Expert discussion on digital sovereignty at the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag

Digital sovereignty requires robust European trust infrastructures

At the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s expert discussion on digital sovereignty last Monday, the Association for Secure Digital Identity (VSDI) was represented by board member Arno Fiedler.

In discussions with representatives from politics, academia and business, it became clear how crucial resilient digital infrastructures, European scaling and cybersecurity are for Europe’s future digital capacity to act. Particularly in view of the increasing dependence on global technology platforms, the question of trustworthy European infrastructures is becoming ever more important.

Arno Fiedler particularly emphasised the central role of European Public Key Infrastructures (PKI) for secure digital identities and trustworthy digital ecosystems. The recognition of European trust infrastructures by operating system and browser providers such as Google, Apple or Microsoft is a key factor for digital sovereignty and interoperability in Europe.

Excluding European trust services from the root stores of major platform providers would have a significant impact on the usability and international interoperability of digital trust infrastructures in Europe and would permanently weaken digital sovereignty.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Ralph Brinkhaus, Dr Thomas Pauls and the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag for the invitation and the stimulating discussion.