Events and Highlights
In 2023, the Policy, Law & Regulations Division organised 32 virtual and hybrid events, either in the eco Capital Office premises or in external locations. A total of 1,037 participants took part in the 2023 events.
The events of the Policy, Law & Regulations division are aimed primarily towards political representatives and interested stakeholders from the political arena in Berlin and Brussels, as well as at eco member companies. The eco Association’s target group includes federal ministers, state secretaries, spokespersons on Internet policy from parliamentary groups, members of the German Bundestag and their colleagues, and representatives of the ministries and federal states.
In accordance with tradition, the year 2023 also began with the hybrid New Year’s reception in Berlin in the form of the eco netTALK. Multiple additional events took place in 2023, such as the roundtables in Berlin and Brussels, netTALKs, Alliance Talks and other well-known formats such as Policy Talks and Policy Breakfasts.
An excerpt of the event highlights from the division is set out below:
Alliance Talk on the Energy Efficiency Act: “Responsibility cannot rest solely on data centres” (hybrid)
What should the appropriate regulatory framework look like to enable data centres to fully realise their potential for digital performance, sovereignty and sustainability? Is a national solo effort in the form of an Energy Efficiency Act with a unilateral focus on the operators of digital infrastructures, such as data centres, the right way forward? These and other questions were part of a lively discussion between politicians and industry representatives at the Alliance Talk on 28 February at the Volkswagen DRIVE studio in “Unter den Linden” in Berlin, with approximately 130 guests attending either on-site or virtually.
In their presentations, Volker Ludwig, Co-Spokesperson of the eco-founded Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, and eco Managing Director Alexander Rabe drew attention to the high electricity prices in Germany compared to other European countries. “In France, energy prices are half as high and electricity is also CO2-neutral”, noted Ludwig. “These are factors that companies naturally consider when deciding on a location”. At the same time, Ludwig emphasised that, due to these high electricity prices, the industry has a vested interest in ensuring that data centres operate as efficiently as possible. The topic of waste heat provision is also viewed favourably, under the keyword of “readiness”. However, the industry cannot be held responsible for creating a market for waste heat as long as the necessary framework conditions are lacking.
Dr. Anna Christmann, Member of the German Bundestag and Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Start-ups at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), highlighted data centres as one of the building blocks for integrating climate protection and digitalisation in the context of dual transformation. According to Christmann, it is important to join forces in order to harness the potential of data centres: “We naturally don’t want to hinder the location, including for new data centres”.
Christmann also emphasised that the responsibility cannot rest solely on data centres, but must also include other stakeholders: “We are particularly aware that local authorities have a strong role to play”, said Christmann. “Ultimately, it cannot be just the data centres that bear all the responsibility”. She added that the aim here was to get involved and bring all parties to the table.
In the subsequent discussion, alongside Christmann, members of the German Bundestag Anke Domscheit-Berg, Robin Mesarosch, Maximilian Funke-Kaiser and Nicolas Zippelius exchanged views on the proposed Energy Efficiency Act with eco Alliance members Günter Eggers and Christian Schmitz.
Recording of the German-language Alliance Talk
Photos of the Alliance Talk
Internet Policy Forum 2023: Dialogue between the Internet industry and politicians on digital strategy
In the year under review, decision-makers from politics and the Internet industry, alongside 180 guests, gathered at the Microsoft Atrium in Berlin on 25 April at the Internet Policy Forum, which covered the topics of leverage projects, fields of action and flagship initiatives of the Digital Strategy.
Dr. Volker Wissing, the German Federal Minister for Digital and Transport (BMDV), provided an initial interim assessment of the Digital Strategy and emphasised the importance of data in advancing digitalisation in public administration. Wissing highlighted the need for continuous adaptation in the implementation of the strategy: “The path to the goal is not a sprint, but a marathon, requiring a great deal of perseverance and diligence”.
eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme explained that the Digital Strategy contains numerous important principles and approaches, but is nonetheless a challenging strategy. “We need to get into action now”, said Süme. Süme also emphasised the need for a digital budget.
In her keynote speech, Dr. Anna Christmann, the Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Start-ups at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), outlined the current developments in the Energy Efficiency Act and in the area of technical innovation. Christmann highlighted the need for technological sovereignty and the promotion of AI in Germany. She also emphasised that data centres are not the problem, but part of the solution for digitalisation and sustainability.
The event concluded with a focus talk. Members of the German Bundestag Tabea Rössner (Alliance 90/The Greens), Maximilian Funke-Kaiser (FDP), Dr. Jens Zimmermann (SPD) and Marc Biadacz (CDU/CSU) discussed the topics of digital sovereignty and sustainability with business representatives Ingobert Veith (Huawei), Alexander Wallner (Plusserver) and Dr. Guido Brinkel (Microsoft).
Missed the German-language event? Click here for the recording
Impressions of the evening: Click here for the picture gallery
