eco Association: Recovery Package Must Provide the Necessary Boost to Innovation and Modernisation after Corona

Responding to the impact of the Corona pandemic and the deteriorating global economic situation, the German coalition agreed on Wednesday evening to a historically-significant economic recovery package to the tune of 130 billion Euro for this and next year.

eco – Association of the Internet Industry welcomes the fact that a share of the budget will also be used to promote digital technologies. With the recovery programme, the coalition intends, among other things, to massively accelerate the expansion of 5G and to invest five billion Euro start-up capital for the mobile communications infrastructure corporation that is to be newly founded. In addition, the AI strategy is to be further developed in the near future: The German federal government is raising the funds originally planned here from three billion Euro to five billion Euro. What’s more, investments in the digitalisation of schools, support for the European cloud project Gaia-X, and funding for start-ups are to be systematically expanded.

Oliver J. Süme, eco Chair of the Board, has the following to say:

“The Internet industry and digital technologies are major drivers for Germany’s and Europe’s entire economy. The Corona crisis has shown us, on the one hand, what great potential digitalisation offers – for example, in the area of mobile learning and working – and that digital services, applications and technologies can make a decisive contribution to overcoming the crisis. On the other hand, Corona has also very clearly pinpointed where our digital weaknesses lie, such as in the area of digital schools. In my view, the present stimulus package is addressing the correct issues here. What is important now is get the measures implemented quickly and in a targeted manner so that we can rapidly catch up in these areas and rigorously implement digital innovations. This would provide the necessary boost to innovation and modernisation after the Corona crisis. We need a long-term investment and innovation offensive to rebuild the economy and make it crisis-proof.”