The Commission’s aim for this non-legislative initiative is to “propose tools on developing open human-centric virtual worlds,” according to the 2023 work program .
The Commission is proposing to the European Parliament and Council to sign up to a declaration of rights and principles that will guide the digital transformation in the EU. The declaration aims to give everyone a clear reference point about the kind of digital transformation Europe promotes and defends. It will also provide a guide for policy makers and companies when dealing with new technologies
Adopted on 19/01/2022 - Bureau decision date: 21/09/2021
The proposal builds on 2030 Digital Compass, in which the Commission laid out the vision for a successful digital transformation of Europe's economy and society by the end of the decade. It introduces now a robust governance framework to reach the digital targets in the form of a Path to the Digital Decade.
EESC opinion: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the 2030 Policy Programme “Path to the Digital Decade”
The Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU has decided to request an EESC opinion on one of its priority topics linked to digitalisation. Artificial intelligence is regarded as the most important aspect in digitalisation. Particularly important are also the integration of advanced technologies into society and transition to a gigabit society. With the emerging technologies such as the AI and the data economy, the EU can recover rapidly and become the world’s leading digital society.
The EESC opinion should cover the following topics:
EESC opinion: Exploiting the economic and social opportunities of digitalisation and improving the digital transformation of the economy, especially the SMEs, focusing on human-centered artificial intelligence and data
EESC opinion: Digitalisation and Sustainability – status quo and need for action in civil society perspective (Exploratory opinion at the request of the German presidency)
The EESC welcomes this package of new initiatives in a wide range of areas and advocates a European path to digitalisation by seizing the opportunities for the economy together with the protection of our data to ensure privacy and self-determination.
