Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.
Data-driven innovations and a competitive, digital economy are crucial for the future sustainability of Germany and Europe. This is why the European Data Summit was launched back in 2018. Each of the three-day expert conferences organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has a relevant thematic focus.
The impact of digitization on taxes and labor, on privacy and consumer rights, or on the sustainability of free journalism are just some of the topics that featured prominently in the discussions at the European Data Summit. Competition policy aspects in particular have moved to the focus of the summit. The functioning and effects in digital markets such as social media, e-commerce, search, and online advertising are intensively debated.
A Europe – Fit for the Digital Age
There are a number of economic reasons to believe that the market power of digital platforms, the so-called gatekeepers, will persist. The largest digital companies have shown growing market capitalization and the highest spending on new technologies since 2010. As a result, the positions of the largest companies are becoming stronger and pose a challenge to our social market economy. Therefore, a modernization of the European competition framework and the implementation of the European Strategy on Data are the main drivers of the European Data Summit.
The competitiveness of the digitized European economy has many facets. The Summit not only addresses necessary reactive policies against market distorting practices, but is much more dedicated to shaping digital policies in Europe. Only complementary instruments will lead to a stronger European digital economy in the longer term.
Access to and reuse of digital data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are naturally at the center of the debate. We believe that the so far allegedly opposing categories of data protection and data usage should be further developed in an application-oriented manner.
How can digital competition be shaped fairly?
By organizing this event, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung advocates for digital markets to be supported by strong pro-competitive policies so that innovation opportunities emerge and fair competition takes place.
The Summit supports the efforts of the German government and German and European legislators to strengthen the data economy by permanently questioning whether a new legal framework is suitable for what is promised in retrospect.
Many prominent topics have been on the agenda of the European Data Summit so far:
- What is GAIA-X doing on the way to Europe's digital sovereignty?
- How should a legal framework for data trustees be designed?
- What is meant by data donation? And what can we learn from Findata or the UK Open Data Institute?
- ow does the Robert Koch Institute's data donation app work, and why is data donation so important for science?
- Is the Facebook case of the German Federal Cartel Office also a guide for the other antitrust authorities in Europe?
The Summit aims to bring together experts who have a significant influence on the new legal framework in Europe. These range from high-level policymakers, European regulators and data activists to renowned competition economists.
