Amendments adopted by the European Parliament on 13 December 2018 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Digital Europe programme for the period 2021-2027 (COM(2018)0434 — C8-0256/2018 — 2018/0227(COD))
Date: 2018-12-13
Institutions: Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, European Parliament
Subjects: EU programme, artificial intelligence, data processing, digital literacy, digital single market, digital technology, digitisation, information security, information technology applications, innovation




C_2020388EN.01077501.xml










13.11.2020   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 388/775






P8_TA(2018)0521
Establishing the Digital Europe programme for the period 2021-2027 ***I
Amendments adopted by the European Parliament on 13 December 2018 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Digital Europe programme for the period 2021-2027 (COM(2018)0434 — C8-0256/2018 — 2018/0227(COD)) (1)

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)
(2020/C 388/45)

Amendment 1


Draft legislative resolution


Citation 3 a (new)








Draft legislative resolution




Amendment





 








—




having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament of 17 May 2017 on FinTech: the influence of technology on the future of the financial sector,











Amendment 2


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(4)


Pursuant to [reference to be updated as appropriate according to a new decision on OCTs: Article 88 of Council Decision / /EU (53)], persons and entities established in overseas countries and territories (OCTs) should be eligible for funding subject to the rules and objectives of the Programme and possible arrangements applicable to the Member State to which the relevant overseas country or territory is linked.












(4)


Pursuant to [reference to be updated as appropriate according to a new decision on OCTs: Article 88 of Council Decision / /EU (53)], persons and entities established in overseas countries and territories (OCTs) should be eligible for funding subject to the rules and objectives of the Programme and possible arrangements applicable to the Member State to which the relevant overseas country or territory is linked. 
The constraints relating to the participation of overseas countries or territories must be taken into account when implementing the Programme, and their effective participation in the Programme must be monitored and regularly evaluated.











Amendment 3


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 5








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(5)


Pursuant to paragraph 22 and 23 of the Inter-institutional agreement for Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016 (54), there is a need to evaluate this Programme on the basis of information collected through specific monitoring requirements, while avoiding overregulation and administrative burdens, in particular on Member States. These requirements, where appropriate, 
can
 include measurable indicators, as a basis for evaluating the effects of the Programme on the ground.












(5)


Pursuant to paragraph 22 and 23 of the Inter-institutional agreement for Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016 (54), there is a need to evaluate this Programme on the basis of information collected through specific monitoring requirements, 
correlated to existing needs and complying with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council

 (54a), while avoiding overregulation and administrative burdens 
for all beneficiaries
, in particular on Member States 
and SMEs
. These requirements 
should
, where appropriate, include measurable 
quantitative and qualitative
 indicators, as a basis for evaluating the effects of the Programme on the ground.









Amendment 4


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 5 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(5a)






The Programme should ensure utmost transparency, accountability and democratic scrutiny of innovative financial instruments and mechanisms that involve the Union budget, especially as regards their contribution, both as regards initial expectations and end results made towards achieving Union objectives.











Amendment 5


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 6








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(6)


The Tallinn Digital Summit (55) of September 2017 and the Conclusions of the European Council (56) of 19 October 2017 indicated the need for Europe to invest in 
digitising
 our economies and addressing the skills gap to maintain and enhance European competitiveness, our quality of life and social fabric. The European Council concluded that the digital transformation offers immense opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs, will contribute to our global competitiveness, and enhance creative and cultural diversity. Seizing these opportunities requires collectively tackling 
some of
 the challenges posed by the digital transformation 
and
 reviewing policies affected by the digital transformation.












(6)


The Tallinn Digital Summit (55) of September 2017 and the Conclusions of the European Council (56) of 19 October 2017 indicated the need for Europe to invest in 
efficient digitalisation of
 our economies and addressing the skills gap to maintain and enhance European competitiveness 
and innovation
, our quality of life and social fabric. The European Council concluded that the digital transformation offers immense opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs, will contribute to our global competitiveness, and enhance creative and cultural diversity. Seizing these opportunities requires collectively tackling the challenges posed by the digital transformation 
in several ways, including by ensuring that the essential building blocks on which new technologies rely are put in place, by creating effective and easily enforceable legal rules, by
 reviewing policies affected by the digital transformation
, and by creating an innovation-friendly environment in which the interests of users are fully safeguarded
. 
Optimally, the financial envelope for this Programme, a European level effort, shall be increased by significant private sector funds and contributions from the Member States.











Amendment 6


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 6 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(6a)






The future of European society and the European economy will strongly rely on a harmonised and consistent spectrum policy, on 5G infrastructure, which will require an infrastructure objective regarding VHC networks, with the aim of providing high-quality and faster communication services; this is a prerequisite for the good implementation of the Programme. In this regard, the Programme should benefit of the good implementation of Connecting Europe Facility and in particular the Wif4EU initiative aiming to promote connectivity for citizens in the Union’s public spaces; the combination of those two programmes will maximise output and deliver on the Union targets of deliver reliable and consistent high-speed network coverage across the Union.











Amendment 7


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 7








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(7)


The European Council concluded in particular that the Union should urgently address emerging trends: this includes issues such as artificial intelligence 
and distributed ledgers technologies (e.g. blockchain)
, while at the same time ensuring a high level of data protection, 
digital
 rights and ethical standards. The European Council invited the Commission to put forward a European approach to artificial intelligence by early 2018 and called on the Commission to put forward the necessary initiatives for strengthening the framework conditions with a view to enable the EU to explore new markets through risk-based radical innovations and to reaffirm the leading role of its industry.












