Europe is facing a real digital revolution. Information and communication technology now permeates virtually all aspects of our lives. The digital revolution is strongly connected with our desire as a collective society for a prosperous and competitive economy, a sustainable environment, and a more democratic, open, and healthy society. The digital revolution should be seen as a key positive element that empowers the EU’s citizens and businesses while also providing a helping to build an innovative, secure, and sustainable society.
More than ever, Europe needs clear and balanced digital agenda that is based on a full understanding of both policy issues and of the context in which they are addressed. A pragmatic strategy is needed for sustainable growth and prosperity so that Europe can respond to its main challenges:
– Transforming Europe into a high-skill/high-employment economy in a globalised environment;
– Tackling the effects of an ageing population while improving major services for the public;
– Carrying out these reforms in a way that takes into account foreseeable expenditures and environmental constraints;
It is of vital important that the European Commission has the ability to understand the extreme importance of these issues in terms of promoting a real and an effective digital agenda that is fully understood by Europe’s residents as decisive enablers of change.
The effective implementation of a digital revolution in Europedemands an action plan that is centred on the following priorities:
– An innovation economy – driver of future wealth;
– A knowledge society – participation for all;
– Green ICT – support for an eco-efficient economy;
– Next generation infrastructure: balancing investment with competition;
– Soft infrastructure: investing in social capital;
– SMEs and ICT – supporting Europe´s small enterprises;
– A single information market – enabling cohesion and growth;
– Transforming e-government – rethinking the delivery of public services;
– Online trust – a safe and secure digital world;
– Clear leadership – rethinking the EU´s policy making process
A digital revolution demands an effective partnership contract between all of society’s key actors – the states, universities, companies, and civil society – in order to build a real strategy of confidence when it comes to the implementation of different policies. The focus on innovation and knowledge as the drivers of creating added value with international dissemination is a unique challenge that may be the answer to a new way of interaction between those who have the responsibility of thinking and those that have the responsibility of producing goods and services. In a new innovation society, a digital revolution will play a central role in creating value and a focus on creativity. During a time of change, the digital revolution can´t wait in Europe and it must confirm itself as an “enabler actor” in a very traditional system by introducing into the economy a capital of trust and change that is essential to ensure a central leadership in the future.
