Environment

November 9, the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union and Arcep invited Members of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission and, journalists and stakeholders from the digital ecosystem to a jointly organised event at the Permanent Representation of France. Drawing on Arcep’s work on the environmental impact of digital technologies and AI, and on the eco-design of  digital services, the event tackled one key question: How do we turn digital sustainability from a constraint into a new, major opportunity for Europe?

The speakers pointed to the lack of transparency on the environmental impacts of digital technologies, and AI in particular

Arcep Chair, Laure de La Raudière, reminded the audience that Arcep believes in the power of digital technologies and their benefits for society, and is thus committed to addressing their environmental impacts, driven by of a sense of responsibility and the legacy being passed on to future generations. “Regulation has a role to play in safeguarding their future freedom to enjoy the benefits of digital technology”. One message emerged from the discussions: The growing concern within society about the lack of transparency surrounding the environmental impacts of digital technologies, and especially AI.

Next step to “having it all”: Getting the entire digital value chain involved and scaling up action at the European level

The discussions also pointed out the need to get the entire digital value chain involved: from digital infrastructures to digital services. Even if some economic actors are already taking steps to address these issues, the panellists agreed on the urgent need to scale these efforts up and turn them into broader, more systemic action across the entire value chain (from data centre operators to digital services providers).

Programme for the “No Sustainability, No (Digital) Future” event on 9 November 2026 at the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union in Brussels 

Opening remarks 
Cyril Piquemal, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the European Union & Laure de La Raudière, Arcep Chair

Keynote 
Boris Gamazaychikov, Co-Founder and CEO, Sustainable AI Group

“The Environmental Impact of Digital: From Evidence to Action”
Presentation of Arcep’s findings and proposals

Roundtable: “AI & digital sustainability: a lever for competitiveness and sovereignty” 

Moderator:  Xavier Merlin, Arcep Executive Board Member

Panellists: 
- Charlotte Baylac, Head of Public Affairs – Compute, Mistral AI*
- Alejandra de Iturriaga Gandini, BEREC Chair 2027
- Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Future Networks, DG CNECT, European Commission
- Axelle Lemaire, Executive Director in charge of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility, Sopra Steria Group

Conclusions
Laure de La Raudière, Arcep Chair

Closing Remarks
Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament, member of the EPP

Associated documents 

• “The ecodesign of digital services” – Key figures and recommendations (2 pages leaflet) (pdf - 692 KB)

• “AI’s environmental footprint” - Key figures and recommendations (2 pages leaflet) (pdf - 468 KB)

• “Measuring the environmental footprint of digital services” – Key figures and recommendations (2 pages leaflet) (pdf - 692 KB)

• “The Environmental Impact of Digital: From Evidence to Action” – Arcep’s findings and proposals (Presentation during the event) (pdf - 1.32 MB)

• Sustainable AI: Global Trends, Environmental Footprints and Effective Policy - Boris Gamazaychikov co-founder, Chief excutive officer (Keynote) (pdf - 2.46 MB)
• Digital sustainability : Arcep's work on digital technology’s environmental footprint