As part of our new event series polITalk special: EU Vote for Digital19, we want to look ahead and engage in a dialog with you: On the brink of the European election in 2019, where does the European Union stand in terms of digitalization? What has the European Union achieved for Europe with its Digital Agenda 2020, and what are the Internet policy goals of the various political parties for the forthcoming EU legislative term?

As GooglePay and ApplePay enter the market, experts foresee the breakthrough happening for smartphone payment in Germany next year. What is certain: The Internet of Things calls for new financial services. At the IoT Future Trends, the eco Association would like to engage with you over the framework conditions for mobile and automated payment. For this purpose, we will take a look at current use cases and future requirements of relevant industry sectors, and engage in a dialog with you about the potential of new (crypto-) currencies.

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.

It is longer possible to imagine everyday life without digitalization and the Internet. Whether it‘s the mobile phone, smart TV, home lighting, or the car – almost everything can now be connected through the Internet and supplied with the latest information, video streams, and updates, or can be opened or controlled...

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

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.

eco on LOCATION Oliver Süme, Chairman of the eco Board and Director of Policy, Law & Regulations.

The EU-US Privacy Shield governs the protection of personal data transferred from a member state of the European Union to the United States. For the Internet economy on both sides of the Atlantic, a consensual and long-term data protection regime is a necessary basis for any business model in which personal data is stored and processed across borders. However, the EU-US Privacy Shield has been criticized since its launch in 2016. In the United States, an alternative model to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is being discussed. As the leading associations of the Internet industry in the United States and Europe, i2Coalition and eco would like you to join them in a discussion relaying the experience and needs of their members.