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EU local and regional authorities contributing to the

Mid-term review of Europe 2020

Assessment of the Digital Agenda for Europe flagship initiative

Three years after its launch, the Committee of the Regions will take stock of the Digital Agenda for Europe flagship initiative at a conference to be held on 2 July 2013 in Brussels. This conference will be the fifth in a series of CoR events and monitoring initiatives surrounding the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014. More news on this conference can be found on the CoR website[1].

By participating in this survey, you will:

-  ensure that your views are taken into account in the debate held during the conference;

-  contribute to the fourth CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, to be published in October 2013;

-  contribute to the CoR's consultative activity in this field over the coming months;

-  contribute to the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014.

If you wish to participate in this survey, Please complete this questionnaire in any eu language, using the spaces provided, and return it in text format to:

by 27 May 2013

For more information on this survey and for details on how to join the

Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, go to:

http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/

The questionnaire is available on this website in all official languages of the EU

CDR3618-2013_07_00_TRA_TCD

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Contributor information[2]

Name of sender: / Aitor Urzelai Inza
Contact details:
(address, telephone, email) / Donostia - San Sebastián, 1 01010 – VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Tel 34 945 018 223 – Fax 34 945 018 253
e-mail:
On behalf of:
(name of local or regional authority) / Eusko Jaurlaritza – Basque Government
Type of organisation / City/Town/Municipality Region
County/Province
Association of local and/or regional authorities
Other (please specify)
Country: / Spain
Member of the EUROPE 2020 Monitoring Platform: / Yes No

