Virtual Strasbourg 2021
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THE BRITISH CHAMBER | EU & BRUSSELS PRESENTS: VIRTUAL STRASBOURG 2021 KINDLY SPONSORED BY: VIRTUAL STRASBOURG 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On the 9th and 10th of March 2021, BritCham had the pleasure of hosting our first Virtual Strasbourg event. The event brought participants from a range of business and governmental spheres together and provided the opportunity to hear speakers from the EPP, S&D, RE, Green/EFA, GUE/NGL and ID groups in the European Parliament. These speakers brought a diverse range of perspectives and represented a variety of EU regions including Malta, Italy, Germany, Spain, Czechia, France, Portugal, Finland, Denmark and Croatia. Across three main events and multiple breakout rooms, the following subjects were discussed in a range of capacities and from the perspectives of various committees. The EU’s Digital Agenda is at the forefront of both business and government actors’ priorities and this was seen throughout Virtual Strasbourg. Topics included the EU’s Digital Future, improving digital infrastructure, building a digital curriculum, platform regulation, GDPR, cybersecurity and digital services. The EU is aiming to establish a new gold standard in digital regulations whilst also realizing the potential of the digital single market. By applying legislation such as the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act and Data Governance Act, the EU hopes to uphold the rights of consumers whilst enabling the digital and tech industry to develop under the clarity of regulation. Another key topic of discussion was the EU’s sustainable agenda and how it fits into the global sustainability strategy. It was suggested that transparency of materials used by green projects should be encouraged, so that green initiatives are as sustainable as possible. An example of this being the use of traceability programs, which can work to ensure responsible and resilient supply chains. Furthermore, it is believed that chemical regulation is not keeping pace with the wider policy agenda. This is at odds with the handling and recycling of materials and indicates a requirement for the harmonization of legislation. Addressing issues such as these is vital if the EU's green transition is to be successful. Regarding consumer protection, a Sustainable Product Index was suggested as a mechanism to better inform consumers of the environmental performance of a product. Furthermore, revised management of fake news, mechanisms for users to flag harmful content and platforms to work through codes of conduct were also discussed. The Transport Committee also plays a major role in the EU's green transition with the Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy. Despite the benefits of green hydrogen, it is expected that it will be a niche technology in cars due to their already widespread electrification. However, hydrogen will play an important role in other modes of transport, especially heavier vehicles, and may become a more viable option as the industry evolves. These technologies will play an important role in the decarbonization of the whole sector. The role and actions of the ECON Committee were also discussed. The committee has used the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the escape clause, and the pausing of fiscal rules, to mitigate the risk of Covid and to aid the recovery of member states. Despite this, we can expect countries to emerge from the pandemic with high deficits, large amounts of debt and weak economies. In some cases, debt could be greater than 100% of GDP. This will undoubtedly re-align member states concerns and tax may fall into focus. Matters such as reducing the VAT gap is high on the agenda of the ECON Committee, as well as competition policy, decarbonising the economy and the digital markets act. Whilst discussing the UK-EU relationship, the topics of the Northern Ireland Protocol, free movement, civil justice and access to courts for consumers, UK access to the Lugano convention, and data sharing were covered. It was stated that the TCA is fair and balanced and that it sets an institutional framework that can account for divergences. VIRTUAL STRASBOURG 2021 SPEAKERS: ·Axel Voss - Rapporteur on GDPR, copyright in DSM, ePrivacy Regulation, civil liability regime, Member of JURI and AIDA (DE, EPP) ·Luděk Niedermayer - Vice-Chair of the ECON Committee (CZ, EPP) ·Markus Ferber - Vice-Chair of FISC, member of ECON (DE, EPP) ·David McAllister - Chair of AFET and UKCG (DE, EPP) ·Tomislav Sokol - Member of IMCO (HR, EPP) ·Alex Agius-Saliba - Rapporteur on DSA, right to disconnect, Member of IMCO (MT, S&D) ·Ibán Garcia Del Blanco - Rapporteur on the framework of ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies, Vice-Chair of JURI and Member of AIDA (ES, S&D) ·Carlos Zorrinho - Member of ITRE (PT, S&D) ·Damian Boeselager - Shadow rapporteur on European Strategy for Data (DE, Greens/EFA) ·Marcel