Every European Digital - National Digital Champions meet for first time in Brussels - Main contents
Me and the digital champions so far
Today in one in four European adults have not yet used the Internet, while we face a big skills gap to fill the 700,000 surplus ICT jobs of the future.
I’m determined to get every European digital. We’re not there yet: but the reasons for this gap are different in different countries. So you may recall that a few months ago we asked all EU Leaders - Prime Ministers and Presidents - to appoint a national “digital champion” to spearhead work and get every European digital in their own country.
Yesterday, 25 June, was the first ever meeting of all those champions so far appointed. It was a real mix of talents and experiences. And great to have so much energy in one room.
And there are inspiring initiatives, and inspiring experiences people already brought to the table.
Some great ideas on how to supply internet: from community-based fibre rollout of 1 Gigabit connections in the UK - to free public Wi-Fi in Bulgaria. Some great new opportunities that open up new opportunities - from helping people apply for jobs online - to e-Government services that save citizens time, and governments billions of euros . And some very clear evidence of the range of people who can benefit - from immigrant groups who can connect up to new opportunity, to the elderly who can stay included and independent at home for longer, to rural communities who don’t have to see a mass exodus of young people to the (better-connected) big city.
Now the job of the digital champions is to work within their own member state to deliver these benefits for all their citizens. Working with their governments, the private sector and voluntary sector, building on existing initiatives or starting new ones.
Each EU country may need different action to get these benefits - but in all of them there are plenty of bright ideas to be shared. And in all countries, it’s clear that ICT can reduce social isolation, open up new economic opportunities, and save significant taxpayer money. And I want to support the digital champions as much as I can from Brussels.
You can see the full list of digital champions here (or here for a twitter list). For those of you whose governments haven’t yet appointed one - make sure you let your governments know what they’re missing out on, and feel free to suggest them some names!