eco Chair Süme: “The new coalition must finally wake Germany up from its digital slumber!”
The coalition negotiations between the SPD, Bündnis 90/The Greens and FDP are nearing completion. The first known details about the plans of the so-called ‘traffic light’ coalition for the future direction of digital policy dampen hopes for a strategic realignment that could give new impetus to the digital transformation and Germany as a digital location.
eco – Association of the Internet Industry has followed the consultations to date and formulated the most important objectives for digital policy in the coming years with its Internet Policy Agenda.
With the ten points for a reorientation of digital policy published today, the association now once again emphatically points out a number of keystones with which the coalition partners could set an important course for network and digital policy in Germany in this last phase of the coalition negotiations.
Among the key demands of the association are the establishment of a Ministry for Digitalisation, the rapid expansion of digital infrastructures, a cross-departmental approach that strategically considers the importance of digital services and infrastructures for more energy efficiency and sustainability, as well as a monitoring bill and a comprehensive approach to digital education.
“In its digital policy, the last federal government lost itself too much in questions of detail and, with partly inconsistent decisions, contributed to the fact that Germany tends to be at the bottom of the league when it comes to digitalisation compared to other countries. The coalition government now has the chance to give new impetus to Germany as a digital location with a strategic reorientation of its digital policy. I strongly appeal to the coalition parties not to miss this opportunity,” says eco Chair Oliver Süme. “We cannot afford to carry on like this. It’s time to wake Germany up from its digital slumber!” Süme continues.
You can read the ten points for a reorientation of digital policy here.
