Alongside the main topics discussed on Friday 6 December by the European ministers responsible for digital affairs at the ‘Telecommunications’ Council (see other news), there was a lengthy update on Europe’s ambitions for the digital decade.
A number of other related topics were also discussed: the action summit on artificial intelligence to be held in Paris on 10 and 11 February 2025, the creation of a national strategy by Greece to ensure the protection of minors online, and the need for better digital regulation for SMEs.
In the light of current events, the case of TikTok and the suspicions of interference in the Romanian elections was also raised, with Commissioner Henna Virkkunen mentioning the very recent “urgent request for information” sent by the Commission (see other news).
The ministers took stock of the stated objectives of the digital decade, with a view to anticipating any future changes to the programme when it is reviewed in 2026.
A majority was in favour of revising the objectives to take better account of both “the very rapid evolution of the high-tech sector” and the EU’s current position, lagging behind its American and Chinese competitors in a large number of areas.
The Commissioner also mentioned the European Digital Identity Wallet (eID) (see EUROPE 13078/11), the development of AI factories and 6G as key priorities for the EU’s future digital and technology policies.
See the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/epb (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)