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On Monday, 20 April, Gundars Daudze, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, opened a meeting of the EU parliamentarians on topical issues in the area of the digital economy. “The basic principles of the Latvian Presidency include engagement, growth and sustainability. I believe these three principles are directly applicable to this Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Committees on Economic and Digital Affairs,” Daudze emphasised in his address.

The Deputy Speaker also emphasised that the development of information and communication technology not only provides new possibilities but also poses new challenges and risks that the EU has to address accordingly. 

“These risks can be identified and addressed only through joint and coordinated efforts at the European and global level. In light of the current geopolitical situation in the region, it is especially important to engage in close cooperation to counter cyber threats and strengthen the common European security space,” said Daudze.  

“Preserving security and privacy in digital space is an increasingly important challenge. Investing in security and raising public awareness contribute to the confidence of market players, thus broadening the scope and quantity of available services and promoting development and use of innovative digital solutions. Concurrently, it has to be taken into account that the costs of security and privacy in the EU may be higher than in other parts of the world. Therefore, it is our task to come up with solutions that ensure that the high standards the EU has set for itself are an advantage instead of an obstacle for our entrepreneurs’ competitiveness in the global market,” said the Deputy Speaker. 

Regarding the legal framework of the digital economy, the Deputy Speaker highlighted the importance of reforming the EU’s copyright regulations, arguing that the existing legal framework is outdated and requires revision in order to meet current needs, including effective coverage of digitally stored copyrighted content. Establishing a Digital Single Market, which still remains to be accomplished, is equally important. It is hampered by the differences in legal provisions among the member states, which prevent both entrepreneurs and consumers from enjoying the advantages of the digital single market to the full extent.

“The EU has the potential of becoming a global leader and role model in the area of effective and mutually beneficial cross-country cooperation in implementing digital solutions,” Daudze concluded; he also expressed the hope that this meeting would result in finding a common position on a secure and mutually beneficial digital market.

Today, the EU parliamentarians have gathered in the Saeima to discuss topicalities in the area of the digital economy. The agenda of the meeting covers topics such as Big Data, cloud computing, privacy and security of cyber space, as well as employment in the digital economy. The Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Committees on the Economic and Digital Affairs is the fifth event hosted by the Saeima within the framework of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Live stream of the meeting is available on the website of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Latvian Presidency at http://parleu2015.lv/en. For the programme of the meeting, please visit http://parleu2015.lv/files/digitala-konference/programme_digital_eng_15-04-2015.pdf 

Saeima Press Service