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Which commissioners will be driving which digital EU agenda?

On September 10th, 2019, Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission, presented her new commissioners-designate with their proposed mission statements in the form of a digital personalised letter. Every letter started with the same general framework for the new commission. Right from the start this framework introduces three main challenges for the European Union: changes in climate, digital technologies and geopolitics. Ursula von der Leyen aims to respond to these with “ambition and determination”, because “What we do now will determine what kind of world our children live in and will define Europe’s place in the world.”

The new President-elect immediately shows how determined she is with her ambition to tackle these challenges: she has adjusted the structure of her whole future Commission to them. Next to the High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Policy — who will surely be occupied with those geopolitical changes, she has designated three Executive Vice-Presidents. Two of them are directly targeted at tackling these challenges: one for the European Green Deal and one for a Europe fit for the Digital Age. The third Executive Vice-President covers the EU-core business: an Economy that Works for People

So when all the commissioners gather, not only will their “meetings [will] be paperless and digital” (the President-elect will “fully digitalise the Commission”), there will also be a number of commissioners among them that answer to the Executive Vice President for their part of the work on this European Digital Age.

For our work at Mediawijs, the Flemish Knowledge Centre on Digital and Media Literacy, we wanted to know which commissioners, with which mandates and with which mission statements and how do they interlace? We thought we’d share our newfound knowledge with you …

The Commission’s main digital mission

The choice for the new Executive Vice-President-designate for a Europe fit for the Digital Age promises some decisive and stirring action in European digital policy. Not only was Danish commissioner-designate Margrethe Vestager a Spitzen candidate for the European liberal party, but as the former (and future) commissioner in charge of competition policy she awarded Google with a fine of 1,49 million euro. According to her mission letter she will focus Europe over the next five years “on maintaining our digital leadership where we have it, catching up where we lag behind and moving first on new-generation technologies.” This will cut across

• economic policies from industry to innovation, supporting our businesses to adapt to the digital globalisation,
• social-economic policies to make markets work better for consumers, business and society,
• ethical and cultural policies to ensure that the European Digital Age is characterised by our human and ethical approach.

Commissioner-designate Vestager will be chairing the work on a Europe fit for the Digital Age, next to her responsibility for the competition portfolio. Her policy wide digital agenda will feature:

• a new long-term strategy for Europe’s industrial future,
• maximising the contribution of investment in research and innovation,
• ensuring cross-fertilisation between civil, defence and space industries,
• a new SME strategy, supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups, by reducing the regulatory burden and enabling them to make the most of digitisation,
• a European approach on artificial intelligence, including its human and ethical implications, to see how we can use and share non-personalised big data to develop new technologies and business models,
• upgrading our liability and safety rules for digital platforms, services and products as part of a new Digital Services Act,
• ensure the working conditions of platform workers are addressed,
• work on digital taxation to find a consensus at international level by the end of 2020 or a proposal for a fair European tax.

Although her mission for the competition policy and for her work with the Directorate-General for Competition pays little explicit attention to the digital field, except for “proactively shar[e/ing] any relevant general market knowledge within the Commission, notably in the digital sector”, implicitly other clearly stated aspects (such as “sector inquiries into new and emerging markets that are shaping our economy and society” an “the distortive effects of foreign state ownership and subsidies in the internal market”) will strongly affect the digital market.

Many hands make digital work …

Executive Vice-President-designate Vestager isn’t the only commissioner involved, not even the only (Executive) Vice-President-designate. Let’s check the list …

Protecting our European Way of Life

The title of Greek Vice-President-designate for Protecting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, is already being critisised. A large part of his mission is focused on migration and integration policy and some find his title therefore a poor choice — at least — of words. The digital parts of his mission are:

• making sure our declining workforce can bridge the digital and basic skills gap through reskilling and European mobility in education, culture and sport, and focusing on a more accessible and inclusive education and on lifelong learning, and at the same time helping us bring in the skills and talents our economy and labour market need through legal migration,
• preventing and responding to hybrid threats from foreign parties: is this implicitly including strengthening cyber-security and tackling disinformation?

