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Euronews
06-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU launches global digital strategy to build tech alliances
The EU published a digital strategy on Thursday to diversify and expand digital alliances with "like-minded partners" such as Japan, South Korea, Canada and India, but no mention was made of the US. This year, digital trade agreements with Singapore and South Korea were signed to facilitate data flows - despite critics warning it could pave the way for threats to personal data. The bloc also plans to structure its growing diplomatic network through the creation of a Digital Partnership Network, aimed at connecting these relationships in a more strategic and coordinated way. But while the strategy highlights a wide array of partners, the absence of references to further meeting under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) with the United States was notable. This forum of discussion between the two blocs on trade and technology was created in 2020 to de-escalate tensions during US President Donald Trump's first mandate. Quizzed by Euronews on the future of the TTC, Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen replied that trade negotiations were currently the priority - without elaborating. While the EU's other big tech competitor, China, is also absent from the strategy – Virkkunen said that digital cooperation will be discussed during the July 2025 EU-China summit. In its immediate neighbourhood, the bloc is prioritising integration with the EU Digital Single Market notably for Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans – to assist integration into the EU. These countries will benefit from support to align with EU rules on areas such as digital identity, secure infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, paving the way for potential mutual recognition of digital services. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the strategy builds on the Global Gateway initiative, the EU's strategic response to China's Belt and Road adopted in 2021. Through this framework, the EU is co-financing the deployment of secure submarine cables, AI factories, and digital public infrastructure, while, according to Commissioner Virkkunen, promoting European tech standards and regulatory models abroad. The Commission said that they will move forward with the implementation of new digital partnerships, including preparations for agreements with countries in the Southern Neighbourhood and sub-Saharan Africa. A dedicated Tech Business Offer, a mix of private and public EU investment, will be rolled out to support digital projects in partner countries. A first meeting of the new Digital Partnership Network is also planned, involving representatives from the EU and its partner countries. Meanwhile, joint research programmes are set to be launched with Japan, Canada and South Korea, notably in quantum technologies and semiconductors. Drones will be as key to Taiwan's national security as they have been for Ukraine, a Taiwanese legislator told Euronews Next. The embattled country's war efforts have boosted morale on the Asian island as it ramps up its own defences against the potential threat of a future Chinese invasion. "When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan [in 2020], it undermined the morals of Taiwan tremendously at the time," said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chen Kuan-ting, adding that some people at the time were even trying to transfer their money abroad. "But then after Russia initially launched the war against Ukraine… this is the first time in Taiwan that we have a common ground, we have consensus that we probably will prevail because of what Ukraine did". Taiwan, which is roughly 180 km from China, functions as an independent democracy with its own constitution and elected government. But China maintains that the island is a renegade province destined for reunification with the mainland, through military means if necessary. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that "the threat China poses [to Taiwan] is real and it could be imminent". Beijing is "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific". China's foreign minister warned the US against using Taiwan as a bargaining chip to contain China and is 'playing with fire". In April, China deployed its armed, naval, and air forces for drills around Taiwan. China said the manoeuvres were to practice a blockade of the island. Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te has called for peace with China while also saying in April that the island's defence budget would rise by 3 per cent of its gross economic output and would reform its national defence forces. US President Donald Trump has previously said Taiwan should increase its defence spending as high as 10 per cent of GDP. But spending wisely, like Ukraine has done with cheaper drones to counter the first line of attack, is a lesson that Taiwan can learn from, Kuan-ting argues. The lawmaker helped establish and became president of a so-called Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association in April, which aims to "send a signal to the world, including China, that superpowers may lose modern warfare" due to new technologies. The second reason for the group is to learn from Ukraine and be able to answer questions such as managing the logistics of delivering weapons or how decisions are made in warfare. "They have the experience we don't have," he said. Asked if Taiwan is using Ukrainian drones, Kuan-ting said he had no knowledge of this. According to the legislator, based on conversations he has had with Ukrainian think-tanks, China is doing the same thing in Europe and is learning "the techniques of the Russian soldiers" and is also "there to observe how Westerners react to their aggressions". Taiwan has "a moral obligation to help Ukraine because it's a strategic deterrence to superpowers to launch war against a peace-loving country such as