On 5 December 2023, in the presence of European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, the Spanish Presidency issued a declaration on strengthening cooperation between Member States and the Commission to develop a world-class quantum technology ecosystem across Europe.
The declaration recognises the strategic importance of quantum technologies for the EU’s scientific and industrial competitiveness. The aim is for Europe to become the world’s „quantum valley„, the world’s leading region for quantum excellence and innovation.
Quantum technologies will have a profound impact on the economy and society in the coming years. They should, for example, enable faster diagnosis of diseases by looking inside cells or develop unbreakable encryption for the secure transmission of sensitive information.
The declaration is supported by 11 Member States (France, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Finland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia and Spain) and the number is expected to increase. They have committed to work with the Commission in several key areas, including coordinating European, national and regional R&D programmes, accelerating the transition from theory to practice and building pan-European quantum infrastructures. The signatory Member States agreed to discuss the objectives of the Declaration on a regular basis and committed to work with the European Commission to develop a roadmap for their implementation. This roadmap would include ambitious concrete targets that would complement the European quantum targets already embedded in the Digital Decade strategy.
Published 11.12.2023, slord
