The Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr Kyriakos Kokkinos, participated in the work of the EU Telecommunications Council, which took place today, 6 December 2022, in Brussels.
The focus of the discussions was on digital skills in the digital decade, with the participation, via videoconference, of Ms Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. In his intervention, Mr. Kokkinos referred to the need to create a strong ecosystem by focusing on skills upgrading policies, such as developing funding programmes aimed at enhancing digital skills, modernizing education, as well as deepening cooperation with industry. One of the priority areas should be cybersecurity, as there is currently a shortage of 200,000 specialists in this field in Europe, he stressed. In conclusion, Kokkinos informed his counterparts that Cyprus adopted in 2021 the National Action Plan for Digital Skills, which is in line with the Digital Decade objectives set at European level.
During the working lunch, the 27 exchanged views on the Union's open strategic autonomy and digital supply chains. Speaking during the discussion, Kokkinos, after noting that strategic autonomy should be a key objective of the EU, highlighted in particular the need to reduce strategic dependencies and increase resilience, while maintaining openness and global cooperation with partners sharing the same principles and values. In this context, it stressed that Cyprus supports the European initiative in relation to the Global Gateway Strategy, which aims to strengthen the security of global infrastructures and supply chains in third countries.
The Council also adopted general approaches on two key legislative dossiers for the EU's digital transformation. In particular, ministers adopted a general approach on the Regulation on the establishment of harmonised rules for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a general approach on the European Digital Identity (eID), which provides for a requirement for member states to issue a European digital identity card on the basis of common technical standards. In supporting the adoption of the two proposals, Mr Kokkinos made reference to both the National AI Strategy and the implementation of a National eID and Digital Wallet Plan in our country.
(MF/SX)
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