Europeana named in Digital Agenda's new priorities for 2013

Just before the Christmas break, the European Commission published 7 new priorities for the digital economy and society in 2013-2014. The EC's press release states, 'The digital economy is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy, but this potential is currently held back by a patchy pan-European policy framework. Today's priorities follow a comprehensive policy review and place new emphasis on the most transformative elements of the original 2010 Digital Agenda for Europe.'

We are pleased to say that Europeana is explicitly named in the second priority, 'New public digital service infrastructures through Connecting Europe Facility', which is explained as follows: 'With Council support, the Commission will fast-track the roll out of digital services (especially their cross border interoperability) in eIDs and eSignatures, business mobility, eJustice, electronic health records and cultural platforms such as Europeana.'

European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said: '2013 will be the busiest year yet for the Digital Agenda. My top priorities are to increase broadband investment and to maximise the digital sector's contribution to Europe's recovery.'

Commissioner Kroes browsing Europeana on an iPad at the Ministers' Briefing for Europeana Awareness, in Brussels, May 2012

The 7 new priorities for the Digital Agenda are:

1. Create a new and stable broadband regulatory environment
2. New public digital service infrastructures through Connecting Europe Facility
3. Launch Grand Coalition on Digital Skills and Jobs
4. Propose EU cyber-security strategy and Directive
5. Update EU's Copyright Framework
6. Accelerate cloud computing through public sector buying power
7. Launch new electronics industrial strategy

In in a post titled 'I'm a fighter, not a bureaucrat' on her blog, Neelie Kroes talks candidly about the challenges facing the digital economy. She advocates action and movement, saying, 'Yesterday doesn’t count in the digital world – complacency is a killer. And Europe doesn’t have time.' She goes on to say, 'There is too much risk-avoiding in Brussels and in national capitals. That has to stop or Europe has no future. I refuse to just tick off the list of actions we created [for the Digital Agenda] in 2010. I don’t want that, that is lazy. Europe cannot afford laziness. That is why I am here today with new priorities.' She concludes decisively that 'the time for thinking and complaining is over. 2013 is all about doing.'

If that's not the right spirit to start the new year, I don't know what is.

More info: Read the EU's press release and Neelie Kroes' related blog.