Ganley: Europa tjera poduzetnike. Jeftina i pouzdana energija temelj je industrije i konkurentnosti.

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Dragi gledatelji, dobar dan i dobrodošli u novi podcast Croatia First.

[00:00:06]Tu smo u Strasbourgu u Europskom parlamentu i kao uvijek vas informiramo o najnovijim događajima, o najbitnijim temama za vas iz Europskog parlamenta.

[00:00:20]So, dear viewers, it's my pleasure to welcome an old friend and the CEO of a major European company, Rivada Space Networks, Declan Ganley to the show.

[00:00:32]Welcome, Declan.

[00:00:32]>> Thank you for having me. I really greatly appreciate it.

[00:00:34]>> So, Declan is an old friend and is here to give a lecture in the European Parliament today on the topic of European competitiveness.

[00:00:45]As you may know, there's a new roadmap that's been proposed by the European Commission designed to increase Europe's competitiveness.

[00:00:53]And as we know, uh Europe has been lagging behind uh on the world stage for decades, and so something must change in order for us to regain uh our momentum.

[00:01:05]So, Declan, how do things look from an entrepreneurial point of view? What is the landscape? How do you see Europe's situation as it stands today? Well, I started my entrepreneurial career in Europe in the at the end of the 1980s.

[00:01:20]So, I was a very young guy. I was 19 years old and uh I was full of optimism about the direction that Europe would head in, um what would happen with the when it would become the European Union, um going into Maastricht, and uh and uh and on from there.

[00:01:40]Um and then at around uh coming up to the year 2000, the idea of something called the Lisbon Agenda, which very few people will remember because they'd much prefer that you forgot about it. Uh the Lisbon Agenda was put forward as um a set of policies and ideas that would make Europe the leading information-based economy by the year 2010.

[00:02:07]And I was part of a consultation process of young European entrepreneurs at the time that were brought to actually Lisbon in Portugal. It was before Portugal took over the presidency of the European Union that year.

[00:02:22]And we sat down and we went we were asked it was about 30 maybe 40 of us. I can't remember exactly how many.

[00:02:30]And the people from the commission were wanted our ideas or at least they said they did.

[00:02:37]And after about the first half of the first day, the entrepreneurs took over. I was one of those that was very vociferous or very active in that process. There was another guy from France who was very active.

[00:02:51]Um and we suggested solutions to the commission that we felt were necessary to create that outcome by 2010.

[00:03:03]And it was a few weeks later that when they sent us the findings that the the rapporteurs came back to us with the recommendations of our group.

[00:03:14]They had they were not our recommendations at all. They were and we all protested and we said you cannot use our names, you cannot reference us in this. We fundamentally disagree with these policies. And since then, you know, we've moved forward. We have seen America produce 600 really notable major unicorns. In the same period of time, Europe's produced about 150 with a comparable size population.

[00:03:46]We've produced nothing on the scale that America has in terms of the the biggest success story exactly in terms of of net Yeah, market value. And Europe needs its own Space X's, its own Palantir's, Anduril's, Microsoft's, Google's, and so on and so forth. It's own open AIs. And we're entirely capable entrepreneurially of producing them.

[00:04:12]But the policies that are currently implemented within the European Union are a straitjacket on entrepreneurship.

[00:04:20]And are a handicap on risk-taking.

[00:04:24]And it's just much more attractive to go somewhere else to take risk than it is to stay at home in Europe and do it.

[00:04:31]>> So, I'm a member of the ECON committee.

[00:04:33]It's a big one and we deal with many of these issues. Many of the CEOs we meet at hearings are complaining about compliance costs.

[00:04:43]It's just not realistic to maintain this level of regulation regardless of what sector we're talking about. In my talk this morning on competitive I I mentioned the uh fact that the poorest state in the United States, Mississippi, now enjoys the same GDP per capita as Germany as Germany. Mississippi has reached has reached the level of Germany.

[00:05:09]>> I I didn't know that.

[00:05:10]>> Yeah, so this is this is what's happened in the last 20 years. That the poorest part of America is at the level of Germany. So, we we we've obviously lost lost so much time.

