Committente: European Committee of the Regions
Periodo: 2015
URL: Towards a new update of the Digital Agenda and creation of the Digital Single Market: challenges and opportunities for Local and Regional Authorities in the European
Descrizione:
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) innovation has transformed national, regional, and local economies at an unprecedented pace. The implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) and the completion of the Digital Single Market (DSM) imply the evolution of business models and the generation of both positive and negative externalities that need to be appropriately managed to maximise the benefits and minimise the unfavourable effects. The European Commission (EC) prioritises the development of Europe’s digital environment and the achievement of the DSM. Public administrations at all levels are directly concerned in setting appropriate policy priorities to effectively gain from the creation and consolidation of a digital society in terms of employment, growth and convergence.
A number of locally-led initiatives has contributed in recent years to build up the necessary commitment at the territorial level. These initiatives outline a common framework for public administrations across the EU for awareness creation, strategic planning and/or action. Among the significant examples are the Digital Local Agenda (DLA), the Citadel Statement, and ICT-focussed European networks for partnership development, such as ELANET and ERNACT. Indeed, collaboration and partnering across the EU have contributed significantly to the definition of common tools, architecture, and standards at the local and regional level which form the basis of cross-border interoperability. There are also initiatives by the EC which are directly addressed to the territorial level and add to the locally-led calls for action. These initiatives, intended to support regions in the implementation of the DAE and in better benefitting from the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), relate to tools or guidance documents for developing digital strategies, identifying investments, or tying innovation to ICT deployment.
Notwithstanding this important progress, the achievement of the DAE lags behind in some parts of Europe. For some targets, slow progress is evident throughout the EU. The scope of this report is to highlight the challenges, the trends, and the strategies most commonly undertaken by local and regional authorities (LRAs) to gain maximum benefits from the implementation of the DAE and the completion of the DSM (Part 1). On the basis of the evidence gathered through the review of empirical studies and of several initiatives by LRAs (illustrated throughout the report and in Part 2, in the form of selected case studies), a set of potential policy options is drawn in Part 3.
Approaches by LRAs vary greatly. In order to organise them coherently we have used a closed loop rationale which allows us to link the strategies and the recommended policy options to the different level of competencies or preparedness of regions. This level is determined on the basis of a few main indicators from the Information Society (IS) and ICT domains. Within this rationale, we have grouped the strategies implemented towards the objectives of the DAE under four broad thematic areas: ICT infrastructure; ICT take-up; ICT-enabled services, applications and products; and ICT sector development.
Strategies for the improvement of ICT infrastructures
Having achieved the DAE target of basic broadband infrastructure coverage across the EU in 2013, the current focus is on making fast and ultra-fast broadband connection available. The shift to next generation network (NGN) broadband connections is necessary to meet the emerging needs of speed, capacity, quality and reliability of the infrastructures. The situation in terms of Next Generation Access (NGA) coverage across the EU is very diverse. Regions with a total and rural Next Generation Access (NGA) coverage below 35% are in need of prioritising investments in ICT infrastructure deployment. As the deployment of passive infrastructure is capital-intensive, LRAs are called upon to play a crucial role in overcoming market failure and/or in balancing market bias. This involvement is driven by cost-benefit, commercial, or social considerations.
The opportunity for public investment in broadband development is underlined by the EC and facilitated by recent regulatory developments. Source of funding is, indeed, one of the major differentiators of municipal/regional broadband strategies. Different business models are available to public administrations, depending on the preferred modalities for designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining both the passive and active layers of the infrastructure. The type of involvement of the private sector will also depend on the capacities of the concerned public administration, for example in service management and operation.
Within any strategic approach, it is essential to reduce the cost of ICT infrastructures deployment as much as possible. Directive 2014/61/EU on the cost reduction of deploying high-speed electronic communications networks, due to be transposed by MS into national legislation within 1 January 2016, provides the referencing legal framework in this respect. Empirical evidence indicates that civil engineering works may account for up to 80% of the cost of the deployment. Since these works are under the regulatory control of local administrations, LRAs are in a position to pursue cost saving approaches in this area. These approaches imply, for example, the facilitation of access to existing physical infrastructure; the efficient coordination of civil engineering works; and the fast, simple and transparent handling of permit-granting procedures. Another critical aspect influencing the improvement of ICT infrastructures relates to their security and resilience. Infrastructural physical assets allowing communication and information transfer require the intervention of LRAs for their protection and for the effective management of breaches in case of disruptive events. Therefore, the protection of critical infrastructures would ideally refer to a regional administrative and operational scale as the most appropriate. Likewise, the extensive use of ICT as ‘network of networks’ within smart cities, makes the cities’ security and resilience of strategic importance for their public administrations. Among the strategies currently implemented by LRAs in this important area is to pursue membership with global networks or other available resource and knowledge pools, in order to access information and support; or the more articulated development of territorial strategies, programmes and/or roadmaps having specific or multiple scopes within the security and resilience fields, and therefore addressing aspects such as the coordinated management of critical events or the identification of a hierarchy of responsibilities to lead resilience efforts.
