Connectivity package on digital networks and infrastructure

Key points

The EESC:

• highlights the importance of the digital economy for the EU economy and the benefits of interconnectivity for homes, public transport, health and personal relationships;
• believes that in the new technological and market context it is essential to level the playing field between all players in the digital ecosystem and ensure consumers are protected in the same way regardless of the supplier;
• advocates the creation of strong operators in the market economy that promote employment and social dialogue in line with European values;
• underlines that Europe needs substantial, coordinated investment of more than EUR 200 billion from the private and public sectors to roll out high-capacity digital networks, which will help us meet the targets set in the 2030 Digital Decade Policy Programme;
• stresses that the cybersecurity, security and resilience of critical infrastructure should be based on trusted suppliers, on the development of security standards for end-to-end connectivity, and on a higher level of resilience and integration at all levels: terrestrial, non-terrestrial, access and backbone networks, including undersea cable infrastructures.