BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14. The European Union (EU) must build its own digital power and boost its independent technological capabilities, former Latvian president (2019–2023) Egils Levits said at the panel discussions on "Digital futures: AI, Governance and ethics of innovation" as part of the 13th Global Baku Forum on "Bridging Divides in a World in Transition", Trend reports.
He noted that today, the EU is structurally dependent on the U.S. and China.
According to him, society and economy are based on digital technology.
"Digital infrastructure isn't a neutral tool. It reflects certain values, ideology, and specific approaches. It is important to take this into account. Today, the EU faces three options: to accept long-term dependence on the U.S. and thereby consent to the control of the oligarchs. This raises serious ethical and political questions.
To establish open cooperation with China, because China is a country that is quite open to cooperation. The third option could be to create Europe's own digital power and increase its independent technological capabilities," the former president explained.
He noted that projects in the information age can be implemented for this purpose.
"The position of the European Parliament is also in this direction. This doesn't mean that Europe should rule the world; it is simply the preferred option within the legal framework. Information and economic security can be ensured in the hands of the party that has the means, such as artificial intelligence. Currently, the U.S. has these capabilities, while China operates in an authoritarian system. Europe's technical potential is quite large.
What we need is to show political will and provide financial support. On other issues, when it comes to digital sovereignty and when comparing, Europe's capabilities should be expanded. Industrial policy can be tightened, but there is disagreement on this issue at the EU level, but we see that there are quite a lot of people who support it," Levits added.
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