Status: 27.09.2023, 16:30 p.m.
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Fiber optic cable harnesses protrude from a control cabinet. According to the European Commission, Germany is too slow in expanding the super-fast Internet. © Jan Woitas / dpa
The sluggish pace of digitization in Germany has also prompted the EU Commission to take action. This clearly criticizes the slow fiber-optic expansion in Germany.
Brussels – The EU Commission has complained of "very serious deficiencies" in the fibre-optic expansion in Germany. At 19 percent of households in Germany, coverage is well below the EU average of 56 percent, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Brussels authority. By 2030, all households in the EU are to be connected to the fibre optic network.
Not just criticism: EU Commission praises Germany for chip industry
In Germany, there is also a need to catch up with the 5G network and the digitization of the authorities. According to the Commission, the digital services of the authorities at federal, state and local level need to be better coordinated. Overall, many services are not offered digitally at all or only in individual municipalities and regions.
Germany received praise for investments in quantum computing technologies and the chip industry. Germany is also above the European average when it comes to digitization in companies. Berlin is also the most attractive location for digital start-ups in the EU.
EU: All households with access to high-speed internet by 2030
The EU has set itself targets for 2030 with the "Digital Decade" programme. Then, among other things, all households should have access to fast Internet via fiber optics and the mobile 5G network. According to the Commission's estimates, this will require additional investments of up to 200 billion euros.
By 2030, all citizens in the EU should also be able to identify themselves online and deal with the authorities digitally. Three-quarters of companies are to work with cloud services or artificial intelligence in the future, and the EU's share of the global market for semiconductors is to be doubled. (AFP, LF)
