EESC PLENARY: Interview with rapporteur Rudolf Kolbe on the Apply AI Strategy

<< Back to Bulletin

We spoke with the rapporteur for the EESC opinion INT/1105 on the 'Apply AI Strategy - strengthening the AI continent'.

What are the three main findings and recommendations of this opinion?

First: Europe needs speed. Only around 20% of EU companies used Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2025 – far too few. We call for concrete, rapidly deployable measures to bring AI solutions to market, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and liberal professions: simpler funding, less administrative burden, clearer Intellectual Property rules.

Second: trust is the foundation. AI must remain human-centric, transparent and accountable. That requires sector-specific ethical standards, AI literacy embedded in every sectoral flagship – and legal certainty on liability after the withdrawal of the AI Liability Directive.

Third: governance must include everyone. Social partners, civil society, SMEs and the liberal professions need a formal seat at the table – in the Apply AI Alliance, the AI observatory and beyond. And the next Multiannual Financial Framework for the European Union (2028-2034) must provide predictable, long-term funding to make it all real.

Why is AI also a matter of preparedness, the topic of this year’s EESC Liberal Professions Day?

Preparedness includes building resilience – and the liberal professions are Europe’s resilience infrastructure. Doctors, engineers, lawyers, pharmacists: they keep society running in every crisis. AI can strengthen that capacity – better diagnostics, safer infrastructure, faster response. But only if professionals master the respective tools, and if AI respects their ethical and regulatory frameworks. That is why our opinion demands that the Apply AI Strategy addresses liberal professions as a distinct group. An unprepared profession is a vulnerability. A digitally competent one is a strategic asset. Preparedness starts with skills – and with trust.

After the adoption of this opinion, what have you done/will you do to promote it?

The opinion is travelling well. I have placed contributions in several professional associations’ magazines – including the German dbb (German Civil Service Association) and CEPLIS, the European umbrella of liberal professions. In November, I will present our findings at an AI conference in Graz, Austria. And the European Commission has issued a substantial follow-up: it welcomed our positions, confirms SMEs at the heart of implementation, will monitor AI liability gaps – and explicitly invites further EESC input. Our dialogue with the Commission continues through the Apply AI Alliance. My message stays the same everywhere: apply AI, but apply it responsibly – with people at the centre.

The EESC opinion on the 'Apply AI Strategy - strengthening the AI continent' was presented and adopted at the EESC plenary session in January 2026. Read it at: https://link.europa.eu/kJCbdd 

For more information on the upcoming EESC Liberal Professions Day visit the event web page at: https://link.europa.eu/Rr7FGb 

Rudolf KOLBE (Austria)

Rapporteur, INT/1105 Apply AI Strategy - strengthening the AI continent

Vice-President, EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

Member of the Executive Board, Austrian Federal Conference of the Liberal Professions (BUKO)

Member of the Executive Board, Austrian Federal Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants