Digital Affairs – Chancellery
of the Prime Minister

The D9+ Group is an organisation of EU Member States that share a similar approach to digital issues. The joint statement addresses the need for a common European approach to the development of innovative and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI).

The statement in question is a contribution of Poland, Denmark, Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden to EU-wide debate on the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to establish a framework for the development of artificial intelligence in the European Union.

As the Ministers, including Marek Zagórski, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, pointed out – the design of new artificial intelligence solutions should focus on working towards the creation of a common European market for AI.

This will enable European companies to grow and compete globally, thus contributing to a renewed growth and employment in the European economy.

The ministers also pointed out that the guiding principle for designing a new framework for the development of the AI should be a risk-based approach in order to protect citizens’ fundamental rights. This in turn gave rise to the suggestion to establish mechanisms to assess the potential impact and likelihood of risk, as new artificial intelligence solutions are implemented.  

The joint statement of the 14 ministers also makes it clear that without trust, the need for AI will decrease. The EU should therefore seek to create an ecosystem of trust, where credibility and trustworthiness will be a natural element of the process of implementing AI solutions, starting with the design stage. The solutions to ensure this should be agile and flexible.

The ministers believe that to ensure the implementation of solutions outlined in the statement it will be necessary to establish a voluntary European product labelling system, covering designs that meet the safety requirements.

Such a system would help European solutions to stand out in the marketplace and would guarantee that the users’ rights are protected.

In mid-September, the Committee of the Council of Ministers for Digital Affairs adopted the Polish Artificial Intelligence Development Policy. This is an important step towards taking advantage of all the opportunities offered by AI.

“This document supports and complements other documents, including the Responsible Development Strategy, the European Commission's Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence, as well as the work of international organisations, including the OECD,” explains Marek Zagórski, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. 

The document outlines and defines the activities and objectives for Poland in the short term (2023), medium term (2027) and long term (beyond 2027), along with the requirements and conditions for the use of AI, which cover all phases, starting with designing solutions, through research, development, implementation, application and use, to disposal.

The Polish Artificial Intelligence Development Policy also envisions the establishment of a coordination centre within the government, whose aim will be to monitor the implementation of AI policy in Poland, as well as coordinate partners’ activities.

The document adopted by the Committee of the Council of Ministers for Digital Affairs stems out from months of consultations.

The first draft, then entitled “Artificial Intelligence Development Policy in Poland in 2019-2027” was subject to public consultation and government pre-consultation in August and September 2019. In total, 46 entities decided to share their feedback and concerns.

Further consultations, including inter-ministerial, expert and public sessions, followed in February and March 2020. In July 2020, the Artificial Intelligence Development Policy was included in government legislative works agenda and approved by the Centre for Strategic Analyses.