Kolaja - Vice-President of the EP responsible for Informatics and Telecommunications, Vice-Chair WG on ICT Innovation Strategy (CZ, Greens/EFA) ·Ville Niinistö - Shadow rapporteur on a comprehensive European approach to energy storage, Member of ENVI and ITRE (FI, Greens/EFA) ·Patrick Breyer - Shadow rapporteur on shaping the digital future of Europe (DE, Greens/EFA) ·Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield - Vice-Chair of Green/EFA Group, Substitute member of UKCG (FR, Green/EFA) ·Sandro Gozi - Member of IMCO (FR, RE) ·Jan-Christoph Oetjen - Vice-Chair of TRAN (DE, RE) ·Morten Petersen - Vice-Chair of ITRE, Member of UKCG (DK, RE) ·Sylvia Limmer - Shadow rapporteur on New Circular Economy Action Plan, Member of ENVI (DE, ID) ·Emmanuel Maurel - Member of INTA and AIDA (FR, GUE/NGL) VIRTUAL STRASBOURG 2021 THE EU DIGITAL AGENDA - 9TH MARCH On Tuesday the 9th of March, the Chamber was pleased to welcome MEPs Alex Aguius Saliba, Damian Boeselager, Ibán García, Marcel Kolaja, and Axel Voss to discuss the vital topic of the EU Digital Agenda. This session was moderated by Elizabeth Crossick, Head of Gov Relations at RELX, and kindly sponsored by Liberty Global. One of the key priorities mentioned by the panel was the European joint effort in developing a strategic focus for investing in the EU’s Digital Future. Improving the digital infrastructure in the European Union was seen as a top priority; whilst there was some debate on how fast the EU is currently acting on digital matters. There was also discussion on how to harmonise regulations on digital matters across the EU. Improving basic digital skills for European citizens was mentioned as a big issue – it was made clear that people should not be left behind due to lack of skills. The need for building a digital curriculum across Europe is vital. Furthermore, the funding for member states to promote digital skills is important to ensure that a huge portion of society is not left behind by the digitalisation of Europe. Digitalisation is becoming a key means of bringing people and business together, as well as a means of spreading information. It was mentioned that the EU should be more ambitious and open to legislate for the digital reality. With the huge boom we see with AI it’s a historic moment not only for Europe but globally, and we need to make sure that the rules for the upcoming age are fair, and that we can have European competition is the upcoming world. What is illegal offline should be illegal online – but tools should be put in place to put law enforcement in a position where this is possible. The need to improve safety, as well as the concerns of civil society in general, were raised during the discussion. The panel expressed their desire to ensure that benefits made by reforms in this area were felt across the EU. The current legal framework was created way before a number of these platforms which have become public utilities were created. These platforms have changed the very functioning of our global economy and created new challenges that need to be addressed. Subsequently, the DSA and DMA should guarantee a better, fairer digital environment. Regarding GDPR in the digital agenda, there was broad consensus that the EU should be working towards finding frameworks that have protection built in to enable individuals to have power over their own data. Many other topics were discussed over the period of the Q&A, such as access to digital services for SMEs, data protection, and cybersecurity. Innovations such as artificial intelligence were also discussed. VIRTUAL STRASBOURG 2021 THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL - 9TH MARCH During our session on The European Green Deal we heard from MEPs Markus Ferber, Ville Niinistö, Sylvia Limmer, and from our sponsor, the Cobalt Institute, on the efforts of the European Union to make our economy more sustainable, and how the presented challenges can be converted into opportunities. To give a backdrop to this discussion, it is important to note that in recent years there has been a huge shift in how investors are moving money to green sectors, which has created a totally different market setting and showing that making your company environmentally friendly is already a economically viable option. More than that, the costs of non-action are going to be a lot more expensive in the years to come with the majority of the European Parliament pushing for more green measures. Additionally, this green movement is global, as it needs to be in order to save the planet, and some examples of what countries around the world are doing include: The UK’s ambitious climate goals, it will be interesting to see how Brexit affects cooperation, but hopefully there will be continued focus in this area and the UK will remain a close ally to the EU. Globally, China is on the path to become climate neutral by 2060, and this is reflected in the Chinese economy with more investments being seen into green technology.