Research Deputy Minister attends EU Telecommunications Council

Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Dr Nicodemos Damianou recently participated in the work of the European Union Telecommunications Council in Brussels.

The Ministers discussed the objectives of the 2030 Digital Decade, in light of recent technological developments and adopted Conclusions on the White Paper for EU’s Digital infrastructure needs.

Dr Damianou, in his intervention at the 6 December event, noted that amidst rapid technological developments, such as 6G, Artificial Intelligence and cloud computing, an adjustment of the Digital Decade objectives is required during the evaluation of the Program in 2026.

He stressed that it is important to ensure that the new objectives are realistic and ambitious, based on an impact assessment.

Regarding the acceleration of the adoption of new technologies, the Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of transforming research into commercially available innovations, the participation of industry in research projects, as well as strengthening Europe's coordinated participation in international standardization organizations, especially in the areas of 6G and AI.

He also focused on the need to combine green innovations with the digital ecosystem, promoting energy-efficient solutions, in order to achieve sustainability combined with technological progress.

The Deputy Minister also welcomed Greece’s presentation of its upcoming national strategy on the protection of minors online.

He stressed that it is the collective responsibility of EU member states to create a safe and empowering digital environment for children, promoting cooperation and the exchange of best practices to effectively address these issues.

The Deputy Minister also supported the Dutch proposal for better regulation of the digital sector for SMEs.

During the working lunch, the Ministers exchanged views with Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), on enhancing the effectiveness of EU-ITU cooperation.

On the sidelines of the Council, Dr Damianou held separate meetings with his counterparts from Poland and Denmark to discuss and coordinate priorities and actions, in view of the Trio EU Presidency.

(Source: CNA)