To bridge the technology gap beteween the U.S. and Europe, The Netherlands has raised its scientific-research budget by 45% over the past two years.

WESTERN Europe is gripped by a growing, almost obsessive fear that it is falling victim to American economic conquest. And that conquest, so the lament goes, is spearheaded by American technology. Armed with technological prowess that European firms cannot match, giant U.S. corporations are winning control over crucial industries. Many…