A way forward for the deepening of the Single market through digitalization

Key points

The EESC:

• stresses the need for digitalisation to take place in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way, by paying attention to the prevention of harmful environmental impacts of digitalisation and the digital divides regarding access to infrastructure and skills;
• highlights the importance of intensive investment in digital infrastructure, research and innovation, and skills development, all of which are key enabling factors of digitalisation;
• highlights the importance of ensuring a well-functioning single market in data, as it is a prerequisite for enhancing the other four freedoms through digitalisation;
• considers that the digitalisation of information through initiatives like the "digital product passports" can further contribute to the free movement of goods in the single market, while ensuring the protection of trade secrets and intellectual property rights;
• calls for action to overcome existing barriers to e-commerce in the single market, e.g. through enforcing the EU's rules on geo-blocking;
• suggests that the withdrawn Commission proposal for a "services e-card", aimed at helping service providers to operate across borders, should be put back on the agenda;
• urges the introduction of secure and standardised digital identification systems, such as eID-cards, in order to provide EU citizens, residents and businesses with a secure means of digital identification;
• calls for the development and scaling up of initiatives in the sphere of digitalisation of social security and labour mobility and encourages the introduction of initiatives such as the European Social Security Pass;
• invites EU institutions to further harmonise the regulation of digital financial services and increase innovation funding for digital solutions, in order to boost FinTech applications.

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat