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Belgian CIOs, together with their colleagues from France, Germany and the Netherlands, are calling for a targeted EU digital strategy in the run-up to the elections. It must
Belgian CIOs, together with their colleagues from France, Germany and the Netherlands, are calling for a targeted EU digital strategy in the run-up to the elections. It must continue to build on the achievements of recent years.
CIOs from more than 1,000 major companies in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany turn to the EU in a manifesto. In it they explain what they, as important business technology users, expect from the Union. The manifesto recognizes that the EU has made important and useful efforts to regulate the digital world in recent years. The clear rules sound good, but they need to be coupled with an ambitious agenda if Europe wants to remain at the forefront of digital innovation.
The CIOs represented in our country by Beltug identify priorities that they would like to bring to the attention of European decision-makers before the elections.
An initial focus revolves around digital skills and education. All citizens must have access to digital technology and a strong focus must be placed on training. According to CIOs, only half of the EU adult population currently has the necessary digital skills, making rapid improvement in this area crucial.
Education aimed at developing digital skills must be integrated into all levels of education. Specifically, European universities need to develop programs that focus on digital teaching packages around programming, algorithms and AI. Collaboration between universities can help attract top talent as teachers.
This demand is plausible, but its timing is striking, as AI farmer and Nvidia CEO recently stated that he does not consider programming to be a relevant skill for the future. It seems that the CIOs of the largest companies in our region clearly disagree with his statement.
The EU has been very active in regulation in recent years. That must not change. Europe must continue to focus on regulations with global impact. On the side, the authors of the manifesto hope that Europe will focus more on strategic research in order to create greater independence from today’s important digital technologies.
It remains particularly important to continue to strive for fair international conditions of competition with healthy competition in the market. Strategic investments in European companies and startups can also help.
Beltug and other organizations from our neighboring countries are not blind to the growing environmental impact of digital technology and the underlying supporting infrastructure. The EU must do more to reduce the environmental impact of IT. In the manifesto, the CIOs carefully point out that the greatest impact comes not from the use of IT solutions, but from the production of the hardware.
They refer to a report by the French Environment and Energy Agency (ADEME), which says that 70 to 80 percent of the ecological footprint of digital technology comes from hardware manufacturing. Europe can make its contribution here by requiring manufacturers and digital service providers to develop ecological standards. Of course, longer use of manufactured components can also help.
The CIOs specifically refer to so-called programmed obsolescence, where software updates suddenly render hardware unusable. Examples are not included in the manifesto, but we immediately think of the end of Windows 10 support in 2025, after which many systems will miss the update to Windows 11 due to artificially high system requirements and thus become ripe for the trash.
Finally, CIOs have an opinion on European governance. The focus is on greater cooperation between regulatory authorities in the Member States and beyond. Not surprisingly, large corporate IT users hope that the Union will work with them to implement existing rules. It sounds like harmonization will benefit everyone.
The manifesto is not revolutionary, but it contains a clear summary of the priorities of IT decision-makers in Belgium and neighboring countries. The need for strong policies is great, but the issues are consistent with the direction the EU has already taken. In fact, the Union can continue to build on the work of recent years for the next legislative period, even if there is no time to rest.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