Policy challenges and responses at regional and local level

BOX 1 – Digital Agenda for Europe: basic information
The Digital Agenda for Europe was adopted in 2010, as an integral part of the Europe 2020 strategy[3], to stimulate the digital economy and address societal challenges through Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The flagship initiative aims to speed up the roll-out of high-speed Internet and reap the benefits of a digital single market for households and firms in Europe. The Digital Agenda contains 101 actions, in 7 pillars[4], which will help to reboot the EU economy and enable Europe's citizens and businesses to get the most out of digital technologies.
1. Digital Single Market. The Digital Agenda will update EU Single Market rules for the digital era. The aims are to boost the music download business, establish a single area for online payments, and further protect EU consumers in cyberspace.
2. Interoperability and Standards. Europe must ensure that new IT devices, applications, data repositories and services interact seamlessly anywhere. The Digital Agenda identifies improved standard-setting procedures and increased interoperability as the keys to success.
3. Trust and security. The Digital Agenda proposes a number of practical solutions, including a coordinated European response to cyber-attacks and reinforced rules on personal data protection.
4. Fast and ultra-fast access to the Internet. To match world leaders like South Korea and Japan, Europe needs download rates of 30 Mbps for all of its citizens and at least 50% of European households subscribing to internet connections above 100 Mbps by 2020.
5. Research and Innovation. Currently, EU investment in ICT research is still less than half US levels. The Digital Agenda seeks to maintain Europe's competitive edge through increased coordination and elimination of Europe's fragmented efforts.
6. Enhancing digital literacy, skills and inclusion. Over 50% of Europeans use the internet daily – but 30% have never used it at all. As ever more daily tasks are carried out online, everyone needs enhanced digital skills to participate fully in society.
7. ICT-enabled benefits for EU society. The Digital Agenda focuses on ICTs' capability to reduce energy consumption, support ageing citizens' lives, revolutionises health services and deliver better public services.
A specific scoreboard measuring Member State performance and progress has been especially designed to provide analysis and detailed data on all the policy areas covered by the Digital Agenda[5].
You can find more information on the Digital Agenda for Europe, as seen from the local and regional authorities' viewpoint, in the Committee of the Regions' publication Delivering on the Europe 2020 Strategy Handbook for Local and Regional Authorities[6]. General information on Europe 2020 can be found on the strategy's official website[7].
1) What are the main challenges currently facing your region/city in terms of (i) access to the Internet, (ii) e-Governance, and (iii) computer literacy?
In order to i) access the internet
-  Guarantee access to the high-speed internet under equal conditions to everyone in the Basque Country, regardless of their geographic location, through a generalised roll-out of new generation networks throughout the entire area of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country
-  Encourage the use of ultra-fast broadband by individuals and businesses by establishing competitive prices for users
ii) e-government
-  Try to bring government closer to the people by developing computer services that facilitate the consultation and exchange of information and/or ubiquitous processing within 48 hours
-  Develop ICT-based strategies that encourage government transparency and facilitate the availability of public information for individuals and the business network
And iii) computer literacy
-  Improve the computer skills of groups with lower levels of computer competence
-  Guarantee the digital inclusion of groups with a higher risk of being excluded from Basque society (digital social and accessibility gap) and continue moving forward resolutely to close the digital gap.
2) Which of the aims of the Digital Agenda for Europe (listed in Box 1) are most relevant in view of the challenges currently facing your city/region?
Mainly aims 4, 5, 6 and 7, as well as aim 3.
3) Please briefly describe what type of policy programmes/actions are being implemented in your city/region in the policy areas covered by the Digital Agenda for Europe, highlighting their specific contribution to the above aims.
·  Fast and ultra-fast access to the internet
Banda Zabala+ project
The aim of the Banda Zabala project is to encourage new generation ultra-fast broadband networks to make them more easily available and easy to use by harnessing the multiplying effect of ICTs in the economic and social development of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.
More specifically, Banda Zabala+ is focusing on achieving the following results:
-  Availability of Fixed Broadband services of a minimum of 100Mbps in all population centres of more than 1000 inhabitants and of 1Gbps in technological and business centres
-  Grow these services, that is to say, achieve 20% penetration of homes using ultra-fast network solutions
-  Availability of the latest generation mobile services that allow speeds of at least 30Mbps for 90% of the population living in towns of at least 5000 inhabitants and along the main transport routes.
·  Research and Innovation
-  Funding to encourage the take-up and use of ICTs as a tool for competitiveness between SMEs (Improvement Initiative +digital@) and between business and professional associations (Association Initiative +digital@).
-  Funding for supporting implementation of projects aimed clearly and exclusively at developing new ICT products (GAITEK Programme).
·  Encouraging computer literacy, training and inclusion
Courses by the KZgunea telecentre network for individuals
KZmicrocompany training courses for small and independent companies
·  Advantages that make ICT possible for EU society
-  ICT innovation for improving wellbeing and quality of life: Digital home
-  ICT-based health and social systems
4) CoR opinions from October 2010[8] and October 2011[9] relating to the Digital Agenda for Europe identified, among others, a particular need to: i) create local digital agendas to speed up the optimal use of ICT through orchestrated local, regional and European cooperation, ii) improve interoperability and e-government by developing new applications such as human-centred e-services, e-learning, e-health and e-administration, iii) ensure equal and affordable broadband access everywhere and lead pilot projects aimed at closing the accessibility gap and iv) ensure that security requirements are met at every level so as to guarantee optimum levels of privacy and protection of personal data.
Has your city/region currently adopted specific policies in these fields? Has your city/region adopted a local/regional digital agenda?
The Basque Country has encouraged the creation of local digital agendas. A total of 38 municipalities have achieved this and a further 13 that will do so in 2013. Furthermore, the Basque Country has established its digital agenda at regional level.
There have been several schemes for improving interoperability and e-government (for example, Open Government-Irekia, Open Data Euskadi, payments gateway) and a number of measures have been implemented through the Basque Data Protection Agency to guarantee an optimum level of privacy and protection of personal data.

How is the Digital Agenda for Europe relevant to your city or region?