Values and Transparency

Strengthening the European democracy is the mission for Věra Jourová, Czech Vice-President-designate for Values and Transparency. As such she will be

• addressing threats of external intervention in our European elections,
• proposing legislation to ensure greater transparency in the area of paid political advertising,
• countering disinformation and fake information, while preserving freedom of expression, freedom of the press and media pluralism,
• closely monitoring the implementation of the Code of Practice [against disinformation] and propose regulatory intervention if necessary,
• identifying risks in media pluralism with the Media Pluralism Monitor,
• proposing cross-border projects to support independent and diverse journalistic activities.

Democracy and Demography

Vice-President-designate for Democracy and Demography, Croatian Dubravka Šuica, will lead the Commission’s work to

• organise the Conference on the Future of Europe, with special focus on getting European Citizens to participate online. This action is a response to the rising concern of voters in rural areas about global and local changes from demographics to connectivity, from the risk of poverty to limited access to services that has helped to spike anti-European votes in the last five years.
• In these areas, that seemingly feel left behind, and the long-term vision the Conference on the Future of Europe should produce, the Vice-President-designate should focus on ‘brain drain’, the Youth Guarantee, active ageing and longterm impacts on care and pensions, social protection systems, reconciling work and family and supporting people throughout their careers, investing more in the future of our children, the future Child Guarantee, ensuring that children have access to the services they need and are supported through to their adult lives.
• As part of this work, she will be the Commission’s lead for protecting children’s rights and prepare a comprehensive strategy on the rights of the child, including protecting vulnerable children, protecting their rights online, fostering child-friendly justice and preventing and fighting violence.

Innovation and Youth

Returning Bulgarian Commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, formerly of Digital Economy and Society, will focus on digital literacy and education to close the digital skills gap, besides steering European research and innovation towards our competitiveness and our ability to lead in the transition to a climate-neutral economy and new digital age. She will be

• updating the Digital Education Action Plan and
• looking at how we can increase the take-up of massive open online courses,
• helping increase awareness of disinformation and other online threats from an early age,
• strengthening Europe’s commitment to preserving and protecting our cultural heritage, by making the most of digital technologies.

Jobs

Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner-designate for Jobs for Luxemburg and his Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion will

• improve the labour conditions of platform workers,
• reinforce the Youth Guarantee and
• lead the work on developing a European Child Guarantee as a tool to fight poverty and ensure children have access to basic services,
• lead the work on implementing and updating our skills agenda, focusing on identifying and filling skills shortages and supporting reskilling as part of the just transition.

Internal Market

The French Commissioner-designate for Internal Market will make the most of the opportunities the digital transition creates while preserving the high privacy, security, safety and ethical standards that Europeans expect. She will put the right framework for this in place:

• enhancing Europe’s technological sovereignty,
• investing in the next frontier of technologies, such as blockchain, high-performance computing, algorithms, and data-sharing and data-usage tools,
• jointly defining standards for 5G networks and new-generation technologies,
• leading the work on a coordinated European approach on artificial intelligence and on the new Digital Services Act,
• building a real single market for cybersecurity, notably looking at certification, implementing rules on security of network and information systems, rapid emergency response strategies and other relevant areas,
• building a joint Cyber Unit to better protect ourselves,
• contributing to an updated Digital Education Action Plan, focussing on digital literacy and equipping young people and adults with the skills they need for life and work in the digital age,
• ensuring that our intellectual property regime is coherent and fit for the digital age.

Justice

Didier Reynders, Belgian Commissioner-designate for Justice, will uphold consumer rights in the digital age, notably for cross-border and online transactions,

• empowering consumers to make informed choices and play an active role in the green and digital transitions,
• developing the justice area making the most of new digital technologies to improve the efficiency and functioning of our justice systems,
• ensuring the full implementation and enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation and promoting the European approach as a global model,
• contributing to the legislation on a coordinated approach on the human and ethical implications of artificial intelligence, ensuring that fundamental rights are fully protected in the digital age.

Home affairs

Ylva Johansson, Swedish Commissioner-designate for Home Affairs, will be focussing on the implementation of the interoperability of EU information systems. For this she will be

• improving cross-border cooperation on information between law enforcement authorities to tackle organised crime and terrorism, uncompromisingly providing security offline as well as online,
• preventing and removing terrorist content online,
• driving forward the EU Internet Forum to bring together internet platforms and authorities to counter hate speech and terrorist content online, fighting against radicalisation.

