Unlocking sustainable finance to achieve Europe’s Digital Decade targets
Connect Europe, Ecta, GSMA, Ericsson and Nokia welcome the European Commission’s policy efforts to pave the way for a more sustainable telecommunication sector in the EU.
Summary:
Telecommunication networks are the foundation of all sectors of the economy, connecting people and business across the European Union (EU) and beyond. The deployment of modern, state of the art telecommunications networks is essential for the EU to strengthen its competitiveness, advance the European Industrial Strategy, and contribute to its goals of climate neutrality and digital leadership.
Building modern telecommunication network infrastructure is capital intensive. A study prepared for the European Commission estimates investment needs of over €174 billion in Europe’s telecom infrastructure to achieve the EU’s 2030 connectivity targets1. To support the EU’s twin transition objectives, these critical and necessary investments in telecommunication network infrastructure should also align with EU sustainability standards.
The EU Taxonomy framework can play an important role in helping to achieve the EU’s Digital Decade targets. Based on robust and science-based criteria, the taxonomy can become a key tool to help guide investment activities by the telecommunication sector and Member States to align with the EU's climate targets.
