Germany takes over the EU Council Presidency on July 1. “Making Europe strong again together” is the declared goal of the German government. The focus is on overcoming the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Accelerating the digital transformation is one of the most important measures.
BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers commented: “The responsibility of a Council Presidency in these difficult times is both a challenge and an opportunity. Finding a sustainable and climate-friendly way out of the crisis also means, above all, driving forward the digital transformation. Germany can now free itself from the role of digital laggard and show at European level how it wants to shape digitalization. The foundation for the challenges of the digital future is the expansion of high-performance and sustainable fiber optic networks right into buildings and homes. This will also establish the indispensable basic infrastructure for 5G. BREKO and its member companies will continue to drive forward the expansion of fiber optics with full vigor in the coming years.”
According to Albers, it is important to set the right course for further fiber optic expansion now: “There is sufficient funding available on the market. However, companies must also be given the opportunity to use the money for their own fiber optic expansion right into the buildings. An increasing shortage of skilled workers and insufficient civil engineering capacities are making expansion more difficult, and not only in Germany. The Council Presidency offers an ideal platform for launching a European skilled workers initiative to recruit and train skilled workers in the field of digitalization and digital infrastructure across national borders. State funding measures, on the other hand, are only sensible and necessary as a supplement to market-driven expansion where the supply situation of citizens and companies with fast internet is currently particularly poor and will remain so in the future.”