Digital Single Market: France must revive the momentum
The European Commission’s Digital Single Market strategy was presented in May 2015, with the aim of achieving an integrated market by 2018. The European Parliament indicated in 2015 that, once all the measures had been fully implemented, the potential GDP gain could be 415 to 500 billion euros per year (3 to 3.6% of EU GDP).
The mid-term review presented today by the Commission indicates that 35 proposals have been put forward since the strategy was launched, but that only one has been adopted to date. The Commission therefore calls on the co-legislators – Parliament and Member States – to work to speed up the adoption of these measures.
One of these key measures is data circulation. While the subject failed to come to a conclusion in 2016, Syntec Numérique is delighted that the European Commission is planning a legislative initiative this autumn to enshrine the principle of free data circulation, and calls on France to fully support this initiative.
“The election of Emmanuel Macron, who is in favor of this digital single market, gives us every reason to hope that France will reverse its blocking position and support this principle of free data circulation, which all our companies need,” analyzes Godefroy de Bentzmann, President of Syntec Numérique.
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Syntec Numérique hopes that France will once again become the driving force behind the other ongoing projects mentioned this morning by the European Commission, including cybersecurity, the industry of the future, e-health, e-government and training.
” Emmanuel Macron has a unique opportunity to put France back at the center of the game, by fully playing its role as leader to relaunch the implementation of this digital single market. Syntec Numérique has taken up its responsibilities and is ready to work with the new teams in this direction over the long term. “says Godefroy de Bentzmann.
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Finally, Syntec Numérique hopes that these European debates will involve economic players, so that the measures adopted are a lever and not a threat for the sector. By way of example, the draft e-Privacy regulation’s timetable and scope pose a threat to a number of operators of electronic communication services, and to emerging markets such as the Internet of Things.