(7)


The European Council concluded in particular that the Union should urgently address emerging trends: this includes issues such as 
digital divide,
 artificial intelligence, while at the same time ensuring a high level of data protection 
in full compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679
, rights
, fundamental rights
 and ethical standards. The European Council invited the Commission to put forward a European approach to artificial intelligence by early 2018 and called on the Commission to put forward the necessary initiatives for strengthening the framework conditions with a view to enable the EU to explore new markets through risk-based radical innovations and to reaffirm the leading role of its industry.









Amendment 8


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 7 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(7a)






On 10 April 2018, Member States expressed their support and a joint will to cooperate together on initiatives on artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technologies (for example blockchain) infrastructure services by signing cooperation agreements.











Amendment 9


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 7 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(7b)






For a successful implementation of this Programme, more is needed than following the trends. The Union needs to be committed to privacy-enabling technologies (i.e. cryptography and decentralised applications (DApps)) as well as increased investments in future-proof infrastructure (fibre-optic) networks) to enable a self-determined digitalised society.











Amendment 10


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 7 c (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(7c)






Europe has to make decisive investments in its future, building strategic digital capacities in order to benefit from the digital revolution. A substantial budget (of at least EUR 9,2  billion) must be ensured at EU level for this purpose, which must be complemented by sizable investment efforts at national and regional level, namely with a consistent and complementary relationship with structural and cohesion funds.











Amendment 11


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 8








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(8)


The Commission's Communication on ‘A new, modern Multiannual Financial Framework for a European Union that delivers efficiently on its priorities post-2020’ (57) outlines among the options for the future financial framework a programme for Europe's digital transformations to deliver ‘strong progress towards smart growth in areas such as high quality data infrastructure, connectivity 
and
 cybersecurity’. It would seek to secure European leadership in supercomputing, next generation internet, artificial intelligence, robotics and big data. It would reinforce the competitive position of industry and businesses in Europe across the digitised economy and would have a significant impact on filling the skills gap across the Union.












(8)


The Commission's Communication on ‘A new, modern Multiannual Financial Framework for a European Union that delivers efficiently on its priorities post-2020’ (57) outlines among the options for the future financial framework a programme for Europe's digital transformations to deliver 'strong progress towards smart growth in areas such as high quality data infrastructure, connectivity cybersecurity 
and digitalization of public administrations
. It would seek to secure European leadership in supercomputing, next generation internet, artificial intelligence, robotics and big data. It would reinforce the competitive position of industry and businesses in Europe across the digitised economy and would have a significant impact on 
bridging and
 filling the skills gap across the Union 
ensuring that European citizens have the necessary skills, competences and knowledge to face the digital transformation
.









Amendment 12


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 8 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(8a)






Whereas in view of the delay in developing the Union's strategic digital capacities and the efforts made to remedy this, a budget commensurate with the ambitions of this programme and of at least EUR 9,2  billion should be guaranteed.











Amendment 13


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 9








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(9)


The Communication ‘Towards a common European data space’ (57), addresses the new measure to be taken as a key step towards a common data space in the EU — a seamless digital area with a scale that will enable the development of new products and services based on data.












(9)


The Communication ‘Towards a common European data space’ (57), addresses the new measure to be taken as a key step towards a common data space in the EU — a seamless digital area with a scale that will enable the development 
and innovation
 of new products and services based on data.









Amendment 14


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 9 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(9a)






The Next Generation Internet initiative launched by the European Commission in 2017 should also provide ground for the implementation of the Programme as it aims towards a more open Internet with better services, more intelligence, greater involvement and participation, addressing technological opportunities arising from advances in various research fields, extending from new network architectures and software-defined infrastructures to new concepts for services and applications.











Amendment 15


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 10








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(10)


The general objective of the Programme should be to support the digital transformation of industry and to foster better exploitation of the industrial potential of policies of innovation, research and technological development, for the benefit of businesses and citizens all over the Union. 
The programme should be structured into five Specific Objectives reflecting key policy areas, namely: high-performance computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, advanced digital skills, and deployment, best use of digital capacities and interoperability. For all these areas
, the Programme should 
also aim at better aligning Union, Member States and regional policies, and pooling of private and industrial resources in order to increase investment and develop stronger synergies
.












(10)


The general objective of the Programme should be to support the digital transformation of industry and to foster better exploitation of the industrial potential of policies of innovation, research and technological development 
as well as to modernise specific sectors of public interest
, for the benefit of businesses
, especially SMEs,
 and citizens all over the Union. 
Furthermore
, the Programme should 
strengthen the Union's competiveness and the resilience of its economy
.









Amendment 16


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 10 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(10a)






There is a pressing need to support SMEs intending to harness the digital transformation in their production processes. Digital research and innovation will allow SMEs to contribute to the growth of the European economy through an efficient use of resources.











Amendment 17


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 10 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(10b)






The Programme should be structured into five specific objectives reflecting key policy areas, namely: (a) high-performance computing, (b) artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technologies, (c) cybersecurity, (d) advanced digital skills, and (e) deployment, best use of digital capacities and interoperability. For all these areas, the Programme should also aim at better aligning Union, Member States and regional policies, and pooling of private and industrial resources in order to increase investment and develop stronger synergies.











Amendment 18


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 10 c (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(10c)






Together with the general objective of digital transformation, the Programme should contribute to ensuring long-term strategic security objectives by building capacities and capabilities in the Union, giving priority to actions that increase the strategic potential and limit dependence on third countries suppliers and products, thereby securing the Union's economic and innovative competitiveness.