Taiwan," he said. "It proves that even if you have those conventional weapons, even if you have a bigger economy, bigger troops, you might lose," he added. But China too has been working on asymmetric warfare for the last decade and is producing "thousands if not millions of drones every year," Kuan-ting said, such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and all kinds of weapons systems. "They're good at those [drones] because they believe conventional military equipment is not sufficient to counter the United States' super military power. So they were focusing on asymmetric warfare long before we did, because they were worried about America's intervention in the region,' he added. However, the difference between the war in Ukraine and Taiwan and China's tensions is that Taiwan is separated by sea, so China would have to conduct an 'amphibious attack'. "If they do so, I believe we will acquire the abilities and the quantity of the drones - UAV, UUV, and all kinds of asymmetric warfare equipment - to counter these kinds of aggressions". One of Taiwan's challenges is building enough drones to counter China, Kuan-ting said. "We are trying to reverse the situation, that they [China] have the quantity we don't. That's why in the past two, three years, the Ministry of Defence, and also most of the leadership of Taiwan, decided to try to include more public companies". "Instead of conventional equipment like big tanks, big aeroplanes, they probably couldn't adapt to modern warfare. We decided to buy smart and use a smart weapon system," he said. Taiwan has set itself the goal of manufacturing 15,000 domestically made drones a month by 2028. It is a tall order, but Taiwan is a strong manufacturing country known for its quality. However, Taiwan-made drones cost on average 25 per cent more to make than Chinese drones. Scaling Taiwan's defence tech companies is therefore paramount, and working with Europe and the US to expand the markets will be key, the legislator said. At Taiwan's biggest tech fair COMPUTEX in May, one Taiwanese defence company is using artificial intelligence (AI) to vastly improve thermal cameras that see in the dark and clarify the noise in its audio equipment. The company, Thunder Fortis, says its technology can detect enemies from 300 m away in the dark. "Our advantage is also our challenge. So we want to produce internally, but our cost will be very high if we don't rely on exports from other countries," sales manager Nancy Lin told Euronews Next. "Our challenge will be to try to sell to the market, but still keep a low cost. But we are very confident in manufacturing good quality products that not only serve the military market," she added. The company is so far partnering with tech giants such as Nvidia and Arm. "Everyone is aware that Taiwan is in a strategic position in the Taiwan Strait, and we have our allies from Japan, South Korea, and also from other countries," she said. "We don't want to make other countries an enemy, it's a bit sensitive, but we want to make ourselves strong enough so no one will try to violate our boundaries of our countries. "Especially many of our components are made in Taiwan, assembled in Taiwan manufactured in Taiwan so we can rely on our self-produced products and we don't need to rely on imports from other countries," she said. But to deter China, it is not just about building the best defence tech, it is also necessary to use cheap methods to eliminate military targets such as drones. "It's not just about drones to drones, it's about how to apply the best systems, the best equipment to make sure they cannot close the Taiwan Strait," Kuan-ting said. "I believe if there is any country that can stop China, Taiwan might be one of them, but it has to be collective actions with our partners. So we can't do this alone," the legislator added. Trump's America First trade policy has sent shockwaves around the world and raised questions over international relations. Despite this, Kuan-ting believes that Taiwan's ties to the US are still just as strong as before Trump's reelection. "I believe the Congress and the Senate of the United States are sending very firm and clear signals to Taiwan and China that the United States is staying with us and they are providing us more military equipment," he said. There has been speculation of Europe's rapprochement with China due to Trump's tariffs. However, the legislator believes that the bloc's connection with Taiwan is still close. "Most of our friends in Europe are aware of the situation and are also aware of how the Chinese government is trying to dump their EVs (electric vehicles) onto Europe, so we have pretty much the same common ground. They're facing economical [threats], we are facing both economic and militarised threats," he said. Marcin Jerzewski, head of the Taiwan Office of the European Values Center for Security Policy, said that "it's too early to say that Europe is distancing itself from Taiwan" and that he has "high hopes" related to the upcoming EU-China summit that will happen in Beijing. However, he said that this does not mean that Europe will move away from Taiwan. "I believe that a lot of signs of goodwill and openness that are coming out of the current European Commission towards China are also a signal to the United States that the EU is willing to continue down the path of strategic autonomy". He said that Europeans still has a tendency to look at Taiwan as only a difficult subset of overall relations with China, rather than trying to look at Taiwan as a partner in its own right. But he said there is a small shift in Europe looking at Taiwan as a partner on its own. "It doesn't mean that we're recognising Taiwan as an independent country or abandoning one-China policy, but it's about identifying spaces for engagement that are not just sub-engagements under this broader umbrella of dealings with China," he said. Jerzewski also said that Chinese information operations are playing a big role in stoking division in Taiwan. He said that this has