[00:05:20]>> Look, if you're not if you're not fostering the next great industries, the next great economic sectors, of course that's going to happen.

[00:05:30]You're going to be relying on foreign direct investment and foreign companies locating to Europe and selling into the European market. So, you get the breadcrumbs off the table, but you're not baking the bread. You're not you're not doing it yourself. And here's the thing.

[00:05:44]I I employ brilliant European engineers, brilliant European PhDs, the and many others with skilled in marketing. We have great universities.

[00:05:55]We're still producing high-caliber people, frankly, that are capable of creating the next great things in the world. I know it. I've I'm seeing it happen. I'm doing it. But you are pushing this you know 500-ton weight up a mountain instead of pushing it down a mountain. And that's the the conditions should be such that we are making it easy, that we are looking after the slopes, that that this should be something like pushing it down a mountain rather than pushing it up.

[00:06:32]>> Is it safe to say that these decision-makers in Europe, in Brussels, and elsewhere don't have a good sense of the business reality? They they haven't been in the private sector. Where is the gap coming from?

[00:06:46]>> that's true. I think that's true, Stephen. The the the So you have well-intentioned people. I have no I don't doubt that they're well-intentioned. I don't think they're deliberately trying to break this. I think they want to see Europe succeed. I just think they don't know how. And and how could they? I mean, how many people in the commission >> have are startup entrepreneurs, have gone out and taken entrepreneurial risk, have been responsible for a payroll, have had to lay off wake at night wondering at where they're going to raise their next capital, how they're going to satisfy their customers. Very, very few. And this is not something you can really teach.

[00:07:25]>> Yeah. Um it it has to be experienced um because also it's not a permanent thing. You know, things change. There are you know, different you see you've got you know, the war in you the invasion of Ukraine. You've got you know, what's going on in China. You've got the Straits of Hormuz you know, being closed. All of these things these things that that that affect what's going on and resilience is not something you legislate for. You you have to create Ultimately, what we need in Europe is we need to create an environment where it's worth taking a risk. Yes. And we need to create an environment that's less safe, dare I say it. Less safe.

[00:08:11]That because only when you take risk do you do great things. And that's countercultural almost within the commission.

[00:08:20]And the thing is is if you don't do that now, it's going to be forced on you down the road and probably in a very unpleasant way.

[00:08:29]And so it's better to grasp the bull by the horns and make those changes now and introduce those reforms rather than wait to get, you know, hit by the train that's coming our way.

[00:08:40]>> mentioned startups and you're a doer, not just a talker. You're actually you've created a new very cutting-edge technology company, Rivada Space Networks. Perhaps you could just briefly explain what kind of business this is and why it's so politically significant, geopolitically.

[00:08:59]>> Well, Rivada Space Networks has designed and is building what we call the outer net. So, that is different to the internet. The outer net will be the world's first completely go global, covering every square meter of the surface of the planet, a completely self-contained global communications network and it does not touch the internet and it does not use a subsea cable, it does not use a satellite ground relay station. So, this is taking a network, putting it in space. It will eventually be 600 satellites meshed together with lasers in polar orbits going from the North Pole to the South Pole and back again with 25 satellites in each ring going around the planet, 24 rings, and that creates like a fishing net of lasers moving around the planet at about 20 over 20,000 miles an hour.

[00:09:51]Mhm. Um but that will be able to provide and will provide at any distance greater than 4,800 km the fastest network in the world, the lowest latency network in the world, and the most secure and survivable network in the world. What it's starting to be talked about now, but a frightening fact is and we see Iran openly, publicly threatening this and we've seen China and Russia already cutting subsea cables.

[00:10:20]>> But there are approximately 550 subsea cables on the whole planet. That's it.

[00:10:26]>> And they are the arteries of the internet.

[00:10:30]And if you cut enough of those subsea cables, there will be no internet. The whole thing Will just go dark. Will go dark. Will go dark.

[00:10:38]>> If your mobile phone won't work, the your TV won't work, your your your anything that you do or your payment systems won't work, transportation, logistics, traffic lights, air traffic control.

[00:10:52]>> It is it 550 subsea cables. Now, here's something really frightening because we've done the analysis on this.

