Using data to improve the lives of citizens





September 29, 2022

One cannot talk about the future of the EU without mentioning data democracy and digital transformation. The EU itself has done its utmost to work towards a digital future where citizens are at the centre, with discussions on the new data lawamong other specific decisions and debates that affect the average citizen as well as municipal governments.

A set of initiatives can be understood as a new social contract where society dictates the direction of technological progress. Technology and data can put people first, not the other way around.

Francesca Bria. Image by Martin Kraft (photo.martinkraft.com) License: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

According Francesca Bria, President of the Italian National Fund for Innovation“The EU is investing heavily in infrastructure focusing on the green and digital transition to answer the question of how to ensure that the digital transition respects EU values ​​(human rights, democracy and protection of human rights fundamentals of citizens).

We’ve seen the rapid digitization of our lives during the pandemic – from food delivery and e-commerce to remote working, remote medicine, and more. – but, explains Bria, “policy makers know that the role of the EU is to give direction, to understand the trends of digital transformation, to ask themselves ‘digital for what?’, ‘How to improve the lives of people with all this and protect their rights?’ “.

And, she says, “we have to put people first. Citizens’ needs first and putting digital services at the service of citizens.

We must start from the problems that must be tackled – new urbanism, sustainable mobility, housing, ecological transition, etc. – and scaling up solutions. Smart for whom and what kind of cities we are building for the future.

We know that today we live in a world where data extrativism is the rule, i.e. only a few companies can use data to create algorithms and predictions – like Google or Facebook -, and there is a problem of surveillance capitalism, we are the raw material, the data that we produce and our personal databases of today’s digital economy.

Therefore, “we need data-driven regulation and cities are at the forefront of this problem,” Bria adds. We are talking about regulating Uber, Airbnb, etc., like Barcelona did for example. And more cities are talk about regulate big tech and companies that rely heavily on (personal) data.

Eddy Hartog, Head of Technologies for Smart Communities Unit at the European Commissionclarifies that the main objective of digital sovereignty “is not insolation, but to be master of one’s own environment and to be able to act in the interest of EU citizens, in particular in times of crisis and emergency “.

According to him, the Data ACT and the Data Governance ACT currently being discussed by the EU are concrete steps towards digital sovereignty in Europe and underlined that municipal and regional cooperations are the key to success. Data sovereignty and portability, privacy and security by design, open standards and open APIs, etc. will not only help protect citizens’ privacy, but will also enable cities to manage data in a way that can also benefit their own citizens.

After all, the value is not in the data itself but in how you can use that data. How cities can use all the data they collect – garbage collection, cameras, mobility, etc. be regulated and used to promote the improvement of the lives of citizens.

This is what Riga is doing, for example, by proposing national strategies for the recovery of digital skills, by also registering other municipalities which, explains Edgars Kletnieksproduct manager at Riga City Digital Agencysometimes don’t even have a dedicated IT department.

The ever-changing nature of regulation is a challenge. This is why it is crucial for the EU not only to set minimum standards so that cities can have safety, but also to be able to share data and knowledge between them.

In Riga, the city has pilot projects in cooperation with local technology hubs and receives long-term EU funding to promote initiatives such as the implementation of traffic sensors in low-emission zones, traffic lights smart signaling systems, air quality communication, energy efficiency measurement via consumption sensors, etc.

In addition, another topic has gained prominence due to the current energy crisis caused by the Russian war in Ukraine: how can the EU reduce its dependence on Russian gas and how can data be used to achieve such a goal?

Some of these points will be discussed during Eurocities Digital Forum in Madridfrom October 5 to 7, during which two sessions will be broadcast live with a focus on sustainability and digital solutions for cities and digital strategies.

Madrid Digital Forum coverage
Madrid Digital Forum coverage

Comments by Francesca Bria and Edgars Klētnieks were given during the online workshop “Digital Sovereignty in Europe” on September 28, chaired by Dr Mohammad Gharesifard, from Eurocities, and organized by Digital Hesse Smarte Region in partnership with Eurocities, Enterprise Europe Network, Hessen Trade and Invest, House of Digital Transformation and Living in EU .




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