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EUTA Chair Magdalena Piech on how the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected Europe’s Digital Agenda
Earlier this month, EUTA Chair Magdalena Piech, was interviewed by the French newspaper, Contexte, on the impact of the COVID-19 on the tech and digital agenda.
The exchange was part of a series of interviews exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, public policy and, in this edition, the tech sector in Europe.
“I don’t think that the Commission is planning to completely rethink its priorities, rather it may postpone the adoption of certain files for a few months,” Magdalena Piech explained when asked to comment on the Commission’s new priorities stemming from the coronavirus crisis.
Of course, lessons should be drawn from the crisis and going forward, European initiatives on Artificial Intelligence and Data will remain a top priority, in particular, she argued, due to the central role of AI technology and data in tracking and managing the pandemic.
The interview also touched upon the role of the tech sector during the crisis as well as in the recovery: “Financial measures will be paramount in supporting many companies in the tech sector, but the recovery package should also include regulatory measures”.
The goal should be to ensure that larger companies, SMEs, as well as European scaleups can operate and innovate in the digital world. It is important that these solutions are proportionate and have a harmonised, yet flexible legal framework.
Finally, EUTA Chair welcomed the efficient cooperation between tech actors and wished to continue the dialogue with policy makers in the face of current and upcoming challenges.
You can read the full interview, here (in French) to find out more on how European tech champions see their role in EU recovery and the impact of COVID-19 on upcoming tech priorities.
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