France’s Macron Wants Digital Sovereignty For Europe

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.

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.

“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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