The EU seeks to promote artificial intelligence and the people in front of their effects protect. Both at the same time, however, is difficult to achieve.

Where is the intelligence? Ursula von der Leyen tests at the University of Brussels data glasses photo: Stephanie Lecocq/reuters

The European Union, the use of the future is to promote such techniques. A new strategy aims to make the EU "a global model for the digital economy". Brussels wants to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and networked data. "We are convinced that the digital transformation to bring our economies, and can help us, to find European solutions to global challenges", said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday in Brussels. At the same time, the rights of citizens in regards to privacy should be respected. Von der Leyen wants to oppose the new package, particularly the technology pioneers in the USA and China.

The President of the Commission, sets ambitious targets – and to tackle an important issue. In international comparison, the EU is falling, despite all the progress: The large data companies such as Google are based in the US, while in China, the digitization in everyday life, much more advanced. "Europe is at a crossroads," comments Achim Berg, the President of the industry Association Bitkom. The EU-Commission to tread a right path, by pushing the possibilities of the AI in the center.

Nevertheless, the danger that Europe "is rising on the brakes" and from the global developments abkoppele still existed. Because the EU's new package contains, in addition to the promotion of the new technology are also strong elements of protection of the citizen against its effects. Bitkom-President of the mountain is concerned that the regulations and restrictions could not prevail in practice so that Europe is catching up, but falls further behind. It was a "protectionist wrong" to ban the procedure as a lump sum, for all of the data in accordance with European values were collected. Nobody knew, finally, exactly what is meant by that specifically. This creates legal uncertainty. The industry hopes for a resounding success of the EU approach as too limited.

Anyway it is not the first strategy of its kind. in 2014, the Commission had adopted with much Pomp a digitization program. It was designed to run for five years. The balance sheet in the past year, however, was mau: The former digital Commissioner Günther Oettinger organised a budget of 5 billion euros – a drop in the bucket compared to the sums the move in China and the United States.

From the Digital Economy and Society Index (Desi) of the EU was in any case at the end of the project shows that only little has been achieved. The direct exchange of information of companies has increased since 2016 is only from 34 percent to 36 percent. The number of online retailers offering cross-border, in the same period by only half a percentage point.

This is the large common market is actually the particular strength of Europe, and that's exactly the property, in common with the leading countries, China and the USA. Only Europe's digital companies are not succeeding yet, the possibilities of the common internal market to exploit, the language and country boundaries can not be effectively overcome.