This article (and previous ones by the same author on the same issue, and the discussions that always follow these articles on HN) make me even more pessimistic

This article (and previous ones by the same author on the same issue, and the discussions that always follow these articles on HN) make me even more pessimistic about the future of innovation in europe. Europe is less innovative because it's too pleasant and europeans are too moral. If only such explanations are allowed, is there any chance for improvements? Is it possible in europe to admit that even one thing works better in some other country?