The day after the EU elections, it is clear that a shift to the right is emerging in Europe. eco – Association of the Internet Industry now appeals to the democratic responsibility of all political parties to drive forward the digital transformation in Europe.
For the Internet industry, the European election results are crucial, given that a number of major decisions are now being made at the EU level. While the Von der Leyen Commission has already launched numerous regulatory initiatives over the past five years, the task now is to streamline, reduce bureaucracy and decisively advance European digitalisation.
The accomplishment of the Digital Single Market is central to the success of digitalisation in all EU Member States. The Internet industry in Germany and Europe can only be successful if there is a uniform basic understanding of competition and markets, as well as how to deal with global challenges such as climate change and systemic competition.
In addition to a harmonised legal framework, eco also believes that strategies for promoting innovation and the use of innovative digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) in companies are essential. For this to be possible, interoperable data spaces must be created and digital infrastructures must be strengthened. The fact that the latter is being neglected by many parties within the scope of their digitalisation agenda was recently demonstrated by the Digital Policy EU Election Manifesto Check.
eco warns against underestimating the importance of digital infrastructures for Europe’s digital sovereignty and the digital transformation of the economy and society. If Europe wants to be at the forefront of high-performance future technologies such as AI, it needs data centres, well-developed gigabit networks and secure cloud infrastructures.
From eco’s point of view, the rise of right-wing political forces is a Europe-wide phenomenon that must now be decisively countered – especially in Germany. After all, state elections are due to be held in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg this autumn.
Further information on eco’s calls for European digital policy can be found here (in German): https://www.eco.de/themen/politik-recht/eu-agenda/
eco – Association of the Internet Industry has also published its agenda for the Digital Policy for Europe 2024 – 2029. In eight fields of action, the association formulates the industry’s key demands for European digital policy in the coming legislative term.
