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Ekholm: Ericsson to play central role in EU-US cooperation on emerging tech

Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, has welcomed a new agreement between the European Union and the United States of America to deepen cooperation on emerging and future technologies, saying the company is ready to take a leading role in the initiative.

News
Jun 01, 2023
Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm.

The agreement - covering areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), 6G, online platforms and quantum technology - was announced following the May 31 ministerial meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council held in the northern Swedish city of Luleå, under Sweden’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, says: “As an R&D-led company, Ericsson welcomes the joint EU-US commitment to emerging and future technologies and the understanding of the role these technologies will play in driving national and regional economic growth.

“Ericsson is ready to play a responsible and central role in the deepening EU-US Trade and Technology Council cooperation to ensure that the EU and the US, and its initiative partners, benefit.

“Ericsson is also fully committed to ensuring that more partners and customers across the EU, the US and around the world engage with, and benefit from, the current technology advances and economic growth opportunities enabled by Ericsson 5G and 5G Standalone.”

Sweden’s Foreign Trade Minister, Johan Forssell, told Swedish media that there was agreement within the framework of the cooperation between the EU and the US and an agreement between Sweden and the US on 6G research, which he said would be important to companies such as Ericsson.

Senior political figures from each delegation led the discussions including US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken; US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo; European Commission Executive Vice President, Margrethe Vestager; European Commission Executive Vice President, Valdis Dombrovskis; US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and European Commissioner Thierry Breton.

Senior members of the Swedish government, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Johan Forssell, were also in Luleå as were leading members of Sweden’s business community, including Börje Ekholm.

In a joint statement, the European Union and United States said the EU-US Trade and Technology Council plays a central role in the transatlantic partnership.

“Given the rapid pace of technological developments, the European Union and the United States are committed to deepening our cooperation on technology issues, including on artificial intelligence (AI), 6G, online platforms and quantum,” the joint statement said.

“We are committed to make the most of the potential of emerging technologies, while at the same time limiting the challenges they pose to universal human rights and shared democratic values.

“In this context, we seek to continue advancing the principles presented in the Declaration for the Future of the Internet (DFI), together with like-minded partners. The European Union and the United States share a commitment to develop our workforces with the skills to spur the next wave of economic growth.”

Further details on the outcomes of the May 31 EU-US Trade and Technology Council are contained in the related joint statement.