Digital Affairs – Chancellery
of the Prime Minister

The key event of the visit was a meeting with meeting with Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age. Apart from that, the Polish minister also met with Roberto Viola, Director-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commission (DG Connect) and with Poles employed by EU institutions.

The budget of the EU Digital Europe Programme, which is slated to be launched in 2021, amounts to 8.1 billion euro. Its aim is to financially support the digital transformation of European societies and economies. The programme will provide funding for projects in areas such as the development of artificial intelligence, supercomputers, advanced digital skills and cybersecurity. Its shape and implementation were some of the key issues raised by the Minister during his Friday meetings with the heads of EU institutions.

“Reinforcing the digital foundations is crucial for the development of our country. We are making efforts to this end, including ensuring broad access to broadband Internet, introducing efficient and user-friendly public e-services and constantly improving the digital skills in the society. These are the main objectives set out by the Operational Programme Digital Poland, and we want to continue these activities in the coming years,” Minister Marek Zagórski announced. “It is important that funds from central and national programmes can support the realisation of common objectives,” he added.

During Friday’s meetings in Brussels, Minister Marek Zagórski presented Poland’s stance concerning building, developing and ensuring security of 5G networks.

We want to strengthen the NIS Directive on network and information security,” said the Minister. When it comes to 5G networks, we hold the stance that the approach to their cybersecurity should be coordinated across the European Union, regardless of divergent national actions and perspectives.

Another issue raised in Brussels was the future work of the European Commission on its regulatory framework for digital services in the Community, concerning Internet platforms in particular - the so-called European Digital Services Act. Poland wants to provide Internet users with a wider range of rights, including ownership of their personal data in social media; we also want social media users to be treated as consumers, in the full sense of the word.

“I would like this year's World Internet Governance Forum, which will be held in Poland, to serve as an opportunity for debating the shape of the Internet from a global perspective. Our common European approach has the potential to become a standard for the international community, just like in the case of the GDPR,” said the Minister of Digital Affairs Marek Zagórski during his meeting with Margrethe Vestager, when he presented her with an invitation to take part in the Forum.