Artificial Intelligence and Data Act: where is the EU

In the Council of Ministers of the Tlc spotlight on the progress of the work of the package of rules proposed by the Commission. Also on the table is the dossier on the technology-driven green transition: "Pan-European methodologies are needed to measure the digital footprint and concrete targets for 2030" 03 Jun 2022 F. Me.

Assisting European Telecommunications Ministers in the legislative packages proposed by the EU Commission on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Identity and Data Law. At today's meeting of the EU Council, governments also gave guidance to Brussels on the Green and Digital Transition. While the first three legislative dossiers were reviewed of the progress made and the related progress reports presented by the Czech Presidency were approved, the focus on the last point was more precise. Ministers discussed how to measure and assess the environmental impact of digital technology and rules for developing sustainable solutions at the service of the green transition. More specifically, ministers highlighted the possibility of implementing, at European level, methodologies to measure the digital footprint and the definition of concrete objectives that the EU should set itself by 2030. In this sense, the Council underlined that, while the smart use of clean digital technologies can act as a key factor in climate strategy, environmental sustainability and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the ICT sector must commit to ensuring the design and dissemination of environmentally sound products. "Europe can compete globally in the market for green technologies, in particular by promoting innovative energy-efficient technologies and environmental sustainability," the Council's final note reads. Index of topics • Artificial intelligence • Framework for a European digital identity • Data Act • Other activities Artificial intelligence As regards the proposed law on artificial intelligence, the Council took stock of the progress made and approved a progress report presented by the Presidency. The draft regulation presented by the European Commission in April 2021 is a key element of the EU's policy to promote the development and adoption, at European level, of a reliable artificial intelligence (AI) that respects fundamental rights.

The proposal establishes a uniform and horizontal legal framework for AI that aims to: • ensure that systems placed on the EU market and used in the European Union, including by third-country suppliers, comply with the values of the European Union and existing fundamental rights laws • ensure legal certainty to facilitate investment and innovation • improve the governance and effective enforcement of existing legislation on fundamental rights and security requirements applicable to systems Ministers supported the main objectives of the proposal. Framework for a European digital identity Also on the creation of a European digital identity, the Council supported the main objectives of the Commission's proposal. The proposed new framework will amend the 2014 Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (eIDAS Regulation), which laid the foundations for a system for secure access to services and the execution of online and cross-border transactions in the EU. The proposal aims to ensure universal access for individuals and businesses to secure and reliable electronic identification and authentication through a European digital identity wallet. This portfolio should be recognised by the EU public sector and private service providers requiring strong user authentication and large online platforms. The proposal also creates a legal framework for the exchange of identification attributes and identity-related information. It provides for the control of the user and the protection of data and the targeted sharing of identification data limited to the needs of the specific service requested. Data Act The Council took stock of the progress made in the proposal for a regulation on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data. The main objectives of this proposal are to ensure fairness in the sharing of the value of data among actors in the data economy and to promote access to and use of data. It is a horizontal piece of legislation that should soon be complemented by complementary legislation for specific sectors. "The legislative proposal therefore represents an important step in the development of the European data economy – explains the Council note – Ministers supported the main objectives of the proposal and took note of the progress report". Other activities The Czech Presidency briefed ministers on the state of play of other legislative proposals, including e-Privacy, the path to the Digital Decade, NIS 2 as well as work on the definition of a European Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade. In addition, the Presidency and other delegations briefed ministers on the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union to be held in Bucharest from 26 September to 14 October 2022.