Amendment 19


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 11








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(11)


A central role in the implementation of the Programme should be attributed to Digital Innovation Hubs, which should stimulate the broad adoption of advanced digital technologies by industry, by public organisations and academia. A network of Digital Innovation Hubs should ensure the widest geographical coverage across Europe (59). A first set of D‘igital Innovation Hubs will be selected based on Member States’ proposals and then the network will be enlarged through an open and competitive process. The Digital Innovation Hubs will serve as access points to latest digital capacities including high performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, as well as other existing innovative technologies such as Key Enabling Technologies, available also in fablabs or citylabs. They shall act as 
single-entry points
 in accessing tested and validated technologies and promote open innovation. They will also provide support in the area of advanced digital skills. The network of Digital Innovation Hubs should also contribute to the participation of the outermost regions in the Digital Single Market.












(11)


A central role in the implementation of the Programme should be attributed to 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs, which should stimulate the broad adoption of advanced digital technologies by industry 
including SMEs
, by public organisations and academia. A network of 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs should ensure the widest geographical coverage across Europe (59). A first set of 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs will be selected based on Member States’ proposals and then the network will be enlarged through an open
, transparent
 and competitive process. The 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs will serve as access points to latest digital capacities including high performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, as well as other existing innovative technologies such as Key Enabling Technologies, available also in fablabs or citylabs. They shall act as 
one-stop-shops
 in accessing tested and validated technologies and promote open innovation. They will also provide support in the area of advanced digital skills. The network of 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs should also contribute to the participation of the outermost regions in the Digital Single Market 
and support the digital transformation in the overseas countries and territories
.









Amendment 20


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 11 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(11a)






In order to create synergies between investments under this Programme and Union research and development investments, in particular those under the Horizon Europe programme, European Digital Innovation Hubs should act as a platform to bring together industry, business and administrations which are in need of new technology solutions on one side, with companies, notably start-ups and SMEs, that have market-ready solutions on the other side.











Amendment 21


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 11 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(11b)






The planning, development and procurement of the programme should be carried out with a view to enhancing Union capacities and competitiveness in the medium and long term. Priority should be given to actions that increase the strategic potential and competiveness of the Union which aim at limit the dependence on third countries suppliers and products. The participation of third countries to specific objectives of the Programme should therefore depend on the contribution such countries would make to the Union.











Amendment 22


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 12








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(12)


The Programme should be implemented through projects reinforcing essential digital capacities and 
their wide use
. 
This
 should 
involve
 co-investments 
with
 Member States 
and, when needed,
 the private sector. This should notably require reaching a critical mass in procurement to obtain better value for money and guarantee that suppliers in Europe 
stay at
 the forefront of technology advancements.












(12)


The Programme should be implemented through projects reinforcing essential digital capacities and 
the Union's strategic autonomy
. 
To this end the programme should ensure an EU budget of at least EUR 9,2  billion complemented with
 co-investments 
from
 Member States 
and/or
 the private sector. This should notably require reaching a critical mass in procurement to obtain better value for money and guarantee that suppliers in Europe 
reach
 the forefront of technology advancements.









Amendment 23


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 14








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(14)


The Programme's actions should be used to address market failures or sub-optimal investment situations, in a proportionate manner, without duplicating or crowding out private financing and have a clear European added value.












(14)


The Programme's actions should be used to 
reinforce and extend the Union's digital base, tackle major societal challenges, further raise the Union's digital industrial competences, as well as
 address market failures or sub-optimal investment situations, in a proportionate manner, without duplicating or crowding out private financing and have a clear European added value.









Amendment 24


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 15








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(15)


To achieve maximum flexibility throughout the lifetime of the programme and develop synergies between its components, each of the specific objectives may be implemented through all instruments available under the Financial Regulation. The delivery mechanisms to be used are direct management and indirect management when Union financing should be combined with other sources of financing or when execution requires the setup of commonly governed structures.












(15)


To achieve maximum flexibility throughout the lifetime of the programme and develop synergies between its components, each of the specific objectives may be implemented through all instruments available under the Financial Regulation. The delivery mechanisms to be used are direct management and indirect management when Union financing should be combined with other sources of financing or when execution requires the setup of commonly governed structures. 
In cases of indirect management, the Commission will ensure that all quality and safety standards required for the direct management of the programme are maintained and respected.











Amendment 25


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 16








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(16)


The high performance computing and the related data processing capacities in the Union should allow to ensure wider use of high performance computing by industry and, more generally, in areas of public interest in order to seize unique opportunities that supercomputers bring to society as regards health, environment and security as well as competitiveness of industry, notably small and medium-sized enterprises.












(16)


The high performance computing and the related data processing 
and storage
 capacities in the Union should allow to ensure wider use of high performance computing by industry and, more generally, in areas of public interest in order to seize unique opportunities that supercomputers bring to society as regards health, environment and security as well as competitiveness of industry, notably small and medium-sized enterprises. 
The Union needs to acquire world-class supercomputers, secure its supply system and deploy services for simulation, visualisation and prototyping while ensuring a HCP system in accordance with Union values and principles.











Amendment 26


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 17








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(17)


The support to the Union's intervention in this area was expressed by the Council (60) and, by the European Parliament (61). Moreover, in 2017 nine Member States signed the EuroHPC Declaration (62), a multi-government agreement where they commit to collaborate with the Commission to build and deploy state-of-the-art HPC and data infrastructures in Europe that would be available across the Union for scientific communities, public and private partners.












(17)


The support to the Union's intervention in this area was expressed by the Council (60) and, by the European Parliament (61). Moreover, in 2017 nine Member States signed the EuroHPC Declaration (62), a multi-government agreement where they commit to collaborate with the Commission to build and deploy state-of-the-art HPC and data infrastructures in Europe that would be available across the Union for scientific communities, public and private partners 
and strengthening the EU-added value
.









