On Tuesday, 10 April, the European Commission is organising Digital Day 2018 in Brussels. It is expecting the member states to make common commitments at the event to encourage investment in technology and European digital infrastructure, including artificial intelligence.
This is the second time that the European Commission has organised a Digital Day. The first was organised in Rome last year and was characterised by the signing of a declaration in favour of speeding up European cooperation on supercomputers. This year, the Commission and Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU have agreed to encourage cooperation in artificial intelligence, the blockchain, e-Health and innovation.
Ahead of the event, the Commission Vice President responsible for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, stated, “This year's Digital Day is the perfect moment to recognise what we have achieved but to also encourage EU Member States to move forward quickly”. Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Ireland, Malta, Italy and Portugal will be represented at a ministerial level. Representatives from other EU countries are also expected, as well as representatives from the business world, academia and civil society.
Five declarations under scrutiny
According to the Commission, five declarations will be ready to sign. The first involves artificial intelligence and, according to a Commission official, 21 member states have expressed their intention to sign up to it in the knowledge that this declaration will provide the substance of the communication on artificial intelligence expected on 25 April.
The second declaration covers the blockchain, a technology that consists in storing blocks of information distributed on networks which form the basis of the virtual Bitcoin currency. In its press release, the Commission explains that this involves, “establishing a European Blockchain partnership to promote interoperable infrastructures that will enhance trusted digital services”.
The third partnership expected involves the launch of a genetic database in an attempt to cross another threshold towards developing personalised healthcare. The Commission explains that the “eHealth declaration aims at linking access to existing and future genomic databases across the European Union which will help to advance research in rare diseases, cancer, pharmacogenomics, disease prevention, brain related diseases and other conditions”.
The Commission also intends to begin signing a declaration to develop the online “innovation radar” tool and enrich it with top national innovation projects. Finally, it has also announced that Spain and Portugal will be signing a memorandum of understanding to implement a new 5G test corridor to develop connected and automated mobility. So far, 5 memoranda of understanding have already been signed to develop the following sections: (1) Metz-Merzig-Luxembourg; (2) Rotterdam-Antwerp-Eindhoven; (3) Lisbon – Madrid corridor; (4) the E8 "Aurora Borealis" corridor (Norway-Finland); (5) the Nordic route between Sweden, Finland and Norway. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)