Digital Public Services: Voices from the Cities and Regions

Dr Kieran McCarthy, Member, COR & Cork City Council @cllrkmac

COR Context

u A Formal European Institution

u An Opinion Body – Holistic Thinking

u Offers key perspectives on Europe

u Citizen led vision, bottom up process

u COR DSM flagship projects

u Several opinions on digital issues

COR Innovation Campaigns of Recent Interest

u Defending Cohesion Policyu Narrowing regional disparities/ innovation

divideu Championing the Future of Work u Discussing new technologies in DSMu Constructing Q Helixes + 1u Incubating and processingu Unveiling Innovation 5.0

– data, AI, Computingu Creating Smart Cities & Regionsu Horizon 2020/ Europeu E-governmentu Citizen Innovation (youth & age friendly)

Informs flagship projects and opinions…

COR Innovation Flagship Programmes with Digital as Part

u Knowledge Exchange platformsu Science meets regions with JRCu I-Capital awardu E-Governmentu Digital Cities Challengeu EER Awardu European Broadband Awardu Communicating Europe Projectu EGTCs/ Interregu Urban Agendau Urbactu SDG & globalisationu EWCR

COR Opinions & DSM Challenges

u General challenge aheadu Competitiveu Disparityu Synergiesu ICT Infrastructureu Financeu eGovernment u eCommerceu Education and Skills

Creating a society of Digital Change & InnovationThe Challenge Ahead

u High dependence (WFS+1)u 500 million consumersu New generations of digital

technologiesu Added EUR 110 billion of

revenueu New jobs & globalisationu Need for digital education

The Competitive Challenge

u highly competitive European digital industry

u Speed of readiness of the private and public sectors to adapt

u digital industrial platforms

u convergence of a number of additional technologies

The Disparity Challenge

u lagging behind between regionsu modernisation of the current regulatory

framework u coordination of the large but fragmented

European researchu broader understanding of interoperability u standardisation effortsu traditional cycle of development, testing and

standardisation is no longer adequate

The Synergy Challenge

u strong focussed partnershipsu cooperation between national and

regional innovation policy-makersu wider contribution from business and

institutional playersu core component of a forward-looking

EU Cohesion policy

The ICT Infrastructure Challenge

u Tailored demand-and-supply-side solutions including broadband roll-out, the digital economy, e-inclusion and e-government.

u loans for broadband infrastructure

u New investment tools

The e-Government and e-Commerce Challenge

u European Commission’s e-Government Action Plan on modernising public services through digitisation

u e-government to provide societal benefitsu e-communications designed to promote dynamic and

sustainable growthu digital and entrepreneurial skillsu E-commerce remains a missed opportunityu impediments to e-commerce

The Finance Challenge

u Due to the handicap of lingering infrastructural deficits – particularly in rural contexts considered unprofitable by private operators – many LRAs remain currently unable to take full advantage of these developments;

u technological barriers to digital development projects in rural and sparsely-populated areas should be seen as services of general economic interest;

The Education & Skills Challenge

u addressing digital literacy and skills shortfalls

u 800 000 unfilled vacancies in this sector by 2020

u reconcile the imbalance of these skills shortages and ICT-related job vacancies by means of offering appropriate training,

u Future jobs will require an appropriate mix of basic, soft and technical skills

u New Skills Agenda for Europe

u digital literacy and skills necessary for citizens, workers, students and jobseekers

u fundamental human skills such as literacy and person-to-person interaction.

u Digital for All Challenge

EU, Digital & Added Value Paradigm…Strong Role for DSM

u Sharing of best practice & knowledge

u Frontiers of ideasu Inclusiveness & connectionsu Partnership & opportunity

u Dialogue & synergy driven

u Diversity and unityu Cross-border and Interoperability

Plugging these thoughts into cities and regions across the EU or the acupuncture treatment of cities and regions….

The Acupuncture Treatment….Re-Imagining Cities and Regions as…

Ø C & R as learning platformsØ C & R as test bedsØ C & R as resilient spacesØ C & R as champions of beyond

GDP indicators & thinking

u C & R as the Future of Europeu C & R as flexible networks of growthu C & R as nodes of place-based thinkingu C & R as laboratoriesu C & R as citizen innovation promoters

Some Concluding Remarks on Digital Challenges

u Vast Chessboardu Education, lowest stepu Digital for all conceptu Role of LRAsu Role of local ecosystemsu Age Action programmesu Active retirement groupsu More work required