WASHINGTON—Robert D. Atkinson, president and founder of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), released the following statement in response to an open letter from 51 members of European Parliament regarding the suggestion that the EU’s plan to create a Digital Single Market involves an impulse toward “digital protectionism”:
ITIF has long believed that innovation and growth flourish best in an open regulatory environment, so we are heartened to hear members of the European Parliament say they “do not see legislation as a way to manage the growth of companies,” and indeed they seek to “remov[e] barriers and updat[e] the regulatory framework … to make entrepreneurship and innovation easier….”
We welcome the tenor of the MEPs’ statement, and we commend their push for further cooperation between the United States and Europe. But we are also cognizant that President Obama and others in the United States have not been imagining things; their expressions of concern about “digital protectionism” have come in reaction to some vague, but potentially troubling language in the DSM strategy, coupled with some very clear—and distinctly protectionist—statements from a number of prominent EU officials. For example, Germany’s Economic Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, has said he believes the EU needs to regain its “digital sovereignty” from American digital imperialists. We hope that this new statement from dozens of members of Parliament represents a majority view among European lawmakers and regulators, that the language of transatlantic policy conflict will soon dissipate, and that constructive cooperation with the United States will be the norm.
We agree there is no place for digital protectionism in the global innovation economy. It is especially critical that the transatlantic relationship between the United States and EU remains strong given that both sides will need to work more closely and harder than ever to combat digital protectionism emanating from China. We are happy to hear the world will have two strong and eager partners to lead this fight.
