BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14. The European Union
(EU) must build its own digital power and boost its independent
technological capabilities, former Latvian president (2019–2023)
Egils Levits said at the panel discussions on "Digital futures: AI,
Governance and ethics of innovation" as part of the 13th Global
Baku Forum on "Bridging Divides in a World in Transition", Trend reports.


He noted that today, the EU is structurally dependent on the
U.S. and China.


According to him, society and economy are based on digital
technology.


"Digital infrastructure isn't a neutral tool. It reflects
certain values, ideology, and specific approaches. It is important
to take this into account. Today, the EU faces three options: to
accept long-term dependence on the U.S. and thereby consent to the
control of the oligarchs. This raises serious ethical and political
questions.


To establish open cooperation with China, because China is a
country that is quite open to cooperation. The third option could
be to create Europe's own digital power and increase its
independent technological capabilities," the former president
explained.







He noted that projects in the information age can be implemented
for this purpose.


"The position of the European Parliament is also in this
direction. This doesn't mean that Europe should rule the world; it
is simply the preferred option within the legal framework.
Information and economic security can be ensured in the hands of
the party that has the means, such as artificial intelligence.
Currently, the U.S. has these capabilities, while China operates in
an authoritarian system. Europe's technical potential is quite
large.


What we need is to show political will and provide financial
support. On other issues, when it comes to digital sovereignty and
when comparing, Europe's capabilities should be expanded.
Industrial policy can be tightened, but there is disagreement on
this issue at the EU level, but we see that there are quite a lot
of people who support it," Levits added.


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