European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, responsible for Europe Fit for the Digital Age, met on Monday 6 September with members of the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE), and the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA).
Ms Vestager stressed the challenges ahead for the European Union regarding digital services (DSA) (see EUROPE 12745/17), digital markets (DMA) (see EUROPE 12780/2) and data governance (DGA) (see EUROPE 12764/8), before being questioned on the major aspects of these issues, starting with targeted advertising.
“Targeted advertising involves constant data collection. Do you think that transparency will be enough to solve this problem?”, asked a sceptical Portuguese member of the ‘AIDA’ Committee, Maria Manuela Marques Leitão (S&D).
“This is a very important debate. A balance must be found. We would like to achieve more transparency while at the same time giving small businesses the opportunity to find customers, to do business”, Vestager replied.
Another source of concern shared by the European Parliament is the collection of data. “The Commission intends to allow indiscriminate data retention where national security is at stake. It concerns us all, all the time”, said Patrick Breyer (Greens/EFA, Germany).
On this point, Ms Vestager remained discreet, refraining from commenting. Nevertheless, she said, “we have rights, but also obligations, such as the obligation to protect children. Rights must be well managed so that we can guarantee freedom, while ensuring protection”.
Finally, Ms Vestager returned to the subject of artificial intelligence (AI), stressing the EU’s desire to work together with the United States and emphasising the need to achieve “inclusive, safe and sustainable” AI.
“The European Parliament and the EU Council will decide, but we will have to align ourselves with our counterparts”, she concluded. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)