Four months apart, the European Commission has published three strategies on ecology (the Green Deal), digital technology and industry. They are interlinked and aim to achieve climate neutrality and digital leadership for Europe. Part 1: presentation of the three strategies.
News of the economic, social and environmental impact of the global COVID19 pandemic is paving the way for redesigning tomorrow's world. The European Union (EU) had already begun this work with the publication of 3 strategies and roadmaps linking ecology, industry and digital technology.
Indeed, in her political guidelines, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that Europe must lead the transition to a healthy planet and a new digital world. In this scheme, ecological transformation and digital transformation are two inseparable challenges.
Agence du Numérique offers a 4-part dossier to decipher Europe's proposals:
- Green Deal européen et numérique (1/4). Stratégies
This deciphering is part of the implementation of the Digital Wallonia digital strategy, which has many points of convergence with European priorities.
Ecology, industry and digital technology: 3 closely linked strategies
Three communications set the ambition, the pace and the path for Europe in the years ahead. Ecology and digital technology are intimately linked. L’ampleur et la profondeur, l’échelle et la vitesse, la nature et la nécessité de cette double transition sont sans précédent.
The 1st communication, on European Green Deal, was published by the European Commission at the end of 2019. It is a roadmap for making the Union's economy sustainable, turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities and ensuring a fair and inclusive transition..
To reinforce its position on this subject, the Commission is publishing two further communications:
- Shaping Europe's digital future to envision an inclusive digital transition that puts people first and opens up new opportunities for businesses, as well as digital solutions that are essential to combating climate change and achieving the ecological transition.
- New industrial strategy for a globally competitive Europe to meet the dual challenge of ecological and digital transformation in industry.
Presentation of the 3 strategies
European Green Deal
The aim of this growth strategy is to transform Europe into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, characterized by zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and in which economic growth is decoupled from resource use.
The Green Deal is an integral part of the Commission's strategy to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its objectives. sustainable development objectives.
To implement this strategy, the Commission stresses the importance of rethinking clean energy supply policies for the whole economy, in terms of industry, production and consumption, major infrastructure, transport, food, agriculture, construction, taxation and social benefits.
In the Commission's view, digital technologies are proving crucial to achieving the Green Deal's sustainable development objectives, across a wide range of sectors.
They must be developed to accelerate and optimize the impact of policies to combat climate change and protect the environment. Through solid digital infrastructures and artificial intelligence solutions, Europe must be able to:
- make informed decisions;
- strengthen its ability to understand;
- meet environmental challenges.
The technologies mentioned in the Green Deal include:
- artificial intelligence,
- 5G,
- cloud computing,
- supercomputers,
- data processing at the edge (Edge Computing),
- the Internet of Things.
Digital transformation is an essential catalyst for change. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that the digital sector is itself a major consumer of energy and natural resources. Improving its performance in the areas of energy efficiency and the circular economy is also a major challenge for the Green Deal.
Shaping Europe's digital future
This strategy aims to make digital technology accessible to all, giving priority to people and opening up new opportunities for businesses. Digital solutions must also be essential to combating climate change and achieving the ecological transition.
Find out more : Understanding Europe's digital dynamics.
Over the next five years, the Commission will focus on three key objectives for digital solutions to help Europe pursue its own path towards a digital transformation that benefits citizens while respecting European values.
- Technology at the service of people:investing in digital skills for all Europeans,protect people from cyber-threats,ensure that the development of artificial intelligence respects people's rights,accelerate deployment of ultra-fast broadband for homes, schools and hospitals,expand Europe's supercomputing capacity to develop innovative solutions for medicine, transport and the environment.
- A fair and competitive economy:facilitate access to financing and development for innovative, fast-growing startups and SMEs,strengthen the responsibility of online platforms and clarify the rules governing online services,ensure that EU rules are adapted to the goals of the digital economy,ensure that competition rules are respected for all companies in Europe on fair terms,increase access to high-quality data while guaranteeing the protection of personal and sensitive data.
- An open, democratic and sustainable society:use technology to help Europe become climate neutral by 2050,reduce carbon emissions from the digital sector,give citizens better control and protection of their data,create a European health data space to promote targeted research, diagnosis and treatment,combat online misinformation and promote diverse, reliable media content.
It's this last aspect that the AdN dossier will focus on. As powerful vectors of ecological transition, digital solutions will have to:
- advance the circular economy;
- support the decarbonization of all sectors;
- reduce the environmental and social footprint of products marketed in the EU.
A new industrial strategy for a green and digital Europe, competitive on a global scale
Europe needs a new industrial path, one that is equal to the ambitions of today and the realities of tomorrow. This strategy relies on the ability of European industry to drive the dual transition and boost its competitiveness.
The EC is focusing on industrial ecosystems, taking into account all the players in a value chain. This new approach reflects the need to find new ways of thinking and working to drive the dual transition.
The three driving forces behind the transformation of European industry :
Seven factors have been identified as key to achieving the dual transition to climate neutrality and digital leadership:
- guaranteeing security for industry: a deeper, more digital single market,
- maintain fair competition worldwide,
- support industry on the road to climate neutrality,
- implement a more circular economy,
- integrate a spirit of industrial innovation,
- recruit a skilled, retrained workforce,
- investing and financing transitions.
Conclusion
The 3 strategies published by the European Commission are presented as guidance notes.. Each of these strategies is made up of several elements that have yet to be detailed. However, it is clear that the two transformations - digital and ecological - are inseparable and essential if we are to redesign the world of tomorrow.
However, unlike ecological transformation, digital technology remains a tool, not an end in itself. Digital technologies won't solve all problems, but they will make things possible that were inconceivable for the previous generation.
This position is also shared by the EC, which stresses that the success of Europe's digital strategy will be measured by our ability to use these tools to deliver public goods to Europeans.
The EC has already made great strides in shaping the world of tomorrow, notably in transforming the whole of the EU into a sustainable and competitive market.
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About the author.
Fanny Deliège
Agence du Numérique