At their meeting in Brussels on Tuesday 4 December, the European Ministers responsible for Telecommunications adopted their partial general approach on the ‘Digital Europe' programme for the period 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12148). Two joint statements, one on the security aspect and the other on the ‘blockchain’, were also annexed to the minutes.
The text adopted by the Council - which does not address the issue of amounts - changes the governance of the programme, which plans to strengthen Europe's capacities in key areas of digital technologies, namely high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills and access modalities. It also clarifies the functioning of digital innovation poles (Article 16) and clarifies synergies with other existing programmes.
Interinstitutional negotiations are expected to start quickly with the Parliament, which adopted its negotiating position in a vote in the Parliamentary Committee on Industry (ITRE) on 21 November (see EUROPE 12142).
Two sets of declarations
During the round table, Luxembourg clearly opposed a reduction in the amounts, stating that "any reduction would mathematically have negative consequences on the functioning of the programme".
As indicated in a joint statement, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Slovakia and the United Kingdom opposed the extension of the eligibility limit for cybersecurity (objective 3) to high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (objectives 1 and 2) in Article 12(5). "Article 12.5 could eliminate some of the EU's high-potential new companies and SMEs [that] have received venture capital funding from outside the EU and do not pose any security risks”, they point out.
On their side, Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal have also co-signed a joint declaration on the ‘blockchain'. The text is similar to a "prospective reflection on how to put the countries of southern Europe at the forefront of emerging technologies" such as distributed registry technologies (or 5G technology, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things). “The use of ‘block chain-based’ applications could be a way to enable the protection of personal data and help citizens maintain control over it", the statement said. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)