European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called for Europe to make the most of digitalization.
On a visit to the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in the city of Potsdam just outside Berlin, von der Leyen said the European Union is working to deliver legislation on digitalization and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Under the 2022 Digital Services Act, large online platforms are held responsible for the content they distribute in the EU.
The law enables small businesses to compete against their larger rivals, von der Leyen said, as well as encouraging innovation to take advantage of the "possibilities and opportunities that arise from digitalization and, above all, the use of artificial intelligence."
Von der Leyen praised the work of the HPI, where she said, "Exactly what we need much more of in Europe is taking place, namely the transformation of excellent research results into products that can actually survive on the market."
Researchers at the HPI are working on increasing the energy efficiency of data centres and other facilities, which von der Leyen called a "huge topic for the future."
Europe will require massive amounts of renewable energy to support the green energy transition, the European Commission president said. "The more efficiently we use it, the better it will be for our environment and the better it will be for Europe as a business location," she added.
Digitalization offers "huge opportunities" for learning in sectors such as health care, von der Leyen said. Data can effectively be used to cure and prevent diseases, she argued.
Von der Leyen is hoping to return to the role of president of the European Commission after elections to the European Parliament, which are set to take place across the EU on June 6-9.