Recommended policy options:
To increase the availability and quality of ICT infrastructures, LRAs need to identify and set up the most appropriate ‘special purpose vehicle’, if possible also making this ‘vehicle’ instrumental to investments.
In the light of reducing costs related to ICT infrastructure deployment, it is advisable to carry out a thorough assessment of the saving options available. Once these options are identified and selected, they shall be included in the deployment design for implementation by the contractor.
Regarding the security of ICT infrastructure, strategic, collaborative and organisational approaches integrated at the regional level and capitalising on existing capacities would improve the resilience to emergency and threats. (Smart) cities, given their complex organisation and dynamics, would benefit from the development of a ‘roadmap to resilience’ specifying responses and adaptation solutions to potential disruptions and emergencies, not necessarily and exclusively related to Critical Information and Communication Infrastructures (CCIs).
Strategies for ICT take-up
ICT take-up implies access to the internet and the capacity and willingness to use it. The digital inclusion targets of the DAE are likely to be met by 2015. Nevertheless, there is ample room for improvement in the short-to-medium term, especially in those regions where both the actual take-up of broadband connection by households and the share of internet users are below the EU28 average. The focus shall be on the removal of the most common barriers to access, among which is the lack of digital skills.
The DAE emphasises the need to enhance digital literacy, skills, and inclusion. The recognition of ‘digital competence’, back in 2006, as one of the key competences for lifelong learning has matured, in 2013, into the definition of a Digital Competence Framework, where competences are organised around the main areas of information, communication, content creation, safety, and problem solving. Digital competences affect both the personal and the working spheres of individuals. They are needed for individual fulfilment, active participation in society and social inclusion. ICT skills are crucial for labour, for enhancing the effectiveness of the workforce, and the competitiveness and innovation capability of entrepreneurs and businesses.
Several LRAs are actively undertaking digital literacy initiatives. There are examples of locally-driven pledges adhering to the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs. Other examples relate to project-based approaches, usually focussing on a specific target group and often implying the direct participation of schools and/or of higher education institutes, thus becoming an important opportunity to mobilise institutional knowledge and networking capacities available within the territory. Empirical evidence has shown how social isolation and economic considerations (in particular, being poorly educated, being old, having a disability, being unemployed or retired), represent barriers to the use of ICT. This makes the role of LRAs even more essential in addressing any type of exclusion deriving from the ever-increasing use of ICT across all sectors of society.
Strategic approaches by LRAs to enhance the diffusion of ICT skills and digital literacy are often but not necessarily framed within a DLA. Local stakeholders may have self-standing strategies that are linked to wider economic and/or social considerations, or to more specific and voluntarily set targets. For example, the creation of local or regional pools of ICT-educated students by increasing the number of students attending ICT-related education at all educational levels is strategic in the view of attracting businesses and investments, as these pools of knowledge will guarantee the filling of potential workforce gaps faced by the ICT industry. LRAs are also in the ideal position to design tailored initiatives, embedded within the local contexts, to fill the ICT literacy gaps of specific categories and towards the implementation of specific policies, such as civil servants (towards the effective implementation of eGovernment), businesses (towards innovation and smart specialisation), or citizens (for example, towards the necessary empowerment to guard against basic cyber-attacks).
ICT take-up is also determined by the capacity of public authorities to cope with the constantly changing landscape of digital products. Although local authorities can benefit from ICT in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of their management and operations, this requires constant improvement in their capability to assess, identify and monitor possible new technologies and software solutions. Among the strategies adopted by LRAs in this sense, is the promotion of user centricity in the identification and acquisition of new solutions. Opening data, for example, allows for an increasing adoption and manipulation of data and information by the users, that, if correctly observed, can help in identifying and collecting users’ preferences, leading to the selection of solutions aligned to their needs, expectations and actual behaviour.
Transparency, defined as the open flow of information, is key to strengthening the relationship between governments and citizens. Governments at all levels have clearly perceived the information need that has been constantly on the rise in recent years and have acknowledged that this need can be at least partially satisfied by transparency. Technological developments for data management and usability, as well as hardware enhancement, have supported the release of vast amounts of public data or ‘data opening’. Practical problems related to open data often relate to format and technology but engagement and governance are also critical factors. LRAs work towards the facilitation of data accessibility and usability, as well as the widening of the type of data released.
The main economic and political considerations driving the implementation of the digital agenda are strongly impacted by the threats generated within the cyberspace. In the light of increasing ICT take-up, improving capacities against cyber-threats plays a crucial role. This is necessary in the first instance to allow citizens to recognise their increased vulnerability to cyber-attacks. Subsequently, it is necessary to take action locally or regionally to ensure that citizens, businesses and governments retain high levels of trust and confidence in the digital systems. Strategic approaches by LRAs vary from raising awareness, implementing training initiatives (including those for building incident response capabilities), and reducing cybercrime.
Committee of the Regions Report, 27 March 2015.