[00:11:00]For less than $60 million you can You you can >> You can arrange that.

[00:11:06]Um and you wouldn't even need a computer. And I'm not going to say how.

[00:11:10]But this is something that's actually arguably easier to organize than 9/11 was back in 2001.

[00:11:18]And you so you don't even need to be a state actor to do this. But if you are a significant power and you think that you're going to go into conflict with what I'll call the West.

[00:11:33]And you want to disadvantage the West by um by reducing its connectivity and its ability to use high-tech communications, then what you do is you cut those subsea cables. And although it would hurt you, too, Yeah. it would hurt the West more.

[00:11:51]>> imagine the disruption. It would just >> And and yeah, we don't actually even want to get into it, right? So, the Altanet Yeah. will survive that. Mhm.

[00:12:00]And while it won't carry all of the traffic of the internet, it's not going to carry your cat videos, it's not going to carry your FaceTime chat with your mom, yes.

[00:12:07]>> Yes. it will carry the most critical communications, you know, security communications, >> Yeah. Yeah. banks, so on and so forth.

[00:12:15]So, that's what this is designed for.

[00:12:17]It's designed for governments and large enterprises to keep vital, must-have communications up and running in a format that's faster than anything else, that's more secure than anything else, that doesn't even touch the internet, and that is accessible from anywhere in the globe. It's fascinating, and you've done this all based on private funding, pri- securing private capital.

[00:12:40]>> We've done it securing private capital, and I'll point out uh it's nearly 3 years ago now that the I was approached by the Chinese, I'll call them, um by Chinese interests, definitely backed by the Chinese government, and uh they offered uh to they said they would go they would wanted to fund me for 3 and 1/2 billion for my side, over 7 billion for the whole thing.

[00:13:02]Um they would go 50/50 with me, and um they had certain requirements that obviously they would have to have a lot of the uh a lot of the action, and I flat refused. I said the first thing you need to do is release my friend Jimmy Lai from prison in Hong Kong, and then I'll sit down and listen to really what you have to say.

[00:13:19]>> Yes. Yes.

[00:13:20]>> And um They refused.

[00:13:22]>> They they were they they they I I refused to take the investment. They have now They have active They activated now more than 200 legal actions, lawsuits against Rivada. That's very telling.

[00:13:38]>> some of us personally, some of the directors personally.

[00:13:41]We are We've been told that if you take the Chinese military doctrine of what they call the three warfares, um there's the kinetic This is comes right out of Sun Tzu.

[00:13:54]But one of the three warfares is lawfare. It's using the law the legal system of um comp- opposing countries against interests in those countries. We are the prime example of the most attacked company in the world under the three lawfares military doctrine of the PLA.

[00:14:16]So I guess It amounts to something big, obviously.

[00:14:20]>> Well, look, there's an old saying, if you're not taking flak, you're not over the target. Yeah. And we're taking a lot of flak. Yeah. It's nice that they recognize the importance of the outset.

[00:14:31]Um the fact that we've had to raise every single cent so far from private sector investors is a bit ridiculous.

[00:14:40]>> Yes, I agree. I agree.

[00:14:41]>> But but there it is. I agree with that.

[00:14:43]On a final point, let's switch from geopolitics. We talk a lot about the future of the West, how to revive Europe. Along with economic competitiveness, we agree fully that the right to life and the revival of a pro-family culture >> And thank you, Stevo, for your courage, for for being one of the voices, the few voices that has consistently had the guts, whatever the consequences, to stand up and be counted Yeah. for the lives of the most vulnerable amongst us.

[00:15:18]>> Thank you very much. I will continue to do that. I'm I'm proud to do that. I wanted you to maybe just uh briefly remark on the situation in Ireland. Such a proud Catholic country. Uh Croatians uh love Ireland. Many have chosen it as their second home. They've uh moved to Ireland since the '90s. Uh what is the situation now? We see mass migration. We see on the streets even a minority of Irish people. What's happening in Ireland? It's It's um So, it's known apparently amongst those that that that go um hunting for the best benefits um that you can get uh if you pronounce that you are um an asylum seeker, that we have massive asylum fraud. Massive. It's being claimed over 90% of asylum claims in Ireland are fraudulent claims.

