underlines the pivotal role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in implementing the recommendations of the Digital Single Market (DSM), providing digital services for citizens and creating and managing digital infrastructure such as data generation. Digital services also represent the engine of economic growth at local and regional level offering wide-ranging opportunities for innovation, SME creation and entrepreneurship, job creation and societal progress.
shares the European Commission’s view that the EU and Member States should be forerunners, spearheading efforts at European, national and local level in close collaboration with LRAs to bring about greater transformation in governmental procedures and structures by using ICT and data generation to improve the meaningfulness, quality and productivity of work and efficiency of public authorities and to reduce red tape for the general public and business.
The opinion on "Building a European Data Economy" asks the Commission to support LRAs in their financing activities, by continuing to authorise priority deployment of the ESIF towards digital infrastructure such as data development and skills development in all European regions, and by recognising technological barriers to digital development projects in rural, mountainous, islands and sparsely-populated areas, which should be seen as services of general economic interest.
The opinoin also recognises that the collation of data is an important element of the DSM. This emerging global trend holds enormous potential for LRAs and businesses in various fields, ranging from health, environment, food security, climate and resource efficiency to energy, intelligent transport systems and smart cities and regions.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- underlines the pivotal role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in implementing the recommendations of the Digital Single Market (DSM), providing digital services for citizens and creating and managing digital infrastructure such as data generation. Digital services also represent the engine of economic growth at local and regional level offering wide-ranging opportunities for innovation, SME creation and entrepreneurship, job creation and societal progress;
- asks the Commission to support LRAs in their financing activities, by continuing to authorise priority deployment of the ESIF towards digital infrastructure such as data development and skills development in all European regions, and by recognising technological barriers to digital development projects in rural, mountainous, islands and sparsely-populated areas, which should be seen as services of general economic interest;
- emphasises that cities and regions have a key role to play in creating data bases of public information, providing data security, in the development of the necessary digital skills, in securing and facilitating funding for broadband infrastructure and networks. The right environment for trans-regional and cross-border exchange of online services can substantially support the creation of high-level services and the data economy;
- welcomes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and agrees that privacy concerns are legitimate. Strong data-protection rules create the trust that will allow the digital economy to develop across the internal market and for forms of ICT vulnerability and potential virtual criminality to be addressed and effective and coherent preventative strategies to be created;