AFP
European tech CEOs are urging the EU to prioritize a “Europe-first” approach in light of the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump in the U.S., who has been vocal about prioritizing America above all else. These executives aim to reduce reliance on U.S. technologies.
During his presidential campaign in October, Trump warned that the EU would face consequences for not buying enough American exports if he were to become president.
At the Web Summit Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, European tech company CEOs expressed concerns about President-elect Trump’s unpredictability and his “America First” agenda as reported by Forbes.
The victory of Trump was a major topic at the summit where executives discussed challenging Big Tech’s dominance in technology according to CNBC.
Andy Yen, CEO of Proton and developer of Swiss VPN, emphasized the need for Europe to prioritize its own interests over those of U.S.-based companies across various technologies such as web browsing, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. Yen stated that it is time for Europe to assert itself.
“It’s time for bold action. It’s time to be more assertive. With a leader like America-first Trump in power now, European leaders should adopt a Europe-first mindset,” Yen told CNBC during the summit.
Yen noted that Europe has historically taken a globalist approach but stressed that China and America have not reciprocated fairly over recent decades. He criticized their unfair practices exacerbated by President-elect Trump’s strong America-first stance.
In addition to Yen’s sentiments, Thomas Plantenga CEO of Vinted based in Lithuania echoed similar views urging EU leaders to make strategic decisions ensuring Europe can compete globally across various sectors including safety measures energy investments education innovation.. Plantenga emphasized that failing would leave Europe behind, highlighting trade collaborations as essential for strength.“If we don’t have much trade leverage we become weaker,” he added.
Another pressing issue discussed among EU CEOs was AI dominance primarily held by U.S.-based companies like OpenAI backed by Microsoft with its ChatGPT platform.
The European Union has been taking steps against Big Tech through regulations legal actions aimed at reducing dominance primarily held by U.S.-based tech giants.
EU antitrust regulators are preparing fines against Apple under Digital Markets Act (DMA) while celebrating victories such as upholding a 2.42 billion euro fine against Google for abusing its dominant position favoring its comparison-shopping service.
Donald trump
2024-12-10 17:15:02
Original from www.ibtimes.com.