BOX 2 – Digital Agenda for Europe: 2012 update
The flagship initiative of the Digital Agenda of Europe, as reviewed by the Commission in December 2012[10], identifies several important areas where more focused action is needed in order to create growth and jobs in Europe. The review comes at a time when more needs to be done to revive Europe's economic performance and when the digital economy is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy. The seven priorities/transformative actions for 2013-2014 are:
1) Create a new and stable broadband regulatory environment.
2) New public digital service infrastructures through the Connecting Europe Facility[11]
3) Launch Grand Coalition on Digital Skills and Jobs
4) Propose EU cyber-security strategy and Directive
5) Update the EU's copyright framework
6) Accelerate cloud computing[12] through public sector buying power
7) Launch new electronics industrial strategy – an "Airbus of Chips"
In particular, Europe needs a 'wake-up call' on high-speed broadband. High-speed internet is the basis for the digital economy; without it, essential services such as cloud computing, eHealth, smart cities, audiovisual services – and the benefits thereby derived – will simply not take off.
5) The Digital Agenda for Europe as updated by the Commission in December 2012, sets out a "Digital Agenda Review" based on the seven priorities/transformative actions presented in Box 2 above.
Which of these actions are most relevant to your specific local/regional situation?
Mainly aims 3, 6 and 7.
6) Which of the actions and priorities under the Digital Agenda for Europe (set out in Box 2) are the most difficult to achieve in your city/region? Please, explain why.
Essentially 1 and 2 because we have no responsibility for them as a regional government.
7) Overall, what are the strong and weak points of the Digital Agenda for Europe, as seen from your regional/local standpoint?
Strong point: We have a good chance of positioning ourselves competitively on priorities 6 and 7
Weak point: Background of economic weakness
8) Would you recommend any specific changes to the Digital Agenda for Europe, following Europe 2020's mid-term review in 2014?
Draw up action-focused action plans

Are your country's policies relevant to your city or region?

9) Does your country's 2012 (current) National Reform Programme[13] (NRP) for Europe 2020 adequately respond to your regional/local needs in the policy areas covered by the Digital Agenda for Europe? If not, would you suggest any changes in your country's NRP for 2013?
The National Plans are drawn up at state level and the Basque Country is going to monitor the impact on the region.
10) Do you have the opportunity to contribute to the drafting of your NRP or national policies related to the priorities set out in the Digital Agenda for Europe, even if this takes place indirectly through organisations that represent cities and regions in your country? If yes, please state how in brief.
No

Policy and funding issues

11) What sources of funding are used to finance your actions (as provided under question 3) under the Digital Agenda for Europe? In particular: what is the role of the EU Structural Funds in funding actions related to the Digital Agenda for Europe? Are other policy/financial instruments involved? Please, explain.
Funds exclusively from the regional government.
12) Have any of the pursued goals been jeopardised due to fiscal consolidation policies and subsequent financial difficulties?
Yes
13) Were you directly or indirectly involved in the preparation of the forthcoming Partnership Agreement which is to be signed between your national government and the European Commission for the management of the Structural Funds under the Common Strategic Framework 2014-2020[14]? If yes, please explain how in brief.
Yes, so far work is being carried out on the ex-ante conditionality documents
14) Please add any further comments you wish to make on the issues covered in this questionnaire.
......
SHARE YOUR GOOD PRACTICE
As part of the preparations for the CoR conference to be held on 2 July 2013 and to showcase good practices in areas covered by the Digital Agenda for Europe, you are invited to submit examples of good practice from your local area.
Please complete the form available on our website:
http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/MonitoringFlagships/Pages/Welcome.aspx
/ JOIN THE EUROPE 2020 MONITORING PLATFORM
To help convey the voice of EU cities and regions in the implementation of Europe 2020 at EU level and in your country, join us. For details on how, see: http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/Knowledge/Pages/BecomeaMember.aspx

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

CDR3618-2013_07_00_TRA_TCD

[1] http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/europe2020/Pages/digital-agenda-for-europe.aspx.

[2] Privacy Statement: The follow-up to your contribution requires that your personal data (name, contact details, etc.) be processed in a file. All the answers to the questions are voluntary. Your replies will be kept for a period of 5 years after the receipt of your questionnaire. Should you require any further information or wish to exercise your rights under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 (e.g. to access, rectify or delete your data), please contact the data controller at . If necessary, you may also contact the CoR Data Protection Officer (). You have the right of recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor at any time (www.edps.europa.eu). Please note that the questionnaire with your contribution and your contact details will be published online. Your questionnaire may be transmitted to CoR rapporteurs and other EU institutions for information. Should you not agree to this, please inform us accordingly.