New digital strategy needed for the EU
Sweden and the EU need to move away from a silo mentality when it comes to digitalization. A new digital strategy for the Union needs to be based on the fact that digitization affects all parts of society, avoid overregulation and provide opportunities to expand infrastructure.
On November 1, the new European Commission will take office, and work is currently underway within the Union to develop priorities for the coming mandate period. One of the most important areas is expected to be digitization. The Ministry of Infrastructure has therefore given IT&Telecom companies the opportunity to submit their views on this area.
Digitalization is here to stay
Our view is that digitalization will continue unabated and will affect all aspects of the economy and people's daily lives. It is creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship and societal development. But it also creates entirely new opportunities for public authorities to deliver on their commitments to citizens.
The real benefits of digitization come when services, applications and users are connected and when the EU's single market works well and without national regulatory barriers. Digitalization affects all sectors and all parts of society. It challenges existing structures, rules and business models, which is why it is important that the European Commission takes a cross-sectoral approach.
Avoid straitjackets
Just as Swedish ministries and authorities need to move away from a silo approach, the European Commission needs to do the same. Instead, it needs to see how all sectors are affected by digitalization. It is also important that legislators have a holistic view and make real, empirically based assessments of whether regulations are necessary at all. Otherwise, there is a high risk that new ideas and technologies will be hindered by excessive caution or that competitive conditions will be distorted.
A new strategy is needed
IT&Telecom companies therefore welcome the work on a future digital strategy and the fact that the government has invited stakeholders to submit their views. Our view is that the starting point for the work on the strategy should be to create the conditions for a competitive, innovative and secure internal market. A market that can promote investment and that can be characterized by free data flows. We believe that a digital future strategy for Europe should:
- build on a holistic approach (digitalization is not a separate field but something that affects all parts of society)
- avoid over-regulating,
- focus on standardization and
- provide continued and increased support - with simplified rules - for infrastructure development in areas where market forces fail.