis emphasized the focus on economic inequality throughout Europe, which further fueled the rise of the far right by widening the perceived divide between the upper and lower classes.

The 2015 migration crisis also contributed to political polarization by increasing the divide between nativist groups and those favoring multiculturalism. This crisis occurred when an influx of migrants and refugees, most of whom were fleeing persecution or war, came to Europe. Some European nations took in large numbers of refugees during this crisis, while others opposed the European Union’s relocation plans and turned away refugees.

In 2021, the European Commission launched the Conference on the Future of Europe to engage European citizens in debates focusing on their ideas to shape Europe’s future. The point of this conference was to decrease political polarization by focusing on problem-solving instead of ideological extremes.

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed with Canada, the United States, and several Western European nations to cooperate in providing security against the Soviet Union. If a NATO nation is attacked, all other NATO nations must come to its aid.

The European Union established the Common Security and Defence Policy in 1999, which was meant to allow the European Union to take a greater role in strengthening international security and preventing conflict. This policy enables the EU to carry out civilian and military missions and was meant to focus on military cooperation between different European nations to promote their collective security. Military cooperation is when nations combine resources or efforts through policies or treaties to promote collective defense against common enemies.