The European Union's digital assertiveness

The European institutions and EU member states are pushing hard for closer digital integration. In view of the diverse challenges -from protecting critical infrastructure and safeguarding civil liberties to the creation of common markets- "positive integration", that is targeted EU regulatory action, is the way to tackle market failure within and beyond Europe. Draft regulations at the EU level are to take effect inside and outside the internal market: the Digital Single Market Strategy (DSM), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Directive on Network and Information Security (NIS). Digital integration is a precondition for establishing European standards and norms effectively, especially in international politics. (Autorenreferat

Die digitale Selbstbehauptung der EU

Institutionen und Mitgliedstaaten der EU treiben derzeit mit Hochdruck die digitale Integration voran. In Anbetracht der vielfältigen Herausforderungen - vom Schutz kritischer Infrastrukturen über die Wahrung persönlicher Freiheitsrechte bis zur Schaffung grenzübergreifender Märkte - ist die "positive Integration", also regulative Vorgaben durch die EU, der richtige Weg, um gegen Marktversagen im Binnenmarkt und darüber hinaus anzugehen. Auf EU-Ebene sollen Regulierungen geschaffen werden, die inner- und außereuropäische Wirkung entfalten. Vehikel dazu sind die Strategie für einen digitalen Binnenmarkt (DSM), die Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) und die Richtlinie zur Gewährleistung einer gemeinsamen Netzwerk- und Informationssicherheit (NIS). Die digitale Integration ist Voraussetzung dafür, europäische Standards und Normen auch in der internationalen Politik effektiver durchzusetzen. (Autorenreferat

Metropolitan free-space quantum networks

Quantum communication has seen rapid progress towards practical large-scale networks, with quantum key distribution (QKD) spearheading this development. Breakthroughs in satellite-based QKD promise to bridge large intercity distances between nodes. Advances in optical fibre networks, on the other hand, have shown that fibre-based systems are well suited for metropolitan scales. However, in many scenarios, suitable fibre infrastructure may not be in place. Here, we make the case for an entanglement-based free-space quantum network as a practical and efficient alternative for metropolitan applications. To support this prospect, we developed a deployable free-space QKD system and demonstrated its use in two realistic scenarios: between 300 m separated offices and over a 1.7 km link with a temporary container atop another building. We achieved secure key rates of up to 6 kbps, with over 2.5 kbps in full daylight, and estimate kbps rates are achievable even for 10-km distances. These results indicate that round the clock network accessibility as well as full coverage of a city is within reach with the present technology. We anticipate that our work will establish free-space networks as a viable solution for metropolitan scales and an indispensable complementary building block in the future global quantum internet