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It is no surprise
that the European Union’s digital
agenda is a pivotal priority of
the Europe 2020 Strategy and the European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker. The EU has gone digital and e-governance
increasingly permeates EU governance. With ICT developments rapidly
progressing and online consumerism taking over the internal market,
e-governance seems unavoidable to boost economic growth and
competitiveness in the EU. As part of a strategy towards enhanced economic
growth, the main objectives of pursuing a fully-fledged digital single market
encompass increased revenues, employment opportunities, and the realization of
a knowledge-based society. Digital priorities moreover support the EU’s It endeavors
to assert regional and global leadership.
The EU’s single
market ensures the free movement of goods, services, persons and capital. In a
similar vein, the EU’s digital single market aims to ensure these
four freedoms online. Paramount to a safe and smooth functioning of the
digital single market are tailored regulations and directives, pertaining to
especially fair competition, cyber safety, and consumer protection.
In addition, the EU needs to invest in new mechanisms to strengthen the
interoperability of online services, networks, data storage, and devices.
However, adjacent to the apparent need for technological
ingenuity, new standards, intelligence and pan-European internet
access and digital literacy, there is one greater challenge the
EU is bound to tackle: building trust among consumers, businesses and
other actors moving around on the digital single market.