two objectives. The first is sowing the seeds of anti-Americanism. "Definitely in the current climate, with unpredictability reigned in by Trump 2.0, China has been gifted many narratives on a silver platter because there is no longer a need for them to produce this information. They can just amplify the actual headlines that are coming out of DC," he said. The second objective has always been to undermine democratic processes, trust, and the public trust in democratic processes and institutions, he added. However, Taiwan is also using technology to boost its own foreign policy standing. During the a recent speech by the Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, he highlighted a need to turn Taiwan into an "AI island" and use its advantage of semiconductors to be ahead of the curve and embed Taiwan very firmly in those AI supply chains, so that giving up on Taiwan is more difficult for countries around the world. Taiwan also, in its National Security Act, included specific provisions for protecting its talent and technology. "I think that this legal change is a very conspicuous manifestation of this realisation about the simultaneous pursuit of both technological advancement and beefing up its security strategies," Jerzewski said. Securing Taiwan and Ukraine is key to global security, the legislator said, urging Europe to continue its support for Taiwan and Ukraine. "It serves both national interests and values as well. If you want to stay, if you want to live the way you want, freely, then we must stop them. "Because they are trying to undermine everything we are standing for, the way we live. We should not let that happen, because if it happened in Ukraine, it could happen to Poland. "If it happened to Taiwan, it could happen to other neighbours. So we have to stop the domino here," he said.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU a 'reliable partner' for digital cooperation amid turbulence, tech chief says
By Isabelle Yr Carlsson and Milan Strahm BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union will work with international partners to boost its competitiveness and promote a rules-based global digital order, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said on Thursday, a move aimed at offsetting turbulent ties with the United States. The U.S. administration has in recent months criticised the European Commission for its swathe of new rules reining in the power of Big Tech and threatened to impose tariffs in retaliation for fines levied on U.S. tech giants. Under the proposed International Digital Strategy announced on Thursday, the 27-country bloc will collaborate with other countries for a secure and trusted digital infrastructure in energy, transport, finance and health, the European Commission said. Other areas of cooperation include emerging technologies, digital governance that fosters social cohesion and protects democratic principles, cybersecurity and protecting children on online platforms. "We are living through a profound digital revolution that is reshaping economies and societies worldwide. This is happening in a geopolitical landscape that is more challenging than before," Virkkunen told a press conference. "In this environment, the EU is stepping forward as a stable and reliable partner, deeply committed to digital cooperation with our allies and partners," she said. Virkkunen said the proposed strategy had two prongs - the first is to boost the bloc's competitiveness in key technologies like AI, quantum cybersecurity or semiconductors, and the second is to help other countries in their digital goals. "Crucially, it reaffirms the EU's unwavering commitment to building a rules-based global digital order, rooted firmly in our fundamental values. Indeed, no country or region can lead the technological revolution alone," she said.
The Star
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
EU a 'reliable partner' for digital cooperation amid turbulence, tech chief says
FILE PHOTO: Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen holds a press conference after the European Commission College meeting in Brussels, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union will work with international partners to boost its competitiveness and promote a rules-based global digital order, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said on Thursday, a move aimed at offsetting turbulent ties with the United States. The U.S. administration has in recent months criticised the European Commission for its swathe of new rules reining in the power of Big Tech and threatened to impose tariffs in retaliation for fines levied on U.S. tech giants. Under the proposed International Digital Strategy announced on Thursday, the 27-country bloc will collaborate with other countries for a secure and trusted digital infrastructure in energy, transport, finance and health, the European Commission said. Other areas of cooperation include emerging technologies, digital governance that fosters social cohesion and protects democratic principles, cybersecurity and protecting children on online platforms. "We are living through a profound digital revolution that is reshaping economies and societies worldwide. This is happening in a geopolitical landscape that is more challenging than before," Virkkunen told a press conference. "In this environment, the EU is stepping forward as a stable and reliable partner, deeply committed to digital cooperation with our allies and partners," she said. Virkkunen said the proposed strategy had two prongs - the first is to boost the bloc's competitiveness in key technologies like AI, quantum cybersecurity or semiconductors, and the second is to help other countries in their digital goals. "Crucially, it reaffirms the EU's unwavering commitment to building a rules-based global digital order, rooted firmly in our fundamental values. Indeed, no country or region can lead the technological revolution alone," she said. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Isabelle Yr Carlsson and Milan Strahm; Writing by by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
