Transcript Document

Digital Single Market –
the Key to Competitive Economy
Signe Bāliņa, Dr. Oec.
President of Latvian Information and
Communications Technology Association (LIKTA)
32nd Session of the Baltic Assembly
and 19th Baltic Council
Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
28-29 November 2013, Riga
ABOUT LIKTA
Latvian Information and Communications Technology
Association (LIKTA) is a professional association representing
the ICT industry and ICT professionals, established in 1998
LIKTA unites more than 220 members including over 90
organizations of ICT industry, research and educational
institutions, as well as individual members (ICT professionals)
Main objectives of LIKTA are development of information
society, ICT education and growth of ICT industry
LIKTA is an active member of Pan-European associations:
Telecentre Europe association
CEPIS – Council of European Professional Informatics
Societies
ECDL – European Computer Driving License Foundation
DIGITAL AGENDA FOR EUROPE – FLAGSHIP AREAS
Digital Agenda for Europe – European
Commission’s action plan aimed at increasing
welfare and quality of life in Europe
7 pillars:
Digital Single Market (28 actions)
Interoperability and standards
Trust and security
Fast and ultra-fast Internet access
Enhancing digital literacy,
skills and inclusion
Research and innovation
ICT-enabled benefits for EU society
DIGITAL PROGRAMME FOR EUROPE – GOALS
How do we proceed towards meeting the goals?
The target to reach 100% broadband coverage in Europe
should have been met by 2013
Status at the end of 2012 — EU 95.5%, Latvia 82.9%,
Estonia 87.8%, Lithuania 96.8%
Ultra-fast broadband access to be enabled by 2020:
50 % of European households should subscribe to Internet
connections above 100 Mb/s.
Status at the end of 2012 – EU 3.4%, Latvia 20%, Estonia
3.6%, Lithuania 10%
In 2015 the difference between roaming and national tariffs
should approach zero
Current status — difference 33%
Other goals — rollout of cross-border public services, public
contribution to research and development
Source: Digital Agenda Scoreboard 2012
EUROPEAN SINGLE MARKET FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
Today, there exist 28 licensing, numbering
and spectrum assignment schemes in EU
EU market lags behind USA and China
EUROPEAN SINGLE MARKET FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
Europe’s investments in
industry are insufficient
Solution – a single EU
regulatory framework?
How to achieve efficiency
and avoid overregulation?
Goal – higher investment
inflow to enhance market
growth
DRAFT REGULATION
European Commission’s
Proposals will not give the muchneeded boost to enable the
meeting of the goals of the
Digital Agenda for Europe
The new regulatory framework
should be «minimised»; an indepth revision of the existing
industry rules must be
conducted
The regulatory framework must
restore investments, drive
innovation and create new jobs
DRAFT REGULATION
New approach to competition must be introduced to
minimise the existing fragmentation in the market
DRAFT REGULATION
New powerful telecommunications
market entrants must be created
which are capable of competing at
global level
DRAFT REGULATION: FLAGSHIP ELEMENTS
Issue of a single EU authorisation
(operator password) valid throughout EU
Changes to the system based on which
cross-border cooperation of national
regulatory bodies
is organised
Virtual broadband access
Spectrum
Net neutrality
Roaming
Protection of consumer rights
BUILDING DIGITAL COMPETENCE
Key barriers to the
development of Europe’s
Internet economy —
concerns as to the security
and privacy of payments,
unreliable e-Environment
Goal – to promote use of eCommerce and e-Services
to take maximum
advantage of ICT benefits
BUILDING DIGITAL COMPETENCE
Goals of the Digital Agenda for Europe:
By 2015, 50% of the population should
be buying online. Year To Date (YTD)
status – 45%
By 2015, 50% of EU citizens should use
e-Government, with more than half of
them returning completed forms.
YTD status – 44%
E-SKILLS/DIGITAL LITERACY
By 2015, 90% of jobs across all
sectors will require digital skills
There is a considerable shortage
of ICT specialists in Europe – by
2015 there will be up to 900 000
unfilled ICT specialists’ vacancies
Technology development is
ongoing, but are we ready to
live in information society?
Digital learning aimed at youth,
teachers, senior persons and
SMEs
E-SKILLS/DIGITAL LITERACY
Notable e-skills events in Latvia
eSkills Week, training to
small and micro enterprises,
Microsoft Latvia «Partner in
Learning» Programme aimed
at teachers,
Lattelecom training
programme Get connected,
Latvia! «Pieslēdzies, Latvija!»
aimed at senior persons
LATVIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Challenges:
There is a concern that the regulations governing
the various industry sectors will overlap
Over-regulation is not likely to promote the
meeting of the Digital Single Market goals
A new bureaucratic burden to be borne by
electronic communications operators
Challenge to be faced by
operators – who is going to
provide multimedia content
in the Digital Single Market?
LATVIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Opportunities:
Instrument with which to increase the
competitive advantage of national operators –
a single EU authorisation enabling operation
throughout 28 EU Member States
Minimised market segmentation
Europe’s single market as a tool by which to
face globalisation