On June 13, 2019, representatives of seven EU member states signed the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI) Declaration at the Digital Assembly 2019 in Bucharest, Romania. The event was co-organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Spain signed the declaration, agreeing to explore together how to develop and deploy a quantum communication infrastructure across the EU within the next ten years. The proposed infrastructure would integrate quantum technologies into conventional communication networks, consisting of a terrestrial fiber-optic component and a space-based satellite component.
Romania held the rotating EU Council Presidency during the first half of 2019 and hosted the Digital Assembly at the ROMEXPO Exhibition Centre in Bucharest. Romania did not sign the declaration at this stage but would join the initiative in February 2020.