eco on the End of the Traffic Light Coalition: Internet Industry Calls for a Clear Direction for Germany’s Digital Future

Oliver Süme, Chair of the Board at eco - Association of the Internet Industry, comments on the end of the traffic light coalition:

"The break-up of the traffic light coalition creates uncertainty at a time of global challenges and transatlantic realignment following the US election. All political players are therefore now called upon to take responsibility. A federal budget for 2025 that complies with the German constitution shapes the basis to address the tasks ahead and establish planning security. From eco's point of view, a pragmatic, solution-oriented and, above all, swift approach is imperative to ensure reliability towards the economy and society as well as international partners.

In the area of digital policy, many projects have not yet been finalised and need to be tackled as quickly as possible, but with appropriate care. Examples include the implementation of the NIS2 Directive and the KRITIS Umbrella Act. However, Germany's digital strategy is also far from being fully implemented and contains numerous projects that could help minimise Germany's digitalisation backlog."

From eco's perspective, other projects that still need to be finalised and prioritised in order to avoid further uncertainty in the economy in the course of the digital transformation are the Energy Efficiency Amendment Act (EnEfG 1.5), implementation of the Data Governance Act, the TK-NABeG, final abolition of data retention under the Quick-Freeze Act and the rollout of the AI Act.

"We therefore appeal to all democratic parties in the German Bundestag to ensure that a democratic change of government is initiated as quickly as possible and that Germany is not weakened as a business and digital hub," concludes Süme.