Amendment 27


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 18








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(18)


For the high performance computing specific objective a joint undertaking is deemed the most suited implementation mechanism, in particular to coordinate national and Union strategies and investments in high performance computing infrastructure and research and development, pool resources from public and private funds, and safeguard the economic and strategic interests of the Union (63). Moreover, high performance computing competence centres in Member States will provide high performance computing services to industry, academia and public administrations.












(18)


For the high performance computing specific objective a joint undertaking is deemed the most suited implementation mechanism, in particular to coordinate national and Union strategies and investments in high performance computing infrastructure and research and development, pool resources from public and private funds, and safeguard the economic and strategic interests of the Union (63). Moreover, high performance computing competence centres in Member States will provide high performance computing services to industry, 
including SMEs and start-ups,
 academia and public administrations 
established in the Union











Amendment 28


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 19








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(19)


Developing capacity related to artificial intelligence is a crucial driver for the digital transformation of industry and also of the public sector . Ever more autonomous robots are used in factories, deep sea application, homes, cities and hospitals. Commercial artificial intelligence platforms have moved from testing to real applications in health and environment; all major car manufacturers are developing self-driving cars, and machine learning techniques are at the heart of all main web platforms and big data applications.












(19)


Developing capacity related to artificial intelligence is a crucial driver for the digital transformation of industry and also of the public sector . Ever more autonomous robots are used in factories, deep sea application, homes, cities and hospitals. Commercial artificial intelligence platforms have moved from testing to real applications in health and environment; all major car manufacturers are developing self-driving cars, and machine learning techniques are at the heart of all main web platforms and big data applications. 
In order to create the best framework conditions for these new technologies to foster in Europe, the Union needs to add the innovation principle to its policy-making process.











Amendment 29


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 19 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(19a)






In its resolution of 1 June 2017 on digitising European industry the European Parliament pointed out the impact of language barriers on industry and its digitisation. In this context the development of large-scale AI-based language technologies such as automatic translation, speech recognition, big data text analytics, dialog and question-answering systems are essential to preserve linguistic diversity, ensure inclusiveness and enable human-human and human-machine communication.











Amendment 30


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 19 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(19b)






The increasingly rapid development of self-learning robots and artificial intelligence as well as their ability to multiply knowledge and learning content within seconds makes it difficult to predict any stage of development until the Programme’s termination in 2027. Consequently, the Commission should pay particular attention to this fast-evolving digital trend and, if applicable should swiftly adapt the objectives of the work programme, accordingly.











Amendment 31


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 19 c (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(19c)






In light of European industry’s increasing demand for AI robotics solutions and the importance of avoiding a significant investment gap in this field, the Programme’s objectives on artificial intelligence should encompass robotics powered by artificial intelligence.











Amendment 32


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 19 d (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(19d)






Products and services based on artificial intelligence should be user-friendly, legally compliant by default and provide consumers with more choice and more information, in particular on the quality of products and services.











Amendment 33


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 20








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(20)


The availability of large-scale data sets and testing and experimentation facilities are of major importance for the development of artificial intelligence.












(20)


The availability of large-scale data sets and testing and experimentation facilities 
to secure the internal market where artificial intelligence is used and access to text and data mining
 are of major importance for the development of artificial intelligence, 
including language technologies.











Amendment 34


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 20 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(20a)






On 25 April 2018, the Commission committed to propose a European approach by developing draft Artificial Intelligence guidelines in cooperation with stakeholders within the AI alliance, a group of artificial intelligence experts, in order to boost AI-powered applications and businesses in Europe.











Amendment 35


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 21








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(21)


In its resolution of 1 June 2017 on digitising European industry (64) the European Parliament highlighted the importance of a common European cybersecurity approach, recognising the need to raise awareness and considered cyber-resilience as a crucial responsibility for business leaders and national and European industrial security policymakers.












(21)


In its resolution of 1 June 2017 on digitising European industry (64) the European Parliament highlighted the importance of a common European cybersecurity approach, recognising the need to raise awareness and considered cyber-resilience as a crucial responsibility for business leaders and national and European industrial security policymakers
, as well as the implementation of security and privacy by default and by design
.









Amendment 36


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 22








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(22)


Cybersecurity is a challenge for the whole Union that cannot continue to be addressed only with fragmented national initiatives. Europe's cybersecurity capacity should be reinforced to endow Europe with the necessary capacities to protect 
its
 citizens and businesses from cyber threats. In addition consumers should be protected when using connected products that can be hacked and compromise their safety. This should be achieved together with Member States and private sector by developing, and ensuring coordination between, projects reinforcing Europe's capacities in cybersecurity and ensuring the wide deployment of latest cybersecurity solutions across the economy, as well as by aggregating the competences in this field to ensure critical mass and excellence.












(22)


Cybersecurity is a challenge for the whole Union that cannot continue to be addressed only with fragmented national initiatives. Europe's cybersecurity capacity should be reinforced to endow Europe with the necessary capacities to protect citizens
, public administrations
 and businesses from cyber threats. In addition consumers should be protected when using connected products that can be hacked and compromise their safety. This should be achieved together with Member States and private sector by developing, and ensuring coordination between, projects reinforcing Europe's capacities in cybersecurity and ensuring the wide deployment of latest cybersecurity solutions across the economy, as well as by aggregating the competences in this field to ensure critical mass and excellence.









