eco New Year’s Receptions
With its New Year’s Receptions in Berlin and Cologne, eco – Association of the Internet Industry opened the year 2025 together with key stakeholders from politics, public administration and the digital economy. The start of the year also marked the 30th anniversary of the association. Since its foundation in 1995, eco has accompanied the development of the Internet industry and has contributed as a reliable partner to economic and digital policy debates at national and European level.
New Year’s Reception Berlin
The first event took place on 28 January 2025 at the Capital Office in Berlin. Traditionally, the reception serves as a platform for dialogue between political Berlin and the Internet industry on the key issues shaping the digital year.
Following the welcome address by eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme, the keynote speech by Prof. Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), provided important input for the discussions. Under the theme of “Data Protection in Germany – How to Successfully Shape the Digital Transformation”, she addressed the challenges of pursuing a data policy that is both innovation-friendly and legally secure.
The subsequent discussion focused in particular on the design of regulatory frameworks, issues of digital sovereignty and the balance between data protection and economic capacity for innovation. The reception thus underscored eco’s role as an interface between the industry and policymakers.
New Year’s Reception Cologne
On 30 January 2025, the New Year’s Reception followed at the Cologne Office in Ehrenfeld, which also marked the beginning of the anniversary year. The focus here was on exchange within the eco network and on networking among member companies and partners.
eco’s Managing Directors Alexander Rabe and Andreas Weiss opened the evening. In an informal setting featuring a vernissage by the artist Armin Scheid, live music and accompanying catering, current developments in the industry were highlighted and discussed in greater depth. Discussions were shaped in particular by topics such as the practical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and forthcoming cooperation projects.
The Cologne reception highlighted the importance of in-person formats for knowledge transfer and the initiation of joint projects within the Internet industry.
