Written together with Andreas Klinger and also available at eu-acc.slite.page, this is a follow up of my previous article: “European Accelerationism - eu/acc”.

The eu/acc Charter

eu/acc is a decentralised movement to accelerate progress in Europe through innovation, technology, and a Europe-positive mindset. We aim to achieve this by creating momentum and excitement about European innovation and technology, a sense of pride, and promoting awareness of European excellence. At the same time, we do not shy away from constructive data-driven discussions on our weaknesses.**

If you believe in a Europe that can keep local individual identities, but also share a vision to create a Pan-European innovation superhub, you are part of eu/acc

If you believe Europe needs to wake up or risks losing its competitiveness globally you are part of eu/acc.

Our Principles

Data-Driven Possibilism: We reject Europe doomsday narratives and ungrounded optimism alike, opting instead for a balanced, evidence-based perspective. Inspired by the work of Hans Rosling, we believe in the power of data to guide us towards a better future:

“As a possibilist, I see all this progress, and it fills me with conviction and hope that further progress is possible. This is not optimistic. It is having a clear and reasonable idea about how things are. It is having a worldview that is constructive and useful.” - Hans Rosling, Factfulness

Euro-Positive Technological Advancement: We aim to accelerate Europe’s societal and technological progress by focusing on practical solutions that drive tangible advancements, highlight local excellence, and foster pride in European technology. Individual European countries can’t compete with the US or Asia, but united as a superhub, Europe can become a powerhouse of tech innovation. Rather than only emulating America, Europe should embrace its unique identity, combining local distinctiveness with a commitment to pan-European progress. Further, for eu/acc, accelerationism means leveraging policy, technology, and innovation to propel European society forward. See below for a deeper explanation on accelerationism.
Enable the policy-makers: While we want to push certain policies we won’t be the people ultimately making the policy changes. Europe has a lot of talented people who made the improvement of Europe for Startups their life’s mission. We want to enable them by streamlining the demands of the startup ecosystem, creating excitement for technology and a pan-european identity. But also by providing data and pragmatic solution approaches.

Our Call to Action

If you believe in driving progress through pragmatic, data-driven initiatives that liberate our continent’s builders, then you are part of eu/acc.

If you believe that innovation can lead to societal progress in Europe, you are part of eu/acc.

If you believe Europe needs a stronger sense of pan-european collaboration, you are part of eu/acc.

Join us in creating a future where an innovation superhub of Europe leads the way in driving global progress.

The best way you can help is by joining our discord and find ways to promote european excellence, help the next generation of founders, and help create a pan-european startup ecosystem.

FAQs

What is your political orientation?: While eu/acc involves political engagement, it is not about partisan politics. We all have our own political opinions, however we explicitly reject culture wars and fight against polarisation. Our focus is on pragmatic solutions and policies that drive progress, transcending political divides. We welcome individuals from any political orientation who subscribe to our values.
Is this about badmouthing the US?: Our movement is not about constant comparison with others or one-upmanship. It’s about focusing on how we can be better. Naturally, this means we’ll have to compare at times, but our focus is on improving ourselves, not on instigating petty comparisons. Equally, we are not here to promote chauvinism.
Can I come here to vent?: We hear you. Europe, in our opinion, needs a course-correction for the long term. We are losing our chance of being competitive as an innovation hub. But the goal of this movement however is to improve this situation, not to just rant about it.
Europe or EU?: Our movement encompasses all of Europe, not just the European Union. However, we recognise that the EU is a significant vehicle for achieving our aims due to its scope, influence, and resources. Without the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and many other non-EU countries, there is no successful Europe and no eu/acc. We sidestep discussions on the EU vs Europe; We use the flag of Europe as our symbol, irrespective of its use by organisations such as the EU or the Council of Europe.

Addendum: A (very) Brief History of Accelerationism

The name of this movement is inspired by the momentum of e/acc. By now /acc has become a sort of meme in many different communities. From oss/acc, to AI/acc to many others. We wanted to use this part to quickly explain the origin of the term so it’s more than just a meme. Accelerationism is a term with a long history in political theory, encompassing many, often contradicting movements. Surprisingly to many, it originally associated with the idea that capitalist processes in liberal democracies should be accelerated to trigger systemic change towards socialism, but it has since evolved to include a huge variety of perspectives and approaches. We use a simple, unifying view: speeding up technological advancements for societal improvement. Importantly, our focus is distinct from AI accelerationism, which in essence means the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies under the assumption that this reduces existential risk or that there is no existential risk in doing so. While we recognise the importance of AI and technology, and make common cause against de-growth/decelerationism, our approach is rooted in a broader evidence-based agenda aimed at comprehensive societal progress in Europe.