Today's ECON Commission meeting started with the declaration of the chair Michael Murphy, Mayor of Clonmel Borough District, in support and solidarity with the citizens of Ukraine and condemning the situation in the country: "We take a moment to think about the tragedy that is befalling our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors in Ukraine. Yesterday was a dark day for our continent and I echo the words of our President Tzitzikostas and condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian military aggression in Ukraine. This unjustified and unjustifiable attack will have lasting consequences which will in comparison to the prices paid by the citizens of Ukraine will no doubt impact on many of our lives, our cities and regions across the European continent. We show our support, our united solidarity for Ukrainians, for the citizens of Ukraine as well as their sovereignty and territorial integrity of their nation. We must and we will stay united and stand firm for the freedom of Ukraine."
During the meeting, members of the CoR discussed the importance of digitalisation and the impact that it has. The exponential spread and scale-up of digital technologies and services has profound implications on creating opportunities, jobs, economic growth as well as implications on cohesion as the current definition stands, and public procurement reducing the administrative burden for local and regional authorities.
Earlier on, Thomas Schmidt, Minister for Regional Development, Free State of Saxony was appointed Rapporteur for the opinion on the European Chips Act. The Act is of great importance for the EU, with the shortage of semiconductors having major ramifications for industry, consumers and Europe's competitiveness and growth prospects. It envisages investing around EUR 45 billion in the so-called “European microelectronics ecosystem” by 2030 with new funding opportunities. In addition to research, an expansion of the production of microchips in Europe is to be promoted.
"The 'EU Chips Act' must be Europe's answer to the challenge of asserting itself in the global competition of the chip industry. And in doing so, it is necessary to bring in the experience and needs of the regions,” Mr. Schmidt emphasised. The supply of microchips is not only important for taking advantage of the opportunities offered by digitization in many areas of life, but has also become a decisive factor in the value chain for more and more industries. A current example is the automotive industry, which is highly dependent on semiconductors throughout Europe.
"We have strong microelectronics regions in Europe. And we can decisively promote our development prospects if we network even more closely. That's why I rely on the support of my colleagues in the CoR when it comes to bringing forward this opinion", the Minister concluded.
Digital Cohesion
The pandemic has exposed a growing digital divide between well-connected urban areas and rural areas, between those who know how to use the digital space, and those who don't. The availability, the actual use of technology and the ability to harness the vast opportunities that digital technologies offer have therefore had a huge impact on cohesion across the EU.
Asking where does the recognition of digital cohesion stand outside the CoR and presenting the challenge ahead for a greater recognition, Rapporteur on the Digital Cohesion opinion, Gaetano Armao, Vice-President of Sicily Region said that "The pandemic has taught us all several lessons, one of them being that technology is a key tool to help us adapt to challenging situations affecting all spheres of society. At the same time, the pandemic has exposed a growing digital divide between well-connected urban areas and rural areas, between those who know how to use the digital space, and those who don't.The regional and city perspectives on innovation gaps, generational gaps, territorial gaps and income gaps are a must! Gaps which are holding Europe back!"
Mr. Armao said that "Sicily has always been a central trading point in the Mediterranean and we want, and have the know-how, to position ourselves in prime position to seize the economy and society of tomorrow. The availability, the actual use of technology and the ability to harness the vast opportunities that digital technologies offer have therefore had a huge impact on cohesion across the EU."
He asked how can local and regional authorities be supported to ensure achievement of the targets set in the 2030 Digital Compass and its four key components: i.e. infrastructure, skills, digitalisation of public services and digital transformation of businesses)? And moreover, what can be assessed as the added-value of or lacunas in other recent EU policy initiatives in putting regions and cities in the place of front runners in the digital transformation and in creating awareness of the potential of digital technologies and solutions?
A lively exchange of views followed with EPP members from across different parts of Europe.
Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Member of the State Government of Styria highlighted that: "Infrastructure is a prerequisite for the development of Europe's digitalisation. Building awareness, financial support and further training of SMEs is essential in order to achieve a proper and fast digital transformation."
"Digitalisation in Europe is a success story. We have seen how much digitalisation can help business and impact our economies. We must ensure that through EU financial support we tackle the gap between rural and urban areas." said Deirdre Forde, Councillor Cork City Council
Fit for Future Platform opinion on e-Procurement
End-to-end digitization and interoperability of the various e-procurement solutions and the "search and find" of tenders on a central platform are important success factors for a better process. It is also important that existing standards are used in that context and, if necessary, that these are expanded. eProcurement can also act as a catalyst in facilitating SMEs access in procurement markets.
"Procurement is an important tool for public policy and regions and cities are major economic actors. Through their spending on goods and services, they are the main public buyers and facilitators of public procurement policies." said the rapporteur on eProcurement Mark Speich, Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs (North Rhine-Westphalia)
He continued: "Public procurement will be key for Europe’s recovery and for achieving Europe's ambitions for the green and digital transition. This is where eProcurement and digitalisation come into play. This opinion leads the way in showing how they can help increase the efficiency of public procurement."
Mark Speich also spoke about the impact on SMEs: Developing the interoperability of procurement platforms and digitalising the procurement procedures will be necessary if we want to substantially reduce the administrative burdens that come with procurement. We all know those burdens particularly affect Small and Medium sized enterprises, as well as small public administrations."
Deirdre Forde, Councillor Cork City Council said that "eProcurement is extremely important for small family businesses. We all know those burdens particularly affect SMEs and public administrations. It is important to include the experiences of the regions and cities, as we are the closest to our small businesses and small administrations."