At Masters of Digital, President Michel outlined his vision to make Europe a digital powerhouse
In his keynote speech at Masters of Digital, European Council President Charles Michel set forth the need for Europe to find a balance between scaling up its technological capabilities and an open collaboration with our global partners.
President Michel stated his vision of a Europe where data is both a driver of innovation and a protector of our core European values. Indeed, the priority should be building a strong, confident and outwards-looking Europe that leads globally in digital innovation.
“I am convinced that the digital agenda will influence every sector of our society” said President Michel, making it clear that he remains committed to transforming Europe into the global digital powerhouse.
The President of the European Council stressed that we cannot abuse data like we have with other resources in the past; by avoiding this mistake, he said, we can deliver a sustainable recovery that looks into the future.
“Strategic autonomy is about making choices in an open economy and reducing our dependencies. We want to better defend our interests and values as well as a level playing field for more fairness in our globalised world. Strategic autonomy is not about protectionism. On the contrary.”
Emphasis was placed on democratically searching for solutions to issues such as internal market fragmentation or digital tax; Europe cannot shy away from these difficult decisions.
Europe’s ambition of a human-centric rulebook on digital economy can be pioneered with innovation and investment. To make this a reality, President Michel underlined the need to “cooperate actively with the private sector to ensure that our decisions are in line with what is necessary in the future”.
President Charles Michel’s keynote address at Masters of Digital 2021