Why ICT is the real (green) deal for Europe

The case for European tech confidence on climate change

By Luis Neves and Alessandro Gropelli*

Most of us reacted with shock when reading the latest scientific evidence on climate in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which rang the alarm bell on faster global warming and irreversible rise in sea levels. We should not be shocked, in fact, as all the science behind the August 2021 report is known for many years. Most of us were just distracted.

5 tech things not to forget about

By Lise Fuhr, Director General, ETNO

A new, heated tech policy autumn is shaping up also this year. As government, industry and civil society leaders get back to their desks, there are at least five tech policy debates we should not forget about.

Let me be clear: I think that the European Commission got the political priorities right. Their focus is on strengthening Europe’s technology sectors, while addressing the socio-economic issues arising from the transition to a digital-first world. From addressing the power of big tech corporations to fighting disinformation and leading in semiconductors, Europe’s political leaders are pursuing a clear industrial and geopolitical strategy for the first time in many decades.

ETNO and GSMA call for a more equitable and balanced approach towards taxation of the telecommunications sector under the new tax rules proposed by OECD/G20, August 2021

ETNO, GSMA and their members welcome the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework landmark agreement for taxation of the digitalizing economy. However, the industry is concerned that the current proposal fails to recognise the essential contribution of the telecommunications sector to the world’s economies and its key features with respect to investment, tax and regulatory regimes. Moreover, the framework has shifted from its original purpose of levying taxes on digital services in jurisdictions where the customer resides to a broad application that potentially subjects large multinationals within the telecommunications industry, who already pay their fair share of taxes, to double taxation. 

ETNO welcomes EU climate leadership, calls for full recognition of ICT’s enabling potential

Brussels, 14 July 2021 – ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading telecom operators, welcomes the leadership of the European Union in fighting climate change.

Transatlantic Tech Relations: Joint Statement of the Telecom Industry

Brussels, Washington D.C., 16 June 2021 – ETNO and USTelecom – The Broadband Association, the leading trade associations for telecom operators and broadband providers in the EU and the U.S. respectively, welcome the strengthening of the transatlantic dialogue on industrial and policy approaches to technology.

Connectivity and Beyond: How Telcos Can Accelerate a Digital Future For All

Europe can create 2.4 million new jobs by leveraging a €300bn digital network investment

Brussels, 25 March 2021 – Europe can create 2.4 million new jobs within the next four years through digital transformation, while boosting economic growth and accelerating green transformation. This will require a €300bn effort in terms of telecoms network investment, with additional action required to stimulate demand and digital upskilling. These are the key findings of the new report “Connectivity and Beyond: How Telcos Can Accelerate a Digital Future For All”, which was released today by Europe’s leading telecoms association ETNO and prepared by global management consulting firm BCG.

Joint Statement by ETNO and the GSMA on the European Green Digital Coalition

Telecom CEOs join European Green Digital Coalition, commit to green and digital transformation

Brussels, 19 March 2021 – Today, 13 European telecom CEOs became founding members of the European Green Digital Coalition, and pledged their companies would be climate neutral by 2040 at the latest to accelerate the European Commission’s green ambitions.

Women in tech: #IChooseToChallenge the status quo

By Lise Fuhr, Director General, ETNO

Today is about celebrating women in all regions of the world. The International Women’s Day is a reminder that opportunity must be equally accessible to all of us, irrespective of gender. A digital and analogue society in which we are fairly represented is the first step towards inclusion. From an economic standpoint, it will also ignite growth. The topic of this year’s March 8 celebrations is #IChooseToChallenge, inviting women all around the world to challenge the status quo. This is why, as ETNO’s Director General, I choose to challenge the lack of women in tech.

Supply chain accountability: a priority for Europe’s cybersecurity policy

By Paolo Grassia, Director of Policy Affairs, ETNO

It is not an understatement to say that the SolarWinds hack is, in Microsoft President Brad Smith’s words, “the largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen”. At least 18.000 customers of software company SolarWinds were affected by a backdoor that allowed state-sponsored hackers to compromise U.S. government agencies, leading technology firms, and other notable targets worldwide. The full extent of the hacking campaign is still being investigated, and its consequences are still unravelling.