Davos - Boosting the role of information technology in the industry must be one of Europe's priorities in order to catch up with its global competitors, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.
“A sober look at Europe, at the US and at some Asian countries in the area of the digital agenda shows that we must catch up rather than being at the top,” she said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Merkel urged EU countries to do more to merge internet technology with industrial production, highlighting Germany's Industry 4.0 initiative, which includes closer integration between producers and clients, made-to-measure production processes and higher productivity.
“Otherwise those who are leading in the digital field will take away our production,” the leader of Europe's biggest economy said.
In addition, a digital offensive would create high-quality jobs and would help boost EU employment, Merkel added.
In October, Berlin announced a 50-million-euro (58-million-dollar) seed money programme, dubbed Smart Service Welt, to boost German businesses attempting to launch services harnessing the internet.
Sapa-dpa