Towards digital ecosystems with enabling legislation – CSC gave a statement on final report of digital programme’s legislative working group
CSC gave statement on the legislative working group’s final report, called Digitalization’s legislative situation and proposals to advance it – Digital as new normal. We welcome especially the premise of the report claiming that the regulation related to digital services should strive for a solution in which digital approach is accepted by default. It is also important that the working group recognizes the need for legislation that is enabling.
We highlight that digitality should not be seen as an issue that will be brought along to the operation only on its final stages since in worst case scenario it could lead in to too late reactions to the needs for change. Digital competences must be part of objective and impact metric definition as well as operative planning already from early stages. In addition, the prerequisite of digitalization is interoperability which should be developed systematically in accordance with the principles laid down in European Interoperability Framework (EIF) and Interoperable Europe Act which is on preparatory phase.
Data management, joint cross-sectoral data politics and practises as well as adequate infrastructure and competences to process data are in key positions in developing user-friendly digital services. Data should also be easily findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable in accordance to FAIR-principles. Ways to enable transferability and reusability of data across sectors must be sought after in further preparations and it is therefore important that the working group recognizes this issue.
Existing legislation must be examined critically and it should be taken apart if needed, especially if it forms unnecessary barriers. In addition, the need for new legislation must be evaluated and soft legal instruments should be favoured. Legislation must, for example, enable the creation of digital ecosystems. To avoid fragmentation of legislation, it is important to take into account the legislation that is under preparation in the EU, the digital wide, and cross-sectoral objectives and the societal impact of those.
You can read the statement in full here (pdf) (in Finnish).