On the occasion of the State of the European Union speech by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, expected on Wednesday, 14 September, eco Chair Oliver Süme said:
“We live in challenging times. The threat of climate change and the current energy crisis as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine show us that we must strive harder than ever for a more resource- and energy-efficient way of living and doing business. At the same time, digital resilience and technological sovereignty are becoming more important than ever.
Digital technologies and infrastructures are playing an increasingly important, often central role for the economy, society and the state. Digital sovereignty and strengthening the resilience of digital infrastructures to safeguard against future crises is becoming increasingly important to keep them functioning. Resilience, sovereignty and sustainability must be understood as a common challenge for the European single market.
Digitalisation is part of the solution for a sustainable transformation of our industry and economy. Secure and high-performance digital infrastructures such as data centres are the foundation for a competitive and independent digital location Europe based on an innovation-strong data economy.
A forward-looking and responsible European digital policy must recognise these connections and include them in its regulatory framework. In concrete terms, this means: data sovereignty needs efficient data centres in Europe. Data centres need affordable electricity, realistic climate targets and modern administrative processes in Europe.
The Internet knows no borders. Even the issue of cyber security, which seems more acute in the face of increasing international tensions, must continue to be thought of in European terms in the sense of the common European digital single market. Member States should not fall back into national silo thinking here, but strive for European regulations.”