Health

Stella Kyriakides from Cyprus, Commissioner-designate for Health, will

• make the most of the potential of e-health to provide high-quality healthcare and reduce inequalities,
• create a European Health Data Space to promote health-data exchange,
• support research on medical devices and outcomes,
• ensure citizens have control over their own personal data,
• prioritise communication on vaccination, explaining the benefits and combating the myths, misconceptions and scepticism that surround the issue.

An Economy that works for People

The work of Executive Vice-President-designate for An Economy that Works for People, Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis, to deepen our economic and monetary union will undoubtedly have a large impact on the digital field, though it is not explicitly mentioned in his mission . He is also responsible for the financial services portfolio, working with the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union. There, he wil specifically work on these digital challenges:

• a FinTech Strategy to support new digital technologies in our financial system,
• a new, comprehensive approach to fighting money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities, adapting to risks linked to new technologies,
• a common approach with Member States on cryptocurrencies.

Budget and administration

Austrian Commissioner-designate for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, will

• implement the full digitalisation of the Commission and ensure that staff have the digital skills they need,
• make sure that the Commission has the right infrastructure to face up physical and digital security threats and raise awareness on the need to handle sensitive information appropriately.

Trade

Phil Hogan, the Irish Commissioner-designate for Trade, will give further impetus to WTO negotiations on e-commerce, to harness the full potential of data, address barriers and enhance consumer and business trust.

Economy

Paolo Gentiloni, the Italian Commissioner-designate for Economy, has a mission to

• ensure the future InvestEU programme contributes to the digital transition,
• lead international efforts to find an agreed approach on digital taxation by the end of 2020 or lead the proposal for a fair European digital tax.

Agriculture

Polish Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner-designate for Agriculture, wil incentivise the uptake of digital technologies and ensure the sector can remain competitive, provide a fair income and support young farmers.

Cohesion and Reforms

Portuguese Elise Ferreira, Commissioner-designate for Cohesion and Reforms, will make sure that Europe invests and supports the regions and the people most affected by the twin digital and climate transitions, leaving no one behind as we move forward together. She will focus on

• how we can better work with cities on issues such as climate change, digitalisation and the circular economy,
• the long-term vision on rural areas and how to fully exploit the Treaty provisions for the outermost regions.

Transport

Rovana Plumb, Romanian Commissioner-designate for Transport, will be putting forward a comprehensive strategy for sustainable and smart mobility to ensure that we have a transport sector fit for a clean, digital and modern economy. This will make the most of the opportunities linked to connected and automated mobility, with a strong focus on digital innovation and the continued modernisation of key transport systems.

International Partnerships

Jutta Urpilainen, Finnish Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships, will work on a new comprehensive strategy for Africa making the most of the political, economic and investment opportunities that Africa, with its growing economies, populations and digital innovations, presents.

Not standing idly by …

8 other Commissioners-designate’s mission did not receive an explicit mention of a digital component. Yet you can hardly imagine that there will not be a digital theme (e.g. disinformation) or tool (e.g. smart energy / water meters) in their policies. The 8 are:

• Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner-designate for Crisis Management,
• Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner-designate for Environment and Oceans,
• Kadri Simson, Commissioner-designate for Energy,
• László Trócsányi, Commissioner-designate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement,
• Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President-designate for the European Green Deal,
• Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy/Vice-President-designate of the European Commission for A Stronger Europe in the World,
• Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President-designate for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,
• Helena Dalli, Commissioner-designate for Equality from Malta.

Something to think about

Looking at al this, we would like to leave you — and the Commissioners-designate — with some remarks to ponder upon.

The four core lines

There are four core lines in the ‘new’ digital policy European-Commission:

• exploring, providing coordination for innovation in and starting a regulatory process for digital technologies like AI, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, high-performance computing, algorithms, data-sharing and datausage tools, 5G networks, e-health devices, smart mobility and digital technology in agriculture,
• continuing or increasing pressure on the big external digital platforms to provide a safe and ethical service, including rules, working conditions, taxation, sector enquiries for competition, transparency in paid political advertising, the Code of Practice [against disinformation], enforcing the GDPR and countering hate speech and terrorist content online,
• a clear focus on fighting (mainly external) forms of fake and disinformation, threatening European elections, radicalising people to terrorism and spreading misconceptions on vaccination, through partisan press and with fake news, hate speech and political advertising on digital platforms,
• and bridging the digital skills gap and updating our skills agenda through reskilling and European mobility, a more accessible and inclusive education, lifelong learning, the Digital Education Action Plan and the take-up of massive open online courses, focussing on digital literacy and equipping young people, adults and even the staff at the European Commission with the skills they need for life and work in the digital age.

