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France’s Macron Wants Digital Sovereignty For Europe

By  |  December 10, 2020

A top goal in the European debate over updating the rules of the road for the internet should be a “European solution and European sovereignty,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. European Union regulators are working on a Digital Services Act that would address such issues as antitrust rules and taxes.

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    CNBC reported that Macron spoke in an interview with Niklas Zennstrom, who co-founded Skype. There are three key requirements needed for “digital sovereignty,” Macron said: having more cooperation across the EU on issues like the financing of startups; creating a “digital single market” that protects privacy and promotes tech innovation; and setting up cloud and data solutions to curb reliance on US companies.

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    “We need European financing, European solutions, European talents, European regulations,” Macron said.

    The French president’s comments come as the EU works on drafting the Digital Services Act along with a European Democracy Action Plan. The EU’s legal framework governing the Internet has been largely unchanged for a couple decades.

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