DG CONNECT's digital priorities addressed to Commissioners-elect Margarethe Vestager and Sylvie Goulard

Briefing to future commissioners on AI, green tech and technological sovereignty.

Following the letters of missions from President von der Leyen to the Commissioner-elects. The European Commission Directorate General for Communication, Networks, Content and Technology (CONNECT) has issued an internal document (Briefing Book) which advises Margrethe Vestager and Sylvie Goulard to focus on artificial intelligence, the Digital Services Act, greening technology and enhancing Europe’s technological sovereignty as immediate priorities.

Overview

The document lays out policy objectives under four broad pillars, as requested by von der Leyen: (1) a Europe fit for the digital age, (2) digital for a European Green Deal, (3) digital for European democracy, (4) a stronger Europe in the digital world.

Amongst the main challenges to be addressed, the European executive should be attached to a “European way of doing digital politicy”, meaning that it should be human-centric and founded on respect for fundamental rights and European values. This approach would raise citizens’ confidence in the digital age and ensure privacy and competitive advantage for the European Industry. However, Europe relies too much on foreign technologies: Europe could become a simple consumer and enter into dependence. Urgent efforts in terms of financing and cross-fertilisation should be made to expend key enabling technologies, support key parts of the digital supply chain, invest in connectivity infrastructure and in the necessary computing technology: hardware and software.

The document notes in term of GDP growth, the deployment of such key technologies across Europe would lead to a +1.1% EU GDP per year average growth, which means a cumulative impact of €2.3 Trillion by 2030.

Expected legislative measures:

Proposal to be adopted within the first 100 days of the new Commission:

Regulatory Framework for Artificial Intelligence (DG CONNECT/DG GROW/DG JUST/DG HOME)

Proposal to be adopted by the end of 2020:

Digital Service Act in the context of the new industrial strategy (DG CONNECT / DG GROW / DG JUST / DG HOME)

Greening ICT (DG CONNECT/ DG ENV/ DG CLIMA /DG GROW / DG ENER)

Initiative as part of a broader industrial strategy:

Enhancing Europe’s technological sovereignty (DG CONNECT/ DG RTD / DG COMP)

Other initiatives:

Revision of the NIS directive and Common cybersecurity requirements for ICT products and services

Digital Identity initiative exploring distributed ledger technology/blockchain

Technological sovereignty

A Framework for Artificial Intelligence that protects and empowers

DG CONNECT foresees an action aiming to cover the key horizontal issues. Inspired by the achievement of the GDPR, the European Commission wants to avoid the proliferation of non-ethical AI systems on the European Market.

Protect

The framework will not replace the existing rules for consumer protection or product safety.

It is impossible to describe in a finite manner all possible outcomes, but build on the experience from medicaments, side effects could be taken into account in terms of statistical adverse outcomes.

Possible severe alteration of the causation principle: autonomous decision-making can change causation. This principle would allow to determine contractual and extra-contractual responsibility

Empower

The Commission will regulate common data spaces that are fundamental to feed and refine algorithms. These rules regarding the access and the use of data will be tackled.

Action plan to foster EU’s AI capacity

AI will be a priority for the next EU budget and the use of public-private partnerships will be increased. The Commission will propose a coordinated plan for investment for AI with the Member States and if possible private sector.

A framework for improving data availability

To compete against US boasts online platforms and China who has a large access to citizen’s data, the European Commission will work on the improvement of EU’s data sharing and interoperability of data in key sectors: health, manufacturing, energy, and ensuring that IoT data can be exploited and does not lead to market foreclosure.

An initiative for technological sovereignty

Europe will explore how to establish a pan-European secure and interoperable blockchain infrastructure, an EU-wide network of AI facilities supporting industry, public services and hardware components for data processing (including neuromorphic and quantum architectures).

A strategy to ensure increased cyber-resilience of critical infrastructures, and cybersecurity by design of ICT products and services

The Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS) is the cornerstone for the EU cybersecurity legal framework, however the evolution of the threat landscape lead to the revision of the directive.

Common cybersecurity requirements for ICT products and services that are placed on the EU market

If “everything is connected”, there is a need of increasing the level of protection of the critical infrastructure as well as consumers. Since the current EU legislation does not cover the whole spectrum of cybersecurity; The Commission considers the “cybersecurity by design” approach by establishing common cybersecurity requirements for ICT products and services that are placed on the EU market.

When it comes to the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework the Commission will continue on the roll-out of schemes in particular: IoT, Cloud computing, critical High risk-applications and 5G) with more investment into cutting edge cybersecurity solution “made in Europe”.

At the European Commission level, a joint Cybersecurity Unit needs to be developed for a structured and coordinated mutual assistance mechanism.

Digital for economy and society

A Digital Service Act

This act will tackle in particular but not only online platforms to improve consumer’s protection. Updated and uniform rules will be enacted for digital services to tackle illegal content and illegal activities.

Trustworthy digital solutions – Digital Identity and blockchain

Trusted digital identity: today users rely on major online platforms as authenticators by default. However, end-user should be able to choose the mean for online identification and control its data, while business and public authorities need to reliably verify user’s identity. In addition to Member State’s competences, a digital identity management framework should be a platform-independent standardized and interoperable solution so as to allow citizens to use their national eIDs. To this end a trusted digital identity initiative will set clear enforcement and accountability rules. This initiative would also explore the links with distributed ledger technology/blockchain.

Supporting growth through wide take-up of digital innovations

The European Commission will duplicate its efforts towards innovation infrastructures and ecosystems based on the existing 281 networked hubs. It will improve access to finance for digital SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups.

Digital for European Green deal

DG CONNECT expects to reduce the carbon footprint of the ICT industry and aims for carbon-neutral ICT by 2030/2035.

Greener ICT and circular economy.

Initiative to improve the energy efficiency and durability will be explored under funding programmes: Digital Europe and InvestEU programmes.

Delegated acts are foreseen for the implementation of existing policy instruments such as: eco-design, eco-labelling, waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE directive). Telecom networks and data centres will be invited to make efforts in energy efficiency and information to the consumers. Initiatives through the Digital Europe programme are expected.