Reuters
05-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU a 'reliable partner' for digital cooperation amid turbulence, tech chief says
BRUSSELS, June 5 (Reuters) - The European Union will work with international partners to boost its competitiveness and promote a rules-based global digital order, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said on Thursday, a move aimed at offsetting turbulent ties with the United States. The U.S. administration has in recent months criticised the European Commission for its swathe of new rules reining in the power of Big Tech and threatened to impose tariffs in retaliation for fines levied on U.S. tech giants. Under the proposed International Digital Strategy announced on Thursday, the 27-country bloc will collaborate with other countries for a secure and trusted digital infrastructure in energy, transport, finance and health, the European Commission said. Other areas of cooperation include emerging technologies, digital governance that fosters social cohesion and protects democratic principles, cybersecurity and protecting children on online platforms. "We are living through a profound digital revolution that is reshaping economies and societies worldwide. This is happening in a geopolitical landscape that is more challenging than before," Virkkunen told a press conference. "In this environment, the EU is stepping forward as a stable and reliable partner, deeply committed to digital cooperation with our allies and partners," she said. Virkkunen said the proposed strategy had two prongs - the first is to boost the bloc's competitiveness in key technologies like AI, quantum cybersecurity or semiconductors, and the second is to help other countries in their digital goals. "Crucially, it reaffirms the EU's unwavering commitment to building a rules-based global digital order, rooted firmly in our fundamental values. Indeed, no country or region can lead the technological revolution alone," she said.
France 24
30-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
'There's a lot of misunderstanding' on freedom of speech: EU tech sovereignty commissioner
"Freedom of speech is one of our fundamental values in the European Union," Virkkunen remarks. "But it's not as if freedom of speech is above all other rights. Other people have rights also. So we have to be balanced. So if there is, for example, illegal hate speech, it has to be taken down. It's also very important to explain this approach, because there's a lot of misunderstanding." Pushing back on Trump's suggestions that the EU is treating US tech "unfairly", Virkkunen explains: "We have fresh statistics from the last eight months on why online platforms have been removing content, because under our Digital Services Act, they have to report in the European Union if they are removing content. And in 99 percent of cases they are doing that because the content is against their own terms and conditions. Only in 1 percent of cases was the removal based on trusted flaggers in the European Union." The EU Commission is actively enforcing the Digital Services Act, and has opened new investigations. "We are specifically focusing on the protection of minors," Virkkunen says. "We have now opened investigations against adult platforms to make sure that they are protecting minors and that they have the age verification in place. Online shopping is also something where we are facing challenges." As for enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Virkkunen mentions the fines recently applied to Meta and Apple, over non-compliance. "Meta and Apple have 60 days to comply with our rules and change the design of their services. We are all the time looking at all the companies who are operating in the European markets, to make sure that they are complying with our rules," she states. Virkkunen was recently in the US, where she met researchers and innovators. The commissioner says that she sees "a lot of interest towards the European Union, from students, researchers, industry startups and companies, because when there is so much uncertainty on the global scale, Europe is seen as a very reliable and stable and predictable place. Also, Europe is an ageing continent, and it's very important for us to attract talented people from all over the world." Virkkunen concedes that the EU is "often criticised for being too slow and bureaucratic. We want to make Europe faster and simpler and easier for businesses. We are looking at SMEs. We are implementing the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Act, and it's important that we do that in an innovation-friendly manner. So if there are parts of the AI Act that overlap with other rules, we are looking at simplifying that also." On startups, Virkkunen says: "This week we launched our startup and scale-up strategy, because we see that many companies have problems to scale up in the European Union. Often the challenge is access to finance, but we also have too many barriers between the member states. So we have to create one single market and use the full potential of the single market." Virkkunen insists that the building blocks for growth in research and innovation in the EU are already in place. "We have 30 percent more researchers than the US per capita when it comes to AI," she asserts. "We have a very strong research and scientific community. We have 7,000 startups working to develop AI. But the infrastructure is a challenge in the European Union, in that we don't have enough computing capacity because we don't have these big tech giants. That's why, with our member states, we are investing in supercomputers. We have identified 13 so-called AI factories, and we have now opened a call for interest on so-called gigafactories. So we want to have very powerful supercomputers in the coming years to make sure that our startups can develop AI. We also want to encourage more AI uptake by the public sector and by industry."
