Sectorial Position Paper on Taxonomy: Unlocking sustainable finance to achieve Europe’s Digital Decade targets

Telecommunication networks are the foundation of all sectors of the economy, connecting
people and business across the European Union (EU) and beyond. The deployment of modern,
state of the art telecommunications networks is essential for the EU to strengthen its
competitiveness, advance the European Industrial Strategy, and contribute to its goals of
climate neutrality and digital leadership.

Building modern telecommunication network infrastructure is capital intensive. A study
prepared for the European Commission estimates investment needs of over €174 billion in
Europe’s telecom infrastructure to achieve the EU’s 2030 connectivity targets1
. To support the
EU’s twin transition objectives, these critical and necessary investments in telecommunication
network infrastructure should also align with EU sustainability standards.

The EU Taxonomy framework can play an important role in helping to achieve the EU’s Digital
Decade targets. Based on robust and science-based criteria, the taxonomy can become a key
tool to help guide investment activities by the telecommunication sector and Member States to
align with the EU’s climate targets.

For more information please contact:

rdecastro@gsma.com