POSITION | RESEARCH & INNOVATION | QUANTUM
Recommendations on the Quantum Strategy of the EU Response to the Call for Evidence from the European Commission
June 2, 2025 General Remarks ▪
BDI welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to develop the Quantum Strategy of the EU. Specifically, the planned focus on the unification of national strategies and avoidance of the fragmentation between them is positively evaluated. This unification should be accompanied by the bureaucracy reduction, unification of the legislation and the establishment of simplified rules regarding the funding applications.
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In line with current geopolitical developments, the Quantum Strategy of the EU should contain the set of bold and clear actions oriented at short-term (<5 years), mid-term (5 – 10 years) and long-term (>10 years) development of quantum technology across all fields, including quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communication. The overarching goal should be to achieve European sovereignty and a pioneering role in technology development. This is especially crucial given that quantum technologies are dual use in most cases, meaning they directly impact European security and sovereignty.
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In parallel to the development of hardware, the funding of specifically algorithms as well as software and applications towards a European software stack should also be explicitly promoted by the strategy. Close involvement of European industry is essential here to ensure technological sovereignty and avoid dependence on non-European players. Support for opensource quantum software frameworks, standardized APIs, and interoperability should be a strategic pillar to ensure system integration and broad ecosystem participation.
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Furthermore, in line with the Draghi report, the Europeans need to speak and act with one voice, because a single European nation could fail in this future driven topic. The strategy should emphasise enabling faster actions and reactions to current technology development, alongside technological openness and a focus on hardware and software solutions produced in Europe. At the same time, potentials of specific solutions and the chances of their success should be constantly monitored with the intent to target the funding in the future. This enables existing resources to be utilised effectively. European sovereignty and business need/Industrial applicability should always be a central criterion in order to avoid diversifying the funds too widely.
Federation of German Industries (BDI) | www.bdi.eu German Lobby Register Number R000534 | EU Transparency Register: 1771817758-48 Dr. Mariia Shkolnykova (m.shkolnykova@bdi.eu)