European Commission: European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade

Last year the European Forum participated in the public consultation on a set of European Digital Rights and Principles and sent a position paper on Artificial Intelligence to the European Commission.

On 28 January 2022, the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade was published. It states that the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission aim to promote a European way for the digital transition which shall be based on European values and benefit all individuals and businesses.

The declaration and further information you will find here.

Taking into account the activities of the European Forum, the main points for social security can be summarized as follows:

• People are at the center of the digital transformation in the EU and technology should serve and benefit all citizens in full security and with respect for their fundamental rights. Therefore, the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission are committed to strengthening the democratic framework for a digital transformation that benefits all Europeans and improves their lives.
• Responsible and diligent action by all digital actors, public and private, for a safe and secure digital environment shall be fostered. It is necessary that the values of the European Union and the rights of the individuals are being respected online as well as offline.
• On the point of solidarity and inclusion, everyone everywhere in the EU should have access to all key public services online across the EU. This means offering Europeans an accessible, secure and trusted digital identity that provides access to a wide range of online services.
• The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission would like to ensure transparency in the use of algorithms and Artificial Intelligence. Like the European Forum called for, people should be empowered and informed when interacting with both and algorithmic systems should be based on appropriate datasets to avoid unlawful discrimination. Human supervision, as the European Forum has requested, must be possible, especially when the results of AI affect citizens (in particular concerning their health or employment relationship).

The European Commission has proposed to the European Parliament and Council to sign up to the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade. Therefore, both EU-institutions are invited to discuss the draft and to endorse it at the highest level by this summer.