Europe must be able to develop its own technology and decide how it is used. We cannot remain merely a market where products and services developed elsewhere using European data are sold back to us at a premium. European businesses must be able to make use of data, develop artificial intelligence and grow into global players.
Technological sovereignty is built through concrete decisions: the rules we set for businesses, where we invest and whose technology the public sector procures. Europe must also have the ability to switch service providers and keep critical systems running if an external provider changes its terms or cuts off access to its services.
European technology companies must have the opportunity to develop and test new solutions within their own single market. Unclear definitions, overlapping obligations and burdensome reporting requirements take time away from product development. Small businesses are particularly hard hit.
I am pushing to simplify digital regulation and expand the use of data in research and AI development. People’s privacy and businesses’ trade secrets must be protected. At the same time, the rules must allow innovation to flourish.
European businesses must have access to financing, data and computing capacity. Simply building data centres does not guarantee that Europe will develop its own AI capabilities or produce successful technology companies.
The public sector can use its purchasing power to expand the market for European technology companies. That is why I am calling for European alternatives to be given genuine priority in public procurement. Alongside price, procurement decisions must take account of information security, control over critical systems and the ability to switch service providers.
Critical operations must not be tied to a single company’s software, cloud services or operating system. Open standards and interoperability also give emerging European companies the opportunity to compete.
Banking services provide a concrete example. Someone using a Finnish phone must be able to access their bank without the phone manufacturer having to recreate Google’s entire ecosystem. The same principle must be reflected in the development of the digital euro and digital identification systems.
Developing technology requires a strong industrial base, affordable clean energy and reliable electricity grids. Technology policy therefore cannot be separated from energy and industrial policy.
Data centre investments must be assessed on the basis of what they contribute to Europe’s economy and its ability to operate independently. I want projects that provide computing capacity for our own businesses, collaborate with research institutions and strengthen European expertise.
Limited electricity grid capacity must not be allocated without careful consideration. Investors must contribute to the costs of the grid upgrades required by their projects. The bill must not be passed on to households and other industries.
Technological dependence is a security issue. Banking services, government systems and other critical operations must remain resilient even when an external service provider changes its terms or cuts off access. Europe must have credible alternatives and the ability to switch the technologies it relies on.
I am championing open, interoperable solutions. Finns must be able to use banking services on Finnish phones. The development of the digital euro and banking services must ensure that European operating systems are supported too. European technological alternatives must be taken seriously in public procurement.
I defend freedom of expression and people’s rights online. The enforcement of digital regulations must be based on evidence and the consistent application of the law. Authorities must act when rules are broken, and users must have clear information about how services operate and how they can exercise their rights.
I am serving as rapporteur for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy on the EU’s digital regulatory simplification initiative. Together with the rapporteur from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, I have prepared a draft report that will form the basis for Parliament’s position on the reform.
My aim is to clarify the rules governing data use and reduce overlapping administrative requirements. I have also called for interoperability in the digital euro and banking services, and brought questions of European control and investors’ responsibility for infrastructure costs into the debate on data centres.
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