Amendment 37


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 23








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(23)


In September 2017, the Commission put forward a package of initiatives (65) setting out a comprehensive Union approach to cybersecurity, with the aim of reinforcing Europe’s capacities to deal with cyber-attacks and threats and to strengthen technology and industrial capacity in this field.












(23)


In September 2017, the Commission put forward a package of initiatives (65) setting out a comprehensive Union approach to cybersecurity, with the aim of reinforcing Europe’s capacities to deal with cyber-attacks
, to increase cyber resilience
 and threats and to strengthen technology and industrial capacity in this field.









Amendment 38


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 23 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(23a)






As a matter of principle, cybersecurity solutions should contain safety and security standards as core design parameters according to the available state-of-the-art technology and the principles of ‘security by design’ and ‘security by default’.











Amendment 39


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 24








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(24)


Trust is a prerequisite for the Digital Single Market to function. Cybersecurity technologies such as digital identities, cryptography or intrusion detection, and their application in areas such as finance, industry 4.0, energy, transportation, healthcare, or e-government are essential to safeguard the security and trust of online activity and transactions by both citizens, public administrations, and companies.












(24)


Trust is a prerequisite for the Digital Single Market to function. Cybersecurity technologies such as 
distributed ledger technology,
 digital identities, cryptography
, encryption
 or intrusion detection, and their application in areas such as finance, industry 4.0, 
logistics
, energy, transportation, 
tourism,
 healthcare, or e-government are essential to safeguard the security, 
transparency
 and trust of online activity
, including 5G platforms,
 and transactions by both citizens, public administrations, and companies.









Amendment 40


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 25








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(25)


The European Council in its conclusions of 19 October 2017 stressed that to successfully build a Digital Europe, the Union needs in particular labour markets, training and education systems fit for the digital age and that there is a need to invest in digital skills, to empower and enable all Europeans;












(25)


The European Council in its conclusions of 19 October 2017 stressed that to successfully build a Digital Europe, the Union needs in particular labour markets, training and education systems fit for the digital age and that there is a need to invest in digital skills 
development and improve the digital literacy
, to empower and enable all Europeans 
with an integrated approach.
;









Amendment 41


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 26 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(26a)






Considering the need for a holistic approach, the Programme should also take into account the areas of inclusion, qualification, training and specialization which, in addition to the advanced digital competences, are decisive for the creation of added value in the knowledge society.











Amendment 42


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 27








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(27)


In its resolution of 1 June 2017 on digitising European industry (67) the European Parliament stated that education, training and lifelong learning are the cornerstone of social cohesion in a digital society.












(27)


In its resolution of 1 June 2017 on digitising European industry (67) the European Parliament stated that education, training and lifelong learning are the cornerstone of social cohesion in a digital society. 
It furthermore demanded that the gender perspective would be incorporated in all digital initiatives, emphasizing the need to address the severe gender gap within the ICT sector, since this is essential for Europe’s long-term growth and prosperity;











Amendment 43


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 27 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(27a)






In its resolution of 28 April 2016 on gender equality and empowering women in the digital age, the European Parliament underlined the need of collecting gender-disaggregated data on the use of ICT, and of developing targets, indicators and benchmarks to track the progress of women's access to ICT and promote best practices examples among companies;











Amendment 44


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 27 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(27b)






In its resolution of 19 January 2016, Towards a Digital Single Market Act, the European Parliament fully supported and encouraged a digital entrepreneurial culture for women, as well as their integration and participation in information society.











Amendment 45


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 28








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(28)


The advanced digital technologies supported by this Programme, such as high performance computing, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are now sufficiently mature to move beyond the research arena and be deployed, implemented and scaled-up at Union level. Just as the deployment of these technologies require a Union response so does the skills dimension. Training opportunities in advanced digital skills need to be scaled up, increased and made accessible throughout the EU. Failing this could impede the smooth deployment of advanced digital technologies and hamper the overall competitiveness of Union's economy. The actions supported by this programme are complementary to those supported by the ESF, ERDF and Horizon Europe programmes.












(28)


The advanced digital technologies supported by this Programme, such as high performance computing, cybersecurity 
cloud computing, data protection and information governance
 and artificial intelligence are now sufficiently mature to move beyond the research arena and be deployed, implemented and scaled-up at Union level. Just as the deployment of these technologies require a Union response so does the skills dimension. 
Learning and
 training opportunities in advanced digital skills need to be scaled up, increased and made accessible throughout the EU. Failing this could impede the smooth deployment of advanced digital technologies and hamper the overall competitiveness of Union's economy. The actions supported by this programme are complementary to those supported by the ESF, ERDF
, ERASMUS
 and Horizon Europe programmes.









Amendment 46


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 29








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(29)


Modernising public administrations and services through digital means is crucial to reducing administrative burden 
on industry and
 on citizens 
in general
 by making their interactions with public authorities faster, more convenient and less costly, as well as by increasing the efficiency and the quality of the services provided to citizens and businesses. Since a number of services of public interest already have a Union dimension, the support to their implementation and deployment at Union level should ensure that citizens and businesses 
will
 benefit from the access to high quality digital services across Europe.












(29)


Modernising public administrations and services through digital means is crucial to reducing administrative burden on citizens 
and industry
 by making their interactions with public authorities faster, more convenient and less costly, as well as by increasing the efficiency
, transparency
 and the quality of the services provided to citizens and businesses 
while at the same time increasing the efficiency of public spending
. Since a number of services of public interest already have a Union dimension, the support to their implementation and deployment at Union level should ensure that citizens and businesses 
may
 benefit from the access to high quality 
multilingual
 digital services across Europe. 
It is also important that these services be accessible to people with disabilities.