[00:16:09]>> Terrible abuse. Terrible abuse of the system.

[00:16:11]>> course, they get massive handouts. And so, apparently in these trafficking circles, Ireland is known as Treasure Island.

[00:16:19]>> Treasure Island. And so, we have attracted um a uh a pretty significant number, a very significant number of fraudulent um asylum claims, which of course then blocks out places for genuine people in genuinely need of of asylum.

[00:16:38]Um And what happens when they're denied?

[00:16:40]When these people in Ireland are denied?

[00:16:42]>> See, now you've just asked a really painful question.

[00:16:45]And the thing is is not very much. Uh and that's another thing that they know.

[00:16:50]We've started to deport a few, but the number of deportations that we see happen We ask them to self-deport.

[00:16:58]And And by the way, I I only found this out 2 weeks ago. When they get this When they're ordered deported by the court and ordered to self-deport, we don't cut off their benefits.

[00:17:08]>> Nothing. They keep following the money.

[00:17:10]>> they get the The money doesn't stop. The accommodation doesn't stop.

[00:17:13]>> madness. It is the definition of madness.

[00:17:16]>> Madness. Madness.

[00:17:17]>> Yeah. So, this is going to have to look and it's it's a it's a pot that is boiling now. Mhm. And um very dramatic action needs to be taken because you can literally see the whole place changing. Ireland is unrecognizable from what it was. Now some of that's fine. I mean I go to my my local cathedral in Tuam for mass on a Sunday. You know, you can visibly see that you know a you maybe a quarter to a third of the congregation now are immigrants and God bless them.

[00:17:54]They're from Kerala, India. They're working >> have Poles and Croatians But but but you know, it's noticeable and it's it's that's fine.

[00:18:08]>> Yeah. And the and it's good. It's not just fine. It's good. And look, if someone come Look, the Irish went all over the world.

[00:18:15]>> Yes.

[00:18:15]>> Yeah, that's why >> Many of my closest friends in America I I mean come on. I mean we we built Chicago, New York, Boston.

[00:18:22]Most of America.

[00:18:24]>> [laughter] >> But we're glad you guys came to >> Thanks for that. Thanks for that. You're welcome. And and the we did that and so we know what it is to be immigrants. I mean my own family every generation of my family back certainly six generations emigrated and came back every generation. So and they didn't all come back. Um but we worked. No one gave us handouts.

[00:18:50]>> Yes, of course. No one went there expect I mean you you talk to my father about you know, what when he looked into moving to America in the 1960s, which he didn't. He moved to London, but he looked to you know, you had to have X thousand dollars. You had to have a sponsor that would guarantee to pay your your health care if if something unfortunate happened to you. You had to prove and post a bond to prove that you would not be a burden on the American taxpayer.

[00:19:18]And Ireland, it's the opposite. And one of the problems we have as well in Ireland is you see those boats that are coming across the English Channel to the UK.

[00:19:26]Well, those guys quite a number of them, not all of them, but quite a number of them end up going up to Belfast, going across on the ferry cuz it's part of the UK, and then coming down on the train to Dublin and claiming asylum in Ireland cuz they get a better deal in Ireland. It's really just madness. It It is madness.

[00:19:45]>> to end. It's the same pattern in many European countries. And you get the crime and all the stuff that follows it, which is all predictable and that people get called racist for pointing out and you know, but it's these are just facts and you know what? You can only cover this up for so long.

[00:19:59]>> Just so our viewers know, Croatia does not have the same policy with the welfare benefits. So, there's no pull factor for these asylum seekers.

[00:20:09]>> want to create a pull factor. It's really not a good idea.

[00:20:12]>> done that. So, I want to thank you very much. This has been an unusual joy and privilege to have you here.

[00:20:19]>> honor to be here. And thank And thank you very much, Stefan.

[00:20:21]>> European Parliament. Good luck with all your work, everything you're doing in Ireland, but also with Revada. Thank you.

[00:20:28]So, thank you for joining in. Um until next time, greetings from Strasbourg.