Press Office
Athens, 14 May 2021
European Affairs Committee and Production and Trade Committe briefed by European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager
The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age Margrethe Vestager briefed the members of the Special Standing Committee of European Affairs and the Standing Committee of Production and Trade during a joint meeting. The issue on the agenda was “An open, fair and competitive digital future for European citizens”. The Minister of Development and Investments Adonis Georgiadis attended the meeting.
In his introductory remarks, the Chairperson of the meeting and 1st Vice-Chair of the European Affairs Committee Dimitris Kairidis pointed out, among other things, that digital technologies have significantly contributed to the continuation of economic and social life throughout the pandemic, while they will play a key role in the successful transition to a sustainable economy and society after the crisis. He said that Greece had reacted dynamically in the last one and a half year and had significantly accelerated its digital capabilities, observing that in 2020 94 million digital transactions with Public Services took place, while in 2019 the number approached 35 million and in 2018 did not exceed 9 million. He then referred to the European digital strategy and the actions planned by 2030 and underlined that legislative proposals on the single digital market and fair markets in the digital sector are an important initiative to ensure fair competition. This set of rules, noted Mr. Kairidis, complements the European Democracy Action Plan, the goal of which is to build more resilient democracies.
When he took the floor, Mr. Georgiadis said that the Ministry of Development and Investments participates in the European dialogue on legislative acts for the digital markets and services and called upon the political parties to submit their proposals, while he thanked Mrs. Vestager and the European Commission for swiftly approving support programmes for Greece during the pandemic.
During her intervention, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission congratulated Greece for putting together a National Recovery and Resilience Plan and for incorporating the green and digital goals, which are the strategic pillars for growth and employment in Europe. She referred to the European Commission’s legislative initiatives regarding the digital markets (Digital Markets Act) and the digital services (Digital Services Act), pointing out that the goal is, inter alia, to ensure that markets will be accessible, while she underlined that the possibility will be provided to remove illegal content from the internet. Mrs. Vestager also referred to European proposals on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and personal data management, while she emphasised the need to strengthen citizens’ skills and employee training, in order to bridge the digital divide. Lastly, Mrs. Vestager referred to the discussions taking place within the OECD on taxation in the digital economy.