Amendment 47


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 29 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(29a)






Digitalisation can facilitate and improve barrier-free accessibility for everyone, including older people, persons with reduced mobility or a disability, and those in remote or rural areas.











Amendment 48


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 30








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(30)


The digital transformation of the areas of public interest such as healthcare (68) , mobility, justice, earth/environmental monitoring, education and culture requires the continuation and expansion of Digital Service Infrastructures, which make secure cross-border exchange of data possible and foster national development. Their coordination under this Regulation best achieves the potential for exploiting synergies.












(30)


The digital transformation of the areas of public interest such as healthcare (68), mobility, justice, earth/environmental monitoring
, security
, 
reduction of carbon emissions, energy infrastructure,
 education 
and training
 and culture requires the continuation, 
upgrading
 and expansion of Digital Service Infrastructures, which make secure cross-border 
and cross-language
 exchange of data 
and information
 possible and foster national development. Their coordination under this Regulation best achieves the potential for exploiting synergies 
and ensuring complementarity
. 
The digital transformation should nevertheless take into account that some citizens are not taking part — out of different reasons — in it and networks should be supported to continue informing those citizens, helping them to remain in full possession of their rights and participation to all social and civic duties.











Amendment 49


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 30 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(30a)






The digital transformation of this sector must in all circumstances allow EU citizens to access, use and manage their personal data securely across borders, irrespective of their location or the location of the data.











Amendment 50


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 30 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(30b)






The deployment and access to advanced technologies in areas of public interest, such as education, also require training in skills necessary to make use of these technologies. Therefore the objectives included in Specific Objective 8 should also cover training programmes for those persons who will be using the advanced technologies.











Amendment 51


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 32








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(32)


The modernisation of European public administrations is one of the key priorities for successful implementation of the Digital Single Market Strategy. The mid-term evaluation of the Strategy highlighted the need to strengthen the transformation of public administrations and to ensure citizens have easy, trusted, 
and
 seamless access to public services.












(32)


The modernisation of European public administrations is one of the key priorities for successful implementation of the Digital Single Market Strategy. The mid-term evaluation of the Strategy highlighted the need to strengthen the transformation of public administrations and to ensure citizens have easy, trusted, 
secure
 seamless 
and inclusive
 access to public services.









Amendment 52


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 33








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(33)


The Annual Growth Survey published by the Commission in 2017 (69) shows that the quality of European public administrations has a direct impact on the economic environment and is therefore crucial to stimulating productivity, competitiveness, economic cooperation, growth 
and
 employment. In particular, efficient and transparent public administration and effective justice systems are necessary to support economic growth and deliver high quality services for firms and citizens.












(33)


The Annual Growth Survey published by the Commission in 2017 (69) shows that the quality of European public administrations has a direct impact on the economic environment and is therefore crucial to stimulating productivity, competitiveness, economic cooperation, 
sustainable
 growth, employment 
and high-quality work
. In particular, efficient and transparent public administration and effective justice systems are necessary to support economic growth and deliver high quality services for firms and citizens.









Amendment 53


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 34








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(34)


Interoperability of European public services concerns all levels of administration: Union, national, regional and local. Besides removing barriers to a functioning Single Market, interoperability facilitates successful implementation of policies and offers great potential to avoid cross-border electronic barriers, further securing the emergence of new, or the consolidation of developing, common public services at Union level. In order to eliminate fragmentation of European services, to support fundamental freedoms and operational mutual recognition in the EU, a holistic cross-sector and cross-border approach to interoperability should be promoted in the manner that is the most effective, 
and
 the most responsive to end-users. This implies that interoperability is to be understood in a broad sense, spanning from technical to legal layers and encompassing policy elements in the field. Accordingly, the span of activities would go beyond the usual lifecycle of solutions to include all the interventions elements that would support the necessary framework conditions for sustained interoperability at large.












(34)


Interoperability of European public services concerns all levels of administration: Union, national, regional and local. Besides removing barriers to a functioning Single Market, interoperability facilitates 
cross-border co-operation, alignment of common standards,
 successful implementation of policies and offers great potential to avoid cross-border electronic 
and language
 barriers
, to cut red tape
, further securing the emergence of new, or the consolidation of developing, common public services at Union level 
as well as preventing unnecessary double-storage
. In order to eliminate fragmentation of European services, to support fundamental freedoms and operational mutual recognition in the EU, a holistic
, technology-neutral
 cross-sector and cross-border approach to interoperability should be promoted in the manner that is the most effective, and the most responsive to end-users 
and that ensures a high level of data protection
. This implies that interoperability is to be understood in a broad sense, spanning from technical to legal layers and encompassing policy elements in the field. Accordingly, the span of activities would go beyond the usual lifecycle of solutions to include all the interventions elements that would support the necessary framework conditions for sustained interoperability at large.









Amendment 54


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 34 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(34a)






On 6 October 2017, EU Ministers in Tallinn stated that the European digital strategy should be based on collaboration and interoperability, including the use of open licensing policies and open standards. The programme should, therefore, encourage open source solutions in order to allow reuse, increase trust and secure transparency. This will have a positive impact on the sustainability of funded projects.











Amendment 55


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 37








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(37)


In April 2016 the Commission adopted the Digitising European Industry initiative to ensure that ‘any industry in Europe, big or small, wherever situated and in any sector can fully benefit from digital innovations’ (37).












(37)


In April 2016, the Commission adopted the Digitising European Industry initiative to ensure that ‘any industry in Europe, big or small, wherever situated and in any sector can fully benefit from digital innovations’. 
This is of particular relevance to small and medium enterprises in the cultural and creative sectors.











