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An economic power shift from the US to Europe is now gaining steam and promises to have a far-reaching effect on the world technology sector, asserts Cutter Consortium Fellow Tom DeMarco -- a point vigorously debated by his colleagues on the Cutter Consortium Business Technology Trends Council.

In the latest issue of Cutter Consortium's Business Technology Trends and Impacts Opinion, the Cutter Business Technology Council along with Cutter Consortium Senior Consultants Tom Welsh (UK) and Borys Stokalski (Poland) debate the European Union's transition from marketplace arrangement to world superpower and a possible new age for European IT characterized by relatively frictionless commerce and exciting growth.

According to DeMarco, "After decades of looking over its shoulder at Japan and the East, the US economy is fast being overtaken by someone else entirely: Europe. The colossus that has been assembled in what used to be called the Common Market has emerged as an economic superpower."

"The European Union is taking hold, albeit with fits and starts as evidenced by the results of recent constitutional referenda in France and the Netherlands. But I see little evidence of a massive shift of economic power from the US to the EU," says Cutter Consortium Fellow Lou Mazzucchelli. "Perhaps it is because the gap between them is small relative to the gap between either the US or the EU and China or India or South America. The latter have so much more to gain, potentially at our expense."

Mazzucchelli continues, "It is unarguable that changes in Europe have an impact on the US and the world, but of all the forces working to shift economic power from the US, Europe may be the least threatening. Europe may have gotten a second wind as an economic power, but it seems unable to run a distance race against India and China."

"I don't believe that the US confronts a challenge specifically from Europe. Europe has great aspirations, and European integration presents a major historical opportunity for the region. But in order to exploit this opportunity, Europe must change in many aspects. In my opinion, both the US and the EU face the challenge of an international knowledge-based economy. In this sense, the global challenge is what really counts," says Borys Stokalski, Cutter Consortium Senior Consultant, cofounder and principal of Cutter-affiliated Poland-based Infovide SA.

To schedule an interview with any of the Council members, .

More information about Cutter Business Technology Council members is available at http://www.cutter.com/trends/trendsmethod.html.

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