FMEAE-2019汉诺威展解读：工业4.0新阶段！（英文）-2019.4-116页_5mb

Summary of the White Paper: Digital Platforms and Regulatory Policy

Core Content

This White Paper outlines Germany's and Europe's approach to digital regulatory policy, aiming to foster growth, innovation, competition, and participation in the digital age. It acknowledges the transformative impact of digital platforms on the economy and society and emphasizes the need for a balanced regulatory framework that supports innovation while ensuring fair competition and protecting individual rights.

Main Objectives

• Facilitating inclusive growth through fair competition, investments, and innovations.
• Guaranteeing individual basic rights and data sovereignty in the digital environment.

Key Points

1. Where We Are: Far-Reaching Changes for Economy and Society

• Digital platforms are reshaping the world by altering society, economy, and politics.
• Digitalisation is a comprehensive transformation that affects all areas of life and work.
• Digital platforms are central to the development of the digital economy, acting as innovation drivers, market makers, and data processors.
• B2C markets are the most visible area of digital transformation, with platforms dominating in online trading, search, media, and mobility services.
• Gigabit-capable networks are essential for future digital growth, but Germany lags behind in terms of infrastructure development.
• The Digital Single Market could contribute 415 billion euros annually to the EU economy and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

2. Where We Want to Get to: The European Path in the Digital Age

• The goal is to ensure fair competition, democratic discourse, European sovereignty, and growth dynamism.
• The Social Market Economy is seen as a model for achieving these goals, with principles such as competition, freedom to contract, and private ownership still relevant in the digital context.

3. What We Will Do: Our Digital Policy Agenda

3.1 Promoting and Shaping Competition Fairly

• Ensure fair competition in digital markets, especially for Over-The-Top (OTT) services.
• Introduce dual, proactive competition law to address new challenges.
• Address international tax competition to ensure a level playing field.

3.2 Creating a Modern Data Economy

• Support the free flow of data and ensure data portability.
• Enhance data protection through the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Implement transparency rules and trust services to build digital trust.
• Introduce seals and certificates for data governance.
• Encourage self-learning algorithms and experimentation rooms to foster innovation.

3.3 Setting Up Gigabit-Capable Digital Infrastructures

• Expand gigabit networks and promote investment-oriented telecommunication regulation.
• Develop WiFi hotspots and ensure broadband access across urban, semi-urban, and rural areas.

3.4 Securing a Democratic Digital Culture

• Strengthen basic rights in the internet.
• Implement a European complaints system to address digital issues.

3.5 Digital State Competence and Institutional Structure

• Close the competence gap in digital policy.
• Explore model variants of a digital agency to enhance coordination and effectiveness.

Critical Observations

• Digital platforms are redefining value creation and competition, often outpacing traditional businesses in growth and innovation.
• Data is becoming a common good, but its management and use present new challenges.
• The digital divide is a major concern, especially in rural areas where gigabit infrastructure is underdeveloped.
• Germany's digital competitiveness is lower than that of the U.S. and other leading nations, with only 10% of its digitalisation potential being exploited.

Conclusion and Outlook

• The White Paper is a stepping stone in the ongoing process of digital regulation.
• It is intended for European debate and aims to contribute to the development of a Digital Single Market.
• The goal is to ensure digitalisation "made in Europe", which maximises economic opportunities while addressing risks.
• The Social Market Economy remains a guiding principle, adapting to the digital reality to ensure fairness, legal certainty, and participation.