On the occasion of today's anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, EuroCloud France and EuroCloud Deutschland_eco have announced a closer cooperation. The two associations have agreed on regular consultations with the objective of further expanding the business relationships of their members, and to engage in continuous dialog to prepare for possible impacts of Brexit.

A meeting of European data center associations took place in Amsterdam on 16 January, including associations from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, England, Ireland and Scotland

On the occasion of its New Year's reception in Cologne, eco – Association of the Internet introduced the first three members of its recently established Presidency Committee. The role of this committee is to promote interdisciplinary exchange on current digitalization questions. In the coming Presidium meetings, the Association plans to identify the first joint projects requiring the cooperation of all societal stakeholders in the field of digitalization.

The Blue Angel, which has been awarded to particularly environmentally-friendly products and services since 1978, also has colocation data centers in its sights. The German Federal Environment Agency is currently working with interested experts to develop an appropriate concept. The eco Association welcomes the opportunity for German data center operators to pit energy efficiency as a competitive advantage.

Today's decision by the British Parliament has once again delayed Britain's withdrawal agreement with the EU. The eco Association also sees an opportunity here – namely, that legislators on both sides of the English Channel have gained more time to come up with relevant deals in the areas of data flow, business processes, and the regulation of contracts. Regulation of these areas is of central importance to the digital industry’s ability to continue to work effectively.

In the course of the most recent data scandal, the German Federal Minister for Justice Katarina Barley has called for stricter rules for the operators of Internet platforms. eco Association Chair Oliver Süme comments.

Encryption is an effective means to prevent this kind of attack and data theft. Therefore, the German federal government should more strongly support and drive forward the development and dissemination of user-friendly encryption technologies.

Dr. Daisy Walzel from DWF looks at the impact of competition law on digital platforms.

What makes Frankfurt such a desirable location for data centers? Marc Fröse from Etix Everywhere examines how to make the most of the global epicenter for colocation. Read more on dotmagazine.

A direct connection to the world's largest Internet Exchange is the basis for many enterprises to achieve the best quality. A new project from DE-CIX and GasLINE will create fast direct connections from public utilities and data centers to the DE-CIX sites. Read more on dotmagazine.

The shock of the new still makes some organizations shy away from digitalization. Roland Broch from the eco Association looks at how the German Mittelstand and SMEs in general can embrace the potential of digital transformation to compete in the digital economy of the future. Read more on dotmagazine.