As the United States turns inward, it's time to rethink the global footprint of the world’s most powerful companies. Rather than doubling down on an increasingly unpredictable American market, the tech and industrial giants of our time — Apple, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft — should consider something once unthinkable: making the European Union their primary strategic base for global operations.
This isn’t about relocating headquarters overnight. It’s about shifting the center of gravity. Investing in leadership, research, innovation, and regulatory cooperation where the global rules are being written — and where long-term stability is still a strategic asset.
The political shift in the U.S. is real. Voters have embraced economic isolationism. Tariffs are back, globalization is being reversed, and supply chains are being forcibly repatriated. What was once the most open and reliable environment for multinational growth has become a fortress economy. Washington’s trading partners — Canada, Israel, Taiwan, and dozens more — are being hit with sweeping tariffs once reserved for geopolitical rivals. In a world where even America’s closest allies face double-digit import penalties, long-term corporate planning becomes impossible.
In contrast, the EU has emerged as the world’s most consistent defender of multilateralism, legal predictability, and values-based capitalism. We are the second-largest economy on Earth, with deep talent pools, strong ties to Asia, and some of the world’s most advanced industrial and research ecosystems. Unlike Washington, we are not asking companies to pick sides — we are offering partnerships based on mutual benefit.
The EU already plays a global leadership role in regulating the digital economy, AI, privacy, and sustainability. What’s missing is a clear strategy to translate this regulatory power into economic opportunity. Now is the time.
We should be making an unambiguous offer to the world’s leading firms: expand your strategic presence in the EU. Build your next R&D lab in Berlin, your AI hub in Poland, Estonia or Amsterdam, your semiconductor plant in Saxony, and your executive leadership team in Brussels. Align with a market that offers not only size and talent, but also long-term clarity and global legitimacy.
This shift is already underway. Nvidia is investing in Europe. Apple and Google are adapting to EU rules that are setting global standards. Microsoft is building EU-based cloud infrastructure. But Europe must now go further — offering political, financial, and strategic incentives to make the EU a full-spectrum base for global companies.
The alternative is clear. If we fail to seize this opportunity, others will. China is moving fast, and it won’t be offering liberal values or multilateral governance. The vacuum left by a retreating U.S. will not remain empty for long.
This is not about abandoning transatlantic ties. It’s about recognizing a new reality: the former leader has stepped back. If the EU wants to shape the future global order — and preserve the principles it believes in — it must act like a leader. For global companies, this moment offers more than just a contingency plan. It’s a strategic pivot whose time has come.
