Ms Batut's participation in the EC Digital4EU Forum - 24 February 2015, Brussels

Commissioner Öttinger promotes the European Digital Union at the Digital4EU Forum - 24 February 2015, Brussels.

Mr Öttinger stated that the EU needed to harness all its skill and talent if it was to achieve its ambition and claim its rightful place in the digital world. He said that for that we need to be sharp, and we are, to have a market, and we do, and to implement harmonised standards, but we haven't, as various Member States still have their own laws addressing digital matters. He went on to argue that the EU needs a single law on competition that should apply to anyone wishing to do business in or with the EU. The EU must invest in the digital age at every level, even in "traditional" industries. The data-driven economy is happening now, and, after agriculture, money and banks, the next sector that must be integrated to become "European" has to be the digital one. The digital European Union is our future.