The 27 Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States will discuss the EU’s various objectives in the digital sector at the European Council on 21 and 22 October. However, diplomatic sources warned that the task would be complex, as there are many other issues to be dealt with during the summit.
“With the other important issues at the summit, I don’t necessarily foresee major discussions on digital. The European Council will take stock and reiterate its commitment to this”, warned an EU diplomatic source, saying that digital could well be one of the “poor relations” of the summit.
In detail, in addition to the need for “inclusive and sustainable digital policies”, the European Council is expected to call on the co-legislators to reach an agreement “by the end of the year” on data roaming (see EUROPE 12812/3).
The issue of Digital Services Act (DSA) (see EUROPE 12810/17) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) (see EUROPE 12814/9) will also be on the table. The European Council is hoping for an agreement “as soon as possible”. A previous version of the draft European Council conclusions, dated 28 September, initially mentioned the deadline of “Spring 2022” (see EUROPE 12801/15).
“Some Member States want deadlines, others do not. It is not a deciding factor”, said a European diplomatic source.
The subject of artificial intelligence and its regulatory framework will also be discussed. The priority, as summarised in the draft conclusions of the European Council, will be “to accelerate the take-up of this technology [...] while ensuring security and full respect for fundamental rights”.
The heads of state and government will also discuss cyber security. This will include exploring the potential of the Joint Cybersecurity Unit (see EUROPE 12815/8) and the resilience of critical entities.
See the draft conclusions dated 18 October: https://bit.ly/3B0jJVD (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)