|
|
Press release
6 December 202218:40
EU ministers for digitalisation meet in Brussels
© EU
The digital agenda was one of the prominent themes of the outgoing Czech Presidency. EU-27 ministers met at a meeting of the Telecommunications Council on 6 December 2022 in Brussels. They discussed the regulation of artificial intelligence, the extension of electronic identity, digital education and IT equipment for Ukraine.
"During the Presidency we have worked on a number of open legislative proposals. I am very pleased that the excellent work of our diplomats has meant we managed to find unanimous agreement among all Member States on two of them, something confirmed by the ministers today," said Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalisation Ivan Bartoš, who chaired today’s meeting of the Telecommunications Council.
The ministers endorsed the agreement of the Council of the EU on the text of a proposal for a Regulation on artificial intelligence (the AI Act). This is the first overarching European legislation that addresses the use of AI-based technologies. The intention is to ensure that these systems are developed and operate in accordance with human rights and European Union values, such as the right to privacy, trustworthiness and transparency.
Among other things, the EU proposal completely bans the use of certain technologies, such as social scoring systems (as seen in China) and systems using subliminal techniques. The proposal of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU also brings a number of support measures for the further development of this sector in Europe.
A fundamental shift has been made during the Czech Presidency regarding the proposal for electronic identity (eIDAS2). The proposal aims to make it safe and easy for citizens and businesses across the EU to use digital identities to communicate with the State and also to use commercial services. The proposal introduces a digital wallet that citizens will be able to use in the form of a mobile app.
The forthcoming app will make it easier to deal with various matters with the authorities or businesses across the EU. At the same time, users will be able to upload a number of other documents to the app, such as driving licences, certificates of education and qualifications. The digital form of these documents will be equivalent to their paper versions. The Council of the EU, together with the European Parliament and the European Commission, must now agree on the final form of the two proposals.
The ministers also discussed the topic of digital education in Brussels. According to the latest DESI index results, only 54% of the European adult population has acquired basic digital skills, and the EU is also facing a huge shortage of IT experts, especially in the field of cyber security. Ministers therefore discussed how to reverse this trend.
"The issue of digital skills is absolutely key to our ability to reap the full benefits of the digital transformation. Using financial resources from European programmes, we will prioritise this area in the Czech Republic next year. For example, we plan to develop strong cooperation with the private sector and non-profit organizations," Ivan Bartoš added.
In the virtual presence of Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Digitalisation Valerya Ionan, the ministers and the European Commission discussed the current steps to support Ukraine in terms of IT equipment supplies and cooperation in digital education.
The Czech Presidency succeeded in finalising two non-legislative proposals, which were formally approved today at the Council. The first is the Digital Decade 2030 policy agenda, which sets out objectives for the EU’s digital transformation by 2030. These objectives cover digital education, connectivity, digitalisation of businesses and digital public services. The second approved proposal is a European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade, which should guide legislators, NGOs and private businesses alike. The purpose of the declaration is to create a human-centric, safe and open digital environment.
