Merz's warning to Europe: “We must not allow the US and China to determine the technological future alone. For the sake of our prosperity and freedom”
Friedrich Merz. Photo: Dwi Anoraganingrum / imago stock&people / Profimedia
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday urged Germany and Europe to make a major effort to regain technological competitiveness at the global level, reports DPA, taken over by Agepres.
“We must not allow the US and China to determine the future of technology alone – for the sake of our prosperity, our security and ultimately our freedom,” Merz said in Berlin at the launch event of the government's Hightech Agenda, which aims to boost the country's technology sector.
Europe has always been good at shaping a better future for its citizens, Merz said, admitting: “We've been so successful at that that we might have gotten a little complacent lately. But that's not something that can't be corrected.”
Germany and Europe must be technologically independent, the German leader emphasized, especially against the background of a new emerging systemic conflict between authoritarian and liberal national states. “We are faced with unilateral dependencies. And these dependencies are also exploited in the struggle for political power,” noted Merz.
According to the chancellor, it is far from certain that Germany and Europe as a whole will remain a significant player in the emerging world order. The continent must regain its strength through leadership in innovation, believes the head of the German government.
Friedrich Merz, who took over as chancellor in May, has made sure that boosting innovation is a top priority for his administration, which has pledged to spend at least 3.5 percent of gross domestic product on research and development by 2030.
In this sense, the Hightech Agenda aims to realign economic and research policy towards competitiveness, value creation and technological sovereignty, with the aim that in the future Germany will focus its funding on six key technologies: artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, microelectronics, biotechnology, fusion and climate-neutral energy generation.
“If our country wants to be at the vanguard of technology, then we need genuine cooperation between industry and science,” Merz said.
