International tech associations have called for concrete steps to increase the continent’s competitiveness and autonomy in the digital sector ahead of the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty Summit in Berlin.
In a joint statement on Monday, the German Startups Association and partner organisations from France, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania pushed for uniform rules in the European Union and better conditions to boost growth.
Verena Pausder, chairwoman of the German organisation, said “Europe must learn to make its best ideas big together, across borders.’’
She said that means more investment in European technologies, fair competition for start-ups, and a stronger European single market that accelerates innovation.
The summit on Tuesday is set to focus on topics such as technological independence, digitalisation, and European competitiveness against rivals in the United States and China that are investing massively in artificial intelligence (AI).
Participants, including politicians from several EU member states as well as representatives from business and research, are due to discuss how Europe can prevent sensitive company data from having to be stored in clouds belonging to non-European companies.
In order to produce global tech champions, Europe needs new rules that facilitate cross-border mergers and investments, the tech associations argued.
A common European capital market is seen as crucial for mobilising capital for growth. The prevailing fragmentation has led to “many promising but isolated start-ups existing side by side.”
The EU’s digital autonomy also depends on a legal framework that promotes innovation, the groups argued.
Currently, different regulatory systems in all 27 member states create high barriers to entry, especially for small businesses
