European Union: next Google must be European

The next big player on the internet, like Google or Facebook is now, has to be European. This is what European Commissioner Günther Oettinger argues for. “We have missed many opportunities in this area,” Oettinger said during a speech.

According to European Commissioner Oettinger, who is in charge of the portfolio ‘digital economy and society’, Europe can play a role in the market for new internet services, which will gradually replace existing platforms. He does speak of a ‘challenge’.

“We have missed many opportunities in this area in the past,” Oettinger said Tuesday afternoon at Cebit, a technology trade fair in Germany. “Our internet companies depend on a small number of players from outside the European Union. That should change in the future.”

In his speech, Oettinger argued that European companies should learn to cooperate better with the Internet. “If we don’t pay attention, we may invest in beautiful new cars, but the money will go to the services available for the car,” said Oettinger. “It would be a huge risk if European companies don’t seize those opportunities and others do.”

Oettinger argues that increasing digitization may have negative consequences for employment, but that many jobs will also be created. “We estimate that we need 150,000 new ICT experts every year,” said the European Commissioner.