Amendment 56


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 39








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(39)


Reaching the target objectives may require leveraging the potential of complementary technologies in the networking and computing domains, as stated in the Communication ‘Digitising European Industry’ (73) that recognises ‘availability of world class networking and cloud infrastructure’ as an essential 
ingredient
 of industry digitisation.












(39)


Reaching the target objectives may require leveraging the potential of complementary technologies in the networking and computing domains, as stated in the Communication ‘Digitising European Industry’ (73) that recognises ‘availability of world class networking and cloud infrastructure’ as an essential 
component
 of industry digitisation.









Amendment 57


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 40








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(40)




The General Data Protection
 Regulation 
(GDPR)
, 
applicable from May 2018 onwards
, by providing for a single set of rules directly applicable in the Member States legal orders
, will guarantee
 the free flow of personal data between EU Member States and 
reinforce
 trust and security of the individuals, two indispensable elements for a real Digital Single Market. 
The
 actions undertaken under this Programme, when they involve the processing of personal data, should therefore 
support the application of the GDPR, for instance in the field of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology
.












(40)


Regulation 
(EU) 2016/679
 by providing for a single set of rules directly applicable in the Member States legal orders 
guarantees
 the free flow of personal data between EU Member States and 
reinforces
 trust and security of the individuals, two indispensable elements for a real Digital Single Market. 
All
 actions undertaken under this Programme, when they involve the processing of personal data, should therefore 
be in full compliance with that Regulation. They should especially support the development of digital technologies that comply with the ‘data protection by design’ obligations which are binding pursuant to that Regulation to the extent that the processing involves electronic communications data, due respect is to be paid to Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (1a).











Amendment 58


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 41








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(41)


The Programme should be implemented in full respect of the international and EU framework of intellectual property protection and enforcement. The effective protection of intellectual property plays a key role in innovation and thus is necessary for the effective implementation of the Programme.












(41)


The Programme should be implemented in full respect of the international and EU framework of intellectual property protection and enforcement. The effective protection of intellectual property plays a key role in innovation 
and maintaining European added value
 and thus is necessary for the effective implementation of the Programme.









Amendment 59


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 42








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(42)


Bodies implementing this Programme should 
comply with the
 provisions 
applicable to the
 Union 
institutions, and with national
 legislation regarding the handling of information, 
in particular sensitive non-classified information and EU classified information
.












(42)




To the extent that
 bodies implementing this Programme 
handle sensitive non-classified information or Union classified information, they
 should 
respect the relevant
 provisions 
laid down in
 Union 
acts or national
 legislation regarding the handling of information, 
as applicable
.









Amendment 60


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 43








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(43)


Reflecting the importance of tackling climate change in line with the Union’s 
commitments
 to implement the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this Programme will contribute to mainstream climate actions and 
lead
 to the achievement of an overall target of 25 % of the EU budget expenditures supporting climate objectives (74). Relevant actions 
will
 be identified during the Programme's preparation and implementation, and reassessed in the context of the relevant evaluations and review processes.












(43)


Reflecting the importance of tackling climate change in line with the Union’s 
obligations
 to implement the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this Programme will contribute to mainstream climate actions and 
help leading
 to the achievement of an overall target of 25 % of the EU budget expenditures supporting climate objectives (74). Relevant actions 
should
 be identified during the Programme's preparation and implementation, and reassessed in the context of the relevant evaluations and review processes 
in order to ensure full compliance with these obligations
.









Amendment 61


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 44








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment













(44)






In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission for the adoption of the work programmes so that the objectives of the Programme are achieved in accordance with the Union's and Member States' priorities while ensuring consistency, transparency and continuity of joint action by the Union and the Member States. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 182/2011

 (75)

laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers.










deleted







Amendment 62


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 45








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(45)


The work programmes should be adopted in principle 
as multi-annual work programmes, typically
 every two years, or, if justified by the needs related to the implementation of the programme, annual 
work programmes
. The types of financing and the methods of implementation under this Regulation should be chosen on the basis of their ability to achieve the specific objectives of the actions and to deliver results, taking into account, in particular, the costs of controls, the administrative burden, and the expected risk of non-compliance. This should include consideration of the use of lump sums, flat rates and unit costs, as well as financing not linked to costs as referred to in Article 125(1) of the Financial Regulation.












(45)


W
ork programmes should be adopted so that the objectives of the Programme are achieved in accordance with the Union's and Member States' priorities, while ensuring consistency, transparency and continuity of joint action by the Union and the Member States.
 The work programmes should be adopted in principle every two years, or, if justified by the needs related to the implementation of the programme, 
on an
 annual 
basis
. The types of financing and the methods of implementation under this Regulation should be chosen on the basis of their ability to achieve the specific objectives of the actions and to deliver results, taking into account, in particular, the costs of controls, the administrative burden, and the expected risk of non-compliance. This should include consideration of the use of lump sums, flat rates and unit costs, as well as financing not linked to costs as referred to in Article 125(1) of the Financial Regulation.









Amendment 63


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 46








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(46)


The power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission concerning amendments to Annex II to review and/or complement the indicators. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016. In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.












(46)


The power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission concerning amendments to 
Annexes I and II
 to review and/or complement the indicators. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016. In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.









