Antonin Bergeaud Says Europe Must Fully Commit to Artificial Intelligence

Antonin Bergeaud, the winner of the 2025 Best Young Economist Award, argues that “Europe must fully commit to artificial intelligence” as part of a shared industrial policy and innovation policy.

“On April 15, 2026, Hungary enters a new political era”

La finance pour tous

Bergeaud, 36, says he sees “evidence that economic theory serves a purpose” while also arguing that policymakers have not listened to the European productivity slowdown that economists have been noting for years.

La finance pour tous

He points to Mario Draghi’s report delivered in September 2024, saying its diagnosis is “so direct and damning that it has knocked down a number of ideological barriers in Brussels.”

Bergeaud adds that the question of a real industrial and innovation policy “is being discussed more,” even if it is “not yet at the heart of public debates.”

The World Bank Group’s Global Economic Prospects update says Morocco’s regulatory changes are “deeper than expected,” and estimates average growth of 4.4% for Morocco in 2026.

Le Desk reports that the World Bank expects the reforms to “spur growth, reduce the informal economy, and support job creation,” while also noting a rebound in agricultural production after “several years marked by water stress.”

Mediapart

The World Bank also projects growth of 3.6% in North Africa and the Middle East in 2026 before accelerating to 3.9% in 2027, with the regional forecasts “slightly revised downward” compared with those published in June.

Le Desk adds that the World Bank anticipates global growth of 2.6% in 2026 before rising to 2.7% in 2027, and quotes Inderjit Gill saying, “Despite persistent political and trade uncertainties, global economic activity is proving more resilient than anticipated.”

A Guardian op-ed argues that the dominant path to growth has “widened inequality and degraded the environment,” and frames the question as not whether growth continues but “what kind of economies we are building.”

“Winner of the 2025 Best Young Economist Award, Antonin Bergeaud, 36, advocates a European upturn in building a shared industrial policy and innovation policy, notably through investment in new technologies”

Le Monde.fr

The piece says that over 18 months, “more than 400 people” worked to develop and support the “roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth,” and that “More than 350 signatories have put their names to the plan.”

It also states that “Around 92% of excess global carbon emissions can be attributed to the global north,” and that the wealthiest 10% of individuals are responsible for “nearly half of global emissions.”

The authors write that “Human rights here are not an afterthought; they are the organising principle for how we measure progress,” and they call for redesigning economies around “planetary boundaries” rather than “maximising output at any cost.”