By a large majority (499 votes in favour, 48 against, 108 abstentions), the European Parliament voted on Tuesday 13 November in Strasbourg in favour of the Digital4Development Commission's strategy, so that the EU would reserve a central role in reducing the digital divide in EU development policy.
In a non-legislative resolution, Parliament adopted almost exactly the same approach as the own-initiative report by Bogdan Brunon Wenta (EPP, Poland) adopted in the Development Committee. MEPs believe that digitisation is a tool for sustainable development, in particular MDG 9, which aims to significantly increase access to information and communication technologies and to ensure that all people in the least developed countries have access to the Internet at an affordable cost by 2020.
Parliament stresses that investing in digitisation can be a powerful driver of inclusive growth in developing countries in all areas - governance, education, health, gender equality, economic growth, agriculture, trade, provided that such investments benefit everyone, regardless of gender, geographical location or economic situation.
It therefore recommends that the EU support the digitisation of developing countries in all areas and that digital technologies be part of the proposed solution to reduce the digital divide in all development policy. Bogdan Brunon Wenta, elected mayor, will leave Parliament. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)