The digital transition has fundamentally changed our way of living, our way of communicating and our way of working. We see how it can bring people closer together, increase knowledge, allow for better conditions of living, as much as we seethe possible negative consequences through corporate capture of data, the deconstruction of social protection or the destruction of our environment or health.Digital technologies are a tool not an end goal. We need to take ownership of the frame surrounding digital technologies and steer it towards high sustainability standards, including strong democratic and technologic safeguards, and accompanied by cost and knowledge support measures that leave no one behind.
The COVID-19 crisis shows that the digital revolution is an important part of increasing our societies crisis resilience. We should therefore invest in digitalization of essential services and increase governments, legislators (also in the European Parliament) and public institutions’ ability to deliver their services during crises.
The digital transformation also represents an important job creation potential through supporting a more pluralistic and diverse technology sector and by coordinating efforts and investment at EU level to close the connectivity gap.
Reclaiming the digital revolution allows us to move towards a fairer, sustainable, more accessible and more transparent economic model supporting businesses and people while respecting democratic values and limiting its environmental impact. We should ensure that digitalisation remains an opportunity for all, helping us to prevent further crisis while empowering everyone.