German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron called for greater European independence from the US and China at the digital sovereignty summit in Berlin. The EU plans to soften its digital laws to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for companies. The event began with a groundbreaking for a data center in Brandenburg.
The start of a remarkable week for Europe took place on Monday, when Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) grabbed a shovel in drizzly weather in a commercial area in Lübbenau, Brandenburg. In front of the cameras, he laid the foundation stone for a new data center by the Schwarz Group, which includes Lidl and Kaufland and has a large digital division. At the site where a heating power plant once stood, 100,000 AI chips are to be installed. The investment amounts to eleven billion euros.
A few days later, the focus shifted to Berlin. Europe aimed to show the world – and itself – that it can become a digital world power and compete with the US and China. The EU announced plans to soften its digital laws to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for companies. At the digital sovereignty summit, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron invoked a stronger independence of Europe from US and Chinese technology. They seek to strengthen the EU's tech industry through investments and by dismantling regulations.