These lines go further than just technological innovation for economic enhancement, and that is a very good thing. Ethics and regulation, protecting our Right to good Information and providing support for skills development are essential and positive steps in the European Digital Agenda.

Unclear and missing

But there are also some things very unclear or just missing.

As before, there will be a clear and large budget for innovation and research, among others in digital technologies. For so-called ‘softer’ policies the means and budgets available to the Commissioners-designate are often still unclear. Commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, can focus on digital literacy, education to close the digital skills gap, updating the Digital Education Action Plan and help increase awareness of disinformation and other online threats from an early age. Sounds good, but what can she count on to make this happen: will education policy go further than stimulating European mobility? Will the Safer Internet Centres still be able to count on (fingers crossed for more) European co-financing? Will digital and media literacy finally receive a more structural acknowledgement and support at the European level?
Her mission does already speak of “tripling the Erasmus+ programme”, promote creative industries as a catalyst for innovation, jobs and growth and maximise the potential of an ambitious Creative Europe Programme. So there is some margin to actually make headway there. But will we finally budget this like we do innovation?
Many hands make light work, but, sometimes, make mandates unclear. The Commissioners-designate’s missions overlap, and if they do, who will be the driving force that gets things done? And sometimes you can question the choice for guidance by a specific Vice-President over another. For instance, although, Commissioner-designate Mariya Gabriel will work under the guidance of the Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age for research and innovation, and under the Vice-President for Protecting our European Way of Life for education, culture, youth and sports. Is this a missed opportunity to fully inscribe these aspects of digital education, digital inclusion and digital and media literacy in a broad digital strategy?

Two things struck us by their absence:

Commissioner-designate Helena Dalli, who takes up Equality will commit to inclusion and equality irrespective of sex, racial or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief, fighting against discrimination, implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, developing a new European Gender Strategy, cracking down on gender-based violence and empowering women and girls. Yet no mention here of anything digital: no digital skills for people with disabilities, no attention to gender-based online abuse, and no reference to the actions against hate speech the Commissioner-designate for Home Affairs will take up.

This reinforces the feeling that digital skills are only relevant for the (future) workforce and that hate speech is only relevant is it involves terrorists. These are surely shortcomings. We could wonder the same thing about the digital and media aspects in the long-term vision for the Future of Europe focussing on the ‘brain drain’, the Youth Guarantee, active ageing, social protection systems, reconciling work and family, supporting people throughout their careers, investing more in the future of our children (the future Child Guarantee) the Vice-President-designate for Democracy and Demography, will be working on.

Digital skills are clearly in the texts and ‘digital literacy’ is (only) mentioned in connection an updated Digital Education Action Plan, equipping young people and adults with the skills they need for life and work in the digital age, there is no mention what so ever of other literacies: be it media literacy, information literacy, media and information literacy or data literacy … Media literacy was inserted in several key European policy documents in the last five years, including the new AVMSD, the Council conclusions on developing media literacy and critical thinking through education and training, the Digital Education Action Plan, the Joint communication to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Comittee of the Regions Action Plan against Disinformation and the Paris Declaration. Yet it is completely lacking in the whole of mission statements of the new Commission-designate. Strange, as a lot of the concrete elements of a modern day Media Literacy (from digital skills over empowering consumers to make informed choices and play an active role in the digital transition, helping increase awareness of disinformation and other online threats from an early age and tackling hate speech and providing privacy online) can be found in the texts. Maybe they wanted to retain a clear emphasis on all things ‘digital’, and is was not left out on purpose. Then again, if that were the case, maybe Digital Youth Work should have found its place too.

In any case let’s hope this mainly means that the future Commission thinks that digital and media literacy are just two sides of the same coin, like we do at Mediawijs, and are planning to finally converge the policies on digital education, digital inclusion, digital risks and literacy and media literacy in one policy with impact!

A hopeful note

New, and, yes, providing hope for the future, is the fact that the Commission will prepare a comprehensive strategy on the rights of the child, including protecting vulnerable children, protecting their rights online, fostering child-friendly justice and preventing and fighting violence. We certainly look forward to this European exercise. It can be a very fruitful one, as we ourselves learned in our own exercise in 2018.