On Tuesday 28 January, three members of the Polish government appeared before MEPs on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs (IMCO) to give details of the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Krzysztof Paszyk, Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Dariusz Standerski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Digital Affairs, and Małgorzata Krok, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Finance, spoke for almost two hours with the MEPs, touching on a very wide range of subjects, with European sovereignty and security as a common thread.
On digital issues, Dariusz Standerski pointed out that cybersecurity and artificial intelligence were key priorities for the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. “Europe must be resilient on this issue, which is why we are going to launch discussions with the Member States on best practices in the field of cyber security”, he announced.
This initiative must identify common solutions, particularly in terms of the investment required.
On the subject of AI, State Secretary Standerski supported the comments made by European Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who is responsible for digital issues, on the transformation of the EU into an “AI continent” (see EUROPE 13522/4).
According to him, the Polish Presidency of the EU Council wants to tackle the issue of the “energy expenditure” required, specifically in the context of the new “AI factories” launched recently, and the “resources” that need to be made available to European companies, both in terms of “access to data” and technical knowledge.
“The [Polish] Presidency [of the Council] wants to merge the issues of energy and the talent we will need to develop our skills”, he said.
The use of AI by public authorities, the dangers of disinformation and the link with the ‘GDPR’ regulation were also discussed, with Dariusz Standerski stating that the use of personal data by AI was a “very real issue” that needed to be taken into account.
However, he pointed out, “not everything can be addressed by legislation”.
In the document detailing its priorities, the Polish Presidency of the EU Council mentions the future reform of European telecommunications and the need to reduce the EU’s legislative burden (see EUROPE 13550/8). (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)