Berlin, 25 September 2017 – Following on from the count of the preliminary results, the composition of the German Bundestag for the 19th parliamentary term has been chosen. eco – Association of the Internet Industry calls on the parties elected on Sunday to a likely new federal government to assign a strategic status to Internet policies.
The association also makes the following appeals to the newly elected members of the Bundestag.
“The Internet industry thrives on international exchange; the Internet knows no borders and connects people worldwide. For more than 25 years, eco has therefore been advocating for values such as freedom and democracy in the Internet. As such, we call on the representatives of the newly elected German Bundestag to speak out at the earliest possible stage against any tendencies towards exclusion and nationalism. Exclusion and nationalism jeopardize the economic growth of an industry which needs to be recognized as a key branch of Germany as an industry location. Because the future is digital and cannot be shaped through policies of the last millennium,” states Chairman of the eco Board, Professor Michael Rotert.
The association therefore calls on all democratic forces in the German Bundestag to join together in actively defending liberal-democratic fundamental values against all hostilities, and in shaping a worthwhile future for the population and a future conducive to reliable planning for the German Internet industry.
In order to optimally exploit and capitalize on the opportunities and potential of the digital structural transition – the digital transformation of the economy and society – Germany needs modern Internet policies and central agenda-setting. Germany’s future role in international competition will rise and fall on the basis of the framework conditions available to companies in the Internet industry.
“The Digital Agenda adopted in the last legislative term was a first step in the right direction,” says Rotert, who goes on to say that, while the previous German federal government set the right course with this agenda in many respects, much remains to be done. “We therefore call on the new federal government to further develop the Digital Agenda and to finally accord Internet policy the strategic status that is its due,” concludes Rotert. In this respect, eco also calls for responsibilities for Internet policies to be consolidated in one ministry in the future, and for a leading steering committee for Internet policy topics to be established in the Bundestag.
eco has formulated the 30 core Internet policy demands of the Internet industry in its Internet policy agenda, which is available here for download in the German language in a short and a long version.
