By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Europe must strengthen its
technological sovereignty while ensuring that digital development remains
centred on people, democratic values and environmental sustainability,
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna
Virkkunen has said.
Virkkunen made the remarks
while speaking at the Europe Forum in Turku, where she addressed what she
described as Europe’s “moment of independence” and the need for the continent
to build greater capacity to act independently in a rapidly changing technological
environment.
She said technology should
serve people, improve quality of life and drive productivity while being
developed responsibly and in line with European values.
Virkkunen stressed the
importance of skills and competence in achieving this objective, arguing that
citizens need confidence that technological development is being pursued
responsibly and in ways that benefit society.
According to her, a
technologically sovereign Europe should have the ability to act independently
when necessary, while retaining the freedom to choose its international
partners and determine how technology is developed and deployed.
She said Europe’s technology
ecosystem should be built on foundations that are socially and environmentally
sustainable, with people remaining at the centre of technological progress.
Virkkunen also called for
greater investment in digital skills and competence, as well as stronger
consideration of environmental impacts in the development and deployment of
technology.
She said Europe’s pursuit of
technological sovereignty should ultimately remain focused on a fundamental
question: who technology is being developed to serve.
