5G, artificial intelligence, internal market for services, industrial strategy, strategy for SMEs, support for the defence industry, military mobility, strengthening synergies between the defence and space sectors... The actions of the likely future Commissioner for the Internal Market, Sylvie Goulard, in her written responses to MEPs published on Friday 27 September, are as numerous as the scope of her portfolio is vast. They will aim to address two major challenges: digital transformation and climate change. As such, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals will also serve as a compass, she says.
Thus, the former MEP wants to tackle the remaining barriers, both for products and services (strong demand from Member States - see EUROPE 12336/4), mentioning the issue of intellectual property rights. Mrs Goulard intends to enact new industrial strategies (plural in her replies), based on a specific strategy for SMEs, to guarantee a greener and more circular industry, but also "European sovereignty".
Regarding space, the Commissioner is following in the footsteps of her predecessor in this position, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, particularly on space strategy. She wants to intensify "space diplomacy" with the United States, China and Japan, but also with South Africa.
On the digital front, Mrs Goulard wants to tackle the new technological frontiers, in particular to deploy 5G and encourage the development of a European artificial intelligence sector. And to mention in this context the blockchain, high-performance computing, algorithms and big data. She intends to strengthen the acquisition of digital skills by Europeans, especially women, and wishes to create an internal market for cybersecurity.
On the external element, the Commissioner insists on the need to ensure fair competition at international level, explicitly mentioning the space sector.
The Frenchwoman, who was very briefly Minister of Defence in 2017, follows in the footsteps of her predecessors in the field of defence and wants to encourage greater cooperation in the fields of defence and space in Europe.
"An open and competitive Europe defence equipment market and, in its relevant components, a strong and innovative space industry would undoubtedly contribute to building a genuine European Defence Union", the Commissioner-designate said.
She also emphasises the establishment of the European Defence Fund and military mobility, but also the links between space, defence and security, considering that space was a "strategic asset" for Europe and that it is both an industrial issue and a matter of strategic autonomy.
Suspected of conflicts of interest at the time she was an MEP, Mrs Goulard will strictly observe the Code of conduct for Commissioners, "as (I have always) done in my previous positions".
Her hearing, scheduled for Wednesday 2 October, promises to be particularly intense.
To consult her written answers: http://bit.ly/2n9olJ9 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens and Camille-Cerise Gessant)