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An historic agreement, a great opportunity for EU digitalization

European Association for Digital Transition Democratic quality July 24, 2020June 9, 2021coronavirus, Digital sovereignty, European Commission

Europe has sealed an historic agreement, reached after five days of negotiations. The 27 have launched a huge financial package to drive the post-COVID economic recovery and have set the budgetary roadmap until 2027 for modernisation of the continental economy. This is historic as it provides a quick response to bounce back after the blow taken from the pandemic, and historic for the huge amount of funds mobilised now and for coming years.

‘Committees of sages’ and digital rights: how to move from theory to reality

European Association for Digital Transition Democratic quality July 2, 2020June 9, 2021Data Protection, Digital rights, Digital sovereignty, Labor Relations, Spain

Gradually, digitalization, in its broadest sense, is beginning to have a prominent place on the political agenda of governments and institutions. This is a transversal and multidimensional challenge for society as a whole, affecting health, education, wealth creation, mobility, democratic freedoms, the free market, etc. Digital transformation can bring enormous benefits for people, companies – of all sizes – and society overall if the transition process is done in an orderly, rational, and inclusive way. The necessary transition also entails challenges and risks, as adjustments will have to be made and accepted; hence the importance of reaching consensus among all the parties involved. This is why we welcome the launch, by the Spanish Government, of a group of experts who will advise them on the creation of a Digital Rights Charter. Addressed here will be rights already recognized in Spanish legislation – for example, data protection – and more recent realities, such as new labour relations and artificial intelligence.

Employment Risks in the Age of the Algorithm

European Association for Digital Transition Rights and freedom June 11, 2020June 9, 2021Digital rights, Fiscal policy, International Labour Organization, ISEAK Foundation, Labor Relations

Important debates on the future of work have been on the agenda of politicians and legislators for some time. But now that the EU has come through the worst of the pandemic, new nuances have been added. Acceleration of the digitalization process over the past three months, with massive use of telecommuting, is creating new challenges. And this also compounds the risks for the most vulnerable citizens, such as older workers and freelancers who rely heavily on technology platforms.

How we see the European Strategy for Data

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future June 11, 2020June 9, 2021Data Protection, Digital sovereignty, European Commission, Privacy

From the beginning of its mandate in December 2019, the new European Commission has been showing strong leadership in Digital Transition. Proof of this is publication of the European Strategy for Data, which has recently been submitted for public consultation.

The European Association for Digital Transition welcomes the Commission’s proposal. Nevertheless, we have provided our observations, detailing our position regarding the proposed benchmarks.

The Challenges of Digitalisation: the Gig Economy more troubling than giving up Data

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future June 5, 2020June 9, 2021Data Protection, Deliveroo, Fiscal policy, Labor Relations, Privacy, Uber

All developed economies face enormous challenges in their digital transition process, such as what to do about privacy and their citizens’ data, the new labour frameworks brought about by digitalisation and the taxation of large platforms, who are barely anchored in national legislation. The experiences and perceptions of citizens are fundamental to addressing these challenges. To find out more about these experiences, the Center for the Governance of Change (CGC), a part of IE University, has carried out the second edition of a study that, beginning with its title, is focused on Europe. This is European Tech Insights, a report that tries to build, through a comprehensive survey in 11 countries, eight of them European (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom), a knowledge base for these digital transition processes.

The Gig Economy: A tax and labour challenge for the EU

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future June 1, 2020June 9, 2021Amazon, Deliveroo, Fiscal policy, Labor Relations, Uber

Approximately 2% of EU adults have their main source of income coming from what is being called the ‘gig economy’, and up to 8% earn occasional income from these work alternatives. The data, from a study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, makes it clear that we are facing an unavoidable reality for Community institutions, posing challenges in the areas of taxation and social protection.

The pandemic has Europe facing the challenge of digital sovereignty

European Association for Digital Transition Rights and freedom May 20, 2020June 9, 2021Apple, Digital sovereignty, Google, health, Ricardo Rodríguez Contreras

When the EU territory slowly recovers its activity following the worst weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, the debate on using applications as tools to control possible new outbreaks will still be open. As we have already discussed in this blog, there are basically two schools of thought when it comes to processing the data created by these apps – centralised and decentralised – but what really has drawn attention from the media, politicians and experts is the role in these tools played by Apple and Google, who have offered to collaborate with the institutions.

Technology against pandemic: Is data the price to pay for our health?

European Association for Digital Transition Democratic quality May 6, 2020June 9, 2021Apple, coronavirus, Data Protection, Digital sovereignty, Google, health

The gradual lifting of restrictions is here. Europe is, little by little, ending the lockdown of its population, using different rhythms and methodologies. And for now, despite all the debate in recent weeks, there is no consensus on widespread implementation of applications to detect people who have been in contact with others who are newly infected.