Competitiveness Council welcomes updated EU Industrial Strategy and legislative package for digital services as path-breaking contributions to green and digital transitions

The Ministers responsible for economic affairs of the EU Member States are in Brussels today to discuss the updated 2020 Industrial Strategy, which was submitted by the European Commission, and the legislative package for digital services. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and Commissioner Thierry Breton are attending on behalf of the European Commission, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is being represented by State Secretary Claudia Dörr-Voß.

State Secretary Dörr-Voß said: "This is the right time to flesh out the details of the transformation towards more sustainability and digitisation. The lessons learned from the pandemic point the way. First, we need to strengthen the Single Market to pool our strengths to overcome the pandemic and reduce dependencies from third states, where this makes sense. We will actively participate in the implementation of the Industrial Strategy for a forward-looking European industrial policy. Second, we need a modern legal framework to be able to tackle the major challenges of the digital transition. The proposals submitted by the European Commission for Regulations on digital services and markets are important building blocks for this. These two proposals will help the European Union to assume a pioneering role. We should seize this opportunity."

The discussion on the Industrial Strategy is focusing on the EU’s strategic dependencies in the field of critical raw materials. The secure and sustainable supply of mineral resources is the basis for a successful implementation of the green and digital transitions.

The legislative package for digital services aims to guarantee a fair and innovative environment for online platforms and limit the market power of large digital companies.

State Secretary Dörr-Voß said: "Intensive discussions are being held on the European Commission’s proposals for Regulations. The German Federal Government supports both initiatives, but believes that improvements are still needed. We have also been exchanging views on this matter with other Member States. Together with France and the Netherlands, we have just published a position paper on the Digital Markets Act."