It’s time to prove Europe’s technology policy is safe – POLITICO

I can’t keep fooling around like this anymore. And we rarely realize how much we remain trapped in the harsh realities of centuries past, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But I wonder how far the opponents of our liberal democratic order will go, and how they will take all the weaknesses we have shown and all the vulnerabilities we have left uncorrected. It’s not the only wake-up call these days about readiness for exploitation.

We just need to accept the fact that authoritarian challengers and criminal elements around the world are weaponizing everything they can: smartphones, smart homes, critical infrastructure and resource dependencies. only. And if we want to win, or at least be persistent, we need to better embrace the fights where they are fought. And that’s probably everywhere.

This essentially means that our political leaders need to ensure that every new policy or regulation adds to our security, not subtracts from it, does not weaken our cohesion or increase our vulnerability, and does not make us more vulnerable to attack. This means we need to ensure we block pathways and build resilience. Ideally, new policies and regulations will give you an advantage in future conflicts.

This seems like a no-brainer. After all, who wants to implement policies that make them less safe?

Unfortunately, however, there are countless examples of silo thinking, lack of intergovernmental coordination, and misplaced priorities, both in Europe and across the broader transatlantic alliance, leading to policies with dangerous ramifications. I am.

DMA is a great example. Although it was ratified just a month after the Russian invasion, negotiations apparently took place long before President Vladimir Putin crossed the Rubicon—the DMA may be better from a competitive and tax perspective. , which increases fairness across the board, but does not strengthen the security of the EU and its people. On the contrary, there is mounting evidence that overriding central safety measures in the name of consumer choice has the serious side effect of putting millions of people at risk.