Latest news with #SarahKnafo
Crypto Insight
4 days ago
- Business
- Crypto Insight
European Parliament to vote on tech sovereignty proposal in July
The European Parliament is set to vote on a technology sovereignty proposal submitted by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) under the leadership of pro-Bitcoin lawmaker Sarah Knafo. ITRE, one of 24 standing committees in the European Parliament, on June 3 adopted a non-binding report on tech sovereignty and digital infrastructure, calling for a European policy for the digital ecosystem. The proposal highlights concerns that Europe is falling behind the United States and China in strategic sectors such as the cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and communication infrastructure. The report suggests lifting barriers to private investment in innovation, promoting energy-efficient computing and blockchain infrastructure and safeguarding privacy in digital finance. Parliament vote expected in July According to the communication from the ITRE, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the proposal in the upcoming plenary session. Knafo, a key backer of the proposal, told Cointelegraph that the vote will most likely occur during the July session. 'If all the right-wing parties vote in favor of the text, and normally they should, we have a good chance to get a majority,' said Knafo. 'But left-wing parties put pressure on the center-right party to block it. We will see if they resist it.' Knafo emphasized that the report is not yet a legally binding piece of legislation and is supposed to define political guidelines only. Is the EU set for a digital revolution? 'I strongly believe that we are still at the very beginning of the digital revolution. So far, Europe is lagging behind, to say the least,' Knafo said, adding: 'We have all the talented engineers and scientists we need to catch up with the US and China. We just need a suitable political frame to let them work in Europe.' While Knafo is confident about the potential for a digital revolution in the EU, some commentators are less optimistic about the outcome. Skeptics in the French media portal Frontières expressed gratitude for Knafo's efforts but doubt whether the proposal will gain the support of a majority of the parliament's 720 lawmakers. 'Change will come from the nations. Change will come from people. AfD [Alternative for Germany], Poland, Hungary, Netherlands. It's shy but it moves,' one commenter wrote. Knafo's protest against the digital euro Knafo's advocacy for tech sovereignty follows her vocal opposition to the European Central Bank's (ECB) plans for a digital euro. In a speech to the European Parliament in late 2024, she called instead for a Bitcoin strategic reserve 'No to the digital euro, yes to a strategic Bitcoin reserve,' Knafo stated in her speech to the European Parliament last December. However, the European Union has moved in the opposite direction. ECB officials such as Piero Cipollone highlight the urgent need for the digital euro to counteract the rising adoption of US dollar stablecoins. In January 2025, ECB President Christine Lagarde also dismissed the opportunity to create a Bitcoin reserve, emphasizing that central bank reserves must be 'liquid, secure and safe.' Source:
Euronews
23-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Mainstream political groups propose overhaul of far-right tech report
Mainstream political groups in the European Parliament – the centre-right European People's Party, the centre-left S&D, liberal Renew and the Greens – are seeking an overhaul of a report into technology sovereignty presented in February by French far-right lawmaker Sarah Knafo, from the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group. Knafo's report touted six recommendations to boost technological sovereignty and guarantee the bloc's independence and security by protecting its strategic infrastructure and reducing dependence on non-European technology providers. The compromise amendments tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew and Greens, and seen by Euronews, go beyond Knafo's six recommendations, listing 21 key elements for consideration, including digital infrastructure, fibre, 5G and 6G, cloud services, AI systems and quantum. The amendments call for example for 'a coordinated EU strategy for post-quantum cryptography to protect data from future cyber threats', increased investment in digital infrastructure to enable the growth of data centres, and stronger cybersecurity protection in all critical infrastructure sectors, with stricter measures to de-risk high-risk vendors in 5G and 6G networks. 'The geopolitical landscape and the resulting opportunity for market demand for European products and services' should be seen as 'a window of opportunity to position Europe as a global leader in trusted and secure digital solutions', according to the new draft. It calls on the Commission to set out a list of critical dependencies in digital infrastructure and technologies, and to assess storage services, identity and payment systems, communication platforms, as well as software, protocols and standards that support them, and to propose measures 'to promote access to market of products and services with high positive impact on technological sovereignty, European resilience and sustainability'. These include a call to encourage more private investment in high-potential European technology companies by simplifying the regulatory framework and scrapping two regulations for every new set of rules created in strategic sectors. The amendments say that 'the simplification of EU legislation must not endanger any of the fundamental rights for citizens and businesses and hence risk regulatory certainty; Any simplification proposal should not be rushed and proposed without proper consideration, consultation and impact assessment.' The report is awaiting a committee decision, in the Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee, before it will be voted on in plenary, after the summer. Knafo's ESN group faces a 'cordon sanitaire' from the more mainstream political groups. The report is an own-initiative report, which means that it would force the Commission to respond on whether it will propose legislation or action on the topic.
Euronews
27-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU cloud certification should mimic French scheme, says nationalist lawmaker
A pending cloud certification scheme - which European companies will use to demonstrate that their digital systems are adequately cybersecurity protected for the EU market - should reflect France's own similar scheme, according to a Parliament report on technology sovereignty drafted by a far-right French lawmaker. 'When it comes to sensitive data, a European cybersecurity criterion should be introduced that takes sovereignty into account,' according to the report, seen by Euronews, which was submitted at the initiative of MEP Sarah Knafo, who belongs to the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group. The current European Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS) does not provide sufficient guarantees regarding the hosting of European sensitive data, according to Knafo. 'In order to ensure that the hosting provider is not subject to non-European legislation, the EUCS certification would have to align with the guarantees required by the French SecNumCloud certification regarding the criteria of 'immunity' of data from extraterritorial laws and company control,' the report says. EU-level discussions around the voluntary cybersecurity certification scheme descended into a political scrap over sovereignty requirements after the Commission asked the EU's cybersecurity agency Enisa to start working on EUCS in 2019. France has led resistance to the proposal and wants to be sure that it can continue to use SecNum Cloud after the adoption of EUCS. A decision on EUCS has been pending with no clear timeframe of when it could make further progress. Some believe that the Commission wants hold revising the EUCS process until the Cyber Security Act (CSA), the related piece of regulation under which the EUCS will fall, has been reviewed. The CSA, which entered into force in 2019, was up for a review last year, but this hasn't yet happened. Cordon sanitaire The report is now awaiting a committee decision, in the Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee, before it will be voted on in plenary, after the summer. It remains to be seen how the report will be received. Knafo's ESN group faces a 'cordon sanitaire' from the more mainstream political groups. Knafo cites six recommendations to tackle the issue of technological sovereignty, and to aim for a guarantee of the bloc's independence and security by protecting its strategic infrastructure and reducing dependence on non-European technology providers.
