Opinion: “Europe is not enough”

The world has come apart at the seams. Old certainties no longer apply. The prosperity that we long took for granted, along with steady economic growth, are over for the time being. We have to adapt to this “new normal” without despairing and burying our heads in the sand. However, Germany is far too small to play a respected role in this new world (dis)order.

The only logical answer to the challenges of our time, therefore, is Europe. We can only survive economically, technologically and politically together with our European partners, with whom we share our values. But our value-driven foreign policy reaches its limits in the face of economic realities. As an export-oriented nation, we know that we are dependent on global trade, because even Europe is not a large enough market.

And this is precisely where a sector comes into play that, today more than ever before, is the backbone of global value creation: electrical, digital and information technology. No other sector is as deeply embedded in products and services or in every area of our lives. No other sector is as dependent on international cooperation. Here, a single missing link in the chain can cause entire systems to collapse.

Technological sovereignty today means not isolation but openness, exchange, consultation and cooperation. Across national borders. Across ideological divides. This is where VDE sees its responsibility and it is the reason why we will not be scaling back our international commitment. On the contrary, we will be expanding it – in the USA, in China and in other markets around the world. Because if you want technical sovereignty, you have to build bridges – not walls. For a strong Europe, right in the center between the western and eastern economic hemispheres!