Wed. Oct. 16, 2024
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Digital sovereignty - can we keep it in Europe?
This was the motto of an exciting panel discussion organized by the digital association SIBB e.V. at the BASECAMP in Berlin yesterday. The event was initiated by Olaf Kehrer, Managing Director of SIBB member O&O Software GmbH. Also present were State Secretary Dr. Severin Fischer from the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Jana Schellong, co-founder of beans and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Frank H.P. Fitzek from the TU Dresden and moderator Dr. Mathias Petri, SIBB Managing Director. The lively discussion alternated between pros and cons. Here are the most important findings:
The pros 👍
Data protection and security:
By having their own control over digital infrastructures and technologies, European countries can better ensure that personal data and sensitive information is handled in accordance with strict data protection guidelines (e.g. GDPR).
Independence from tech giants:
Digital sovereignty allows Europe to move away from dependence on large US and Chinese tech companies, bringing both economic and political benefits.
Economic empowerment:
Investing in its own digital technologies and innovations creates jobs and promotes the growth of the European tech industry. This strengthens the single market and makes Europe more competitive.
Security stability:
By controlling critical infrastructures such as cloud services or communication networks, Europe can better ensure security against cyber attacks and espionage.
Promoting innovation:
A focus on digital sovereignty can create incentives for new technologies and research initiatives that promote technological progress in Europe in the long term. Start-ups play a particularly important role here, especially from Berlin's perspective with its strong start-up scene.
single: text module
Digital sovereignty - can we keep it in Europe?
This was the motto of an exciting panel discussion organized by the digital association SIBB e.V. at the BASECAMP in Berlin yesterday. The event was initiated by Olaf Kehrer, Managing Director of SIBB member O&O Software GmbH. Also present were State Secretary Dr. Severin Fischer from the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Jana Schellong, co-founder of beans and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Frank H.P. Fitzek from the TU Dresden and moderator Dr. Mathias Petri, SIBB Managing Director. The lively discussion alternated between pros and cons. Here are the most important findings:
The pros 👍
Data protection and security:
By having their own control over digital infrastructures and technologies, European countries can better ensure that personal data and sensitive information is handled in accordance with strict data protection guidelines (e.g. GDPR).
Independence from tech giants:
Digital sovereignty allows Europe to move away from dependence on large US and Chinese tech companies, bringing both economic and political benefits.
Economic empowerment:
Investing in its own digital technologies and innovations creates jobs and promotes the growth of the European tech industry. This strengthens the single market and makes Europe more competitive.
Security stability:
By controlling critical infrastructures such as cloud services or communication networks, Europe can better ensure security against cyber attacks and espionage.
Promoting innovation:
A focus on digital sovereignty can create incentives for new technologies and research initiatives that promote technological progress in Europe in the long term. Start-ups play a particularly important role here, especially from Berlin's perspective with its strong start-up scene.
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The cons 👎
High costs:
Setting up and maintaining your own infrastructure and technologies requires considerable investment. This can be more expensive and less efficient than using established global solutions.
Slow innovation:
European companies and institutions may struggle to keep up with the speed of innovation of global tech giants, which could lead to a competitive disadvantage.
Fragmentation of the market:
A strict focus on digital sovereignty could lead to fragmentation of the global market, making access to technology and partnerships more difficult.
Limited scalability:
European technologies and solutions could find it difficult to scale outside of Europe or gain traction in the global market, which could limit economic reach.
Complexity of implementation:
The transition to digital sovereignty is technically and politically extremely complex. Coordination between different countries and stakeholders takes time and can cause resistance.
In the end, all the panellists agreed that complete digital and, above all, technological sovereignty is almost impossible to achieve in a globalized world. 🌍 And another insight: the European GAIA-X initiative, which aims to create a secure, networked and transparent digital infrastructure based on European values such as data protection, data sovereignty and interoperability, did not play a particularly important role in this round. 🤔
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The cons 👎
High costs:
Setting up and maintaining your own infrastructure and technologies requires considerable investment. This can be more expensive and less efficient than using established global solutions.
Slow innovation:
European companies and institutions may struggle to keep up with the speed of innovation of global tech giants, which could lead to a competitive disadvantage.
Fragmentation of the market:
A strict focus on digital sovereignty could lead to fragmentation of the global market, making access to technology and partnerships more difficult.
Limited scalability:
European technologies and solutions could find it difficult to scale outside of Europe or gain traction in the global market, which could limit economic reach.
Complexity of implementation:
The transition to digital sovereignty is technically and politically extremely complex. Coordination between different countries and stakeholders takes time and can cause resistance.
In the end, all the panellists agreed that complete digital and, above all, technological sovereignty is almost impossible to achieve in a globalized world. 🌍 And another insight: the European GAIA-X initiative, which aims to create a secure, networked and transparent digital infrastructure based on European values such as data protection, data sovereignty and interoperability, did not play a particularly important role in this round. 🤔