Brussels wants the continent to adopt artificial intelligence. Fast. The goal is simple: boost productivity, sharpen competitiveness, make Europe relevant again. To get there, policymakers are trying to untangle a mess of overlapping rules and administrative red tape. Simplify the rulebook. Easing the burden. Sounds straightforward on paper.
In practice, it’s not.
New data from Eurostat offers a surprisingly blunt look at the roadblock. The question was basic—why aren’t European businesses using these tools? The answers matter for the AI Omnibus debates. They shape the Digital Omnibus too. They even feed into the upcoming budget negotiations for 2028 to 2032.
The numbers paint a specific picture. One defined by hesitation, not hostility.
Expertise is the Missing Piece
Most telling? Companies just don’t have the skills. It’s not a secret. Nearly eleven percent of mid-sized firms—those with fifty to two hundred and forty-nine employees—cite a lack of technical expertise as their primary barrier. The number holds steady for large companies too. Over two hundred and fifty employees, slightly lower but virtually identical at just over ten percent.
Then comes the legal fear. Data privacy. Unclear consequences. European businesses are nervous. Nearly eight percent of mid-sized firms worry about privacy violations. Nine percent of the giants do the same. Legal ambiguity keeps another chunk on the sidelines.
Yet almost everyone agrees AI could be useful. Only a tiny fraction—one and a half to two percent depending on size—says it’s useless to them. The paradox? They see the value. They just can’t articulate how to get it.
European companies understand AI might be useful… but are unable to clearly articulate how help can happen.
Maybe the survey missed a vital subset. Data-intensive sectors? AI-native firms? Those insights would be sharper. Essential, even, for drafting the next legislative framework.
The Mid-Size Struggle
Look at the smaller of the big groups—those with fifty to two hundred forty-nine workers. Money isn’t the main issue. Only five and a half percent blame costs. Portugal is the outlier here. Nearly ten percent of Portuguese businesses say cost is the blocker.
Expertise remains the champion excuse. Ten and a half percent across Europe list it as number one.
But who is admitting this the loudest?
Denmark. Finland. Germany. These countries usually lead the charts for overall adoption. And yet, their own businesses are self-flagellating. Over fifteen percent of Danish firms claim a skills gap. Fourteen percent in Germany. Almost fourteen in Finland.
Self-critical? Perhaps. Accurate? Likely.
Technical incompatibility comes in third. Six and a half percent say their existing software doesn’t play nice. Finns complain the most. Maltese and Germans follow close behind.
Then there is data itself. Six percent say they just don’t have the right data available. Or enough of it.
Ethical concerns? Barely a blip. Three percent.
The Large Firm Dilemma
Move up the scale to the largest players. More than two hundred and fifty staff. The story barely changes.
Cost drops even further. Five percent. Expertise remains king, slightly down at ten percent. But privacy worries rise. Nearly nine percent of these corporate titans cite data protection violations as a stopper. Eight percent fret about legal consequences.
They are richer. They have more resources. But they are also more liable. More exposed. So they wait. They watch. They cite a lack of clear legal boundaries.
Only a fraction—one and a half percent—believe the technology has no use for them. The vast majority know it works.
So why the pause?
The EU is drafting the framework. The budget talks are coming. The businesses are standing still, waiting for a signal that doesn’t seem to be arriving. They know they should move. They just aren’t sure how. Or maybe, just maybe, they are waiting for the rest of the continent to go first.
Who wants to be the first?