Amendment 64


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 46 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(46a)






In order to ensure, maintain and develop long term financing for the Digital Europe Programme it requires clear, common EU rules that are future-oriented and pro-competitive in order to drive investment and innovation and preserve affordability;











Amendment 65


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 47








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(47)




This Regulation respects
 fundamental rights and 
observes
 the principles 
recognised in
 the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European 
Unions
, notably those referred under Articles [8], [11], [16], [21], [35], [38] and [47] regarding the protection of personal data, the freedom of expression and information, the freedom to conduct business, the prohibition of discrimination, healthcare, consumer protection and the right to effective remedy and fair trial. 
The Member States must apply this Regulation in a manner consistent with these rights and
 principles’.












(47)




Actions which fall within the scope of the Programme should respect
 fundamental rights and 
observe
 the principles 
acknowledged in particular by
 the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European 
Union
, notably those referred under Articles [8], [11], [16],[21], [
22][
35], [38
], [41
] and [47] regarding the protection of personal data, the freedom of expression and information, the freedom to conduct business, the prohibition of discrimination, 
linguistic diversity and right to communicate in any of the EU languages,
 healthcare, consumer protection and the right to effective remedy and fair trial. 
Such actions should be in conformity with any legal obligation including international law and with any relevant Commission decisions, as well as with ethical
 principles
, which include avoiding any breach of research integrity
.









Amendment 66


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 47 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(47a)






In April 2018, the Commission committed

 (1a)

to set up a framework for stakeholders and experts to develop draft Artificial Intelligence guidelines in cooperation with the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies; the Commission will support national and EU-level consumer organisations and data protection supervising authorities in building an understanding of AI-powered applications with the input of the European Consumer Consultative Group and the European Data Protection Board.











Amendment 67


Proposal for a regulation


Recital 48








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment













(48)






Third countries which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA) may participate in Union programmes in the framework of the cooperation established under the EEA agreement, which provides for the implementation of the programmes by a decision under that agreement. A specific provision should be introduced in this Regulation to grant the necessary rights for and access to the authorizing officer responsible, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) as well as the European Court of Auditors to comprehensively exert their respective competences.










deleted







Amendment 68


Proposal for a regulation


Article 1 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





This Regulation establishes the Digital Europe programme (‘Programme’).


This Regulation establishes the Digital Europe programme (
the
‘Programme’)
, which shall be implemented for the period of 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027
.





Amendment 69


Proposal for a regulation


Article 2 — paragraph 1 — point e








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(e)


‘Digital Innovation Hub’ means legal entity designated or selected in an open and competitive procedure in order to fulfil the tasks under the Programme, in particular providing access to technological expertise and experimentation facilities, such as equipment and software tools to enable the digital transformation of the industry.












(e)


‘
European
 Digital Innovation Hub’ means 
an existing or new
 legal entity 
or a consortium of legal entities
 designated or selected in an open
, transparent
 and competitive procedure in order to fulfil the tasks under the Programme, in particular providing access to technological expertise and experimentation facilities, such as equipment and software tools to enable the digital transformation of the industry 
as well as facilitating access to finance
. 
European Digital Innovation Hub shall be open to business of all forms and sizes, in particular to SMEs, scale-ups and public administrations across the Union.



European Digital Innovation Hubs shall act as one-stop-shops where companies — especially SMEs, start-ups and mid-caps — can get help to improve their business, production processes, products and services by means of digital technology that could result in added value. The Hubs will therefore create a decentralised network across the Union offering support to companies to ensure that their employees’ skills match the expertise required to handle the available digital technology. The Hubs shall also coordinate with education providers with a view to supporting training for students and on-the-job training for workers.










Amendment 70


Proposal for a regulation


Article 2 — paragraph 1 — point f a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(fa)






‘media literacy’ means the analytical skills necessary to find one's path of understanding throughout the digital world.











Amendment 71


Proposal for a regulation


Article 2 — paragraph 1 — point f b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(fb)






‘European Partnership’ means an initiative where the Union, together with private and/or public partners (such as industry, research organisations, bodies with a public service mission at local, regional, national or international level or civil society organisations including foundations, SMEs organisations), commit to jointly support the development and implementation of digital innovation and technological deployment activities, including those related to market, regulatory or policy uptake;











Amendment 72


Proposal for a regulation


Article 2 — paragraph 1 — point f c (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(fc)






‘small and medium-sized enterprises’ or ‘SMEs’ means small and medium-sized enterprises as defined in Article 2 of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC;











Amendment 73


Proposal for a regulation


Article 2 — paragraph 1 — point f d (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(fd)






‘consortium’ means a collaborative grouping of undertakings constituted to carry out an action under the Programme.











Amendment 74


Proposal for a regulation


Article 3 — paragraph 1 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   The Programme has the following general objective: to support the digital transformation of the European economy and society and bring its benefits to European citizens and businesses. The Programme 
will
:




1.   The Programme has the following general objective: to support 
and to accelerate
 the digital transformation of the European economy
, industry
 and society and 
to
 bring its benefits to European citizens
, public services
 and businesses
, as well as to reinforce the strategic autonomy and cohesion of the Union while securing competitiveness and reducing the digital divide
. The Programme 
shall
:






Amendment 75


Proposal for a regulation


Article 3 — paragraph 1 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


widen their diffusion and uptake in areas of public interest 
and the private sector.














(b)


widen their diffusion and uptake in 
the private sector and in
 areas of public interest
, supporting their digital transformation and ensuring access to digital technologies;











Amendment 76


Proposal for a regulation


Article 4 — paragraph 1 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


deploy, coordinate at the Union level and operate an 
integrated
 world-class exascale (77) supercomputing and data infrastructure in the Union that shall be accessible 
on a non-commercial basis
 to public and private users and for publicly funded research purposes;












(a)


deploy, coordinate at the Union level and operate an 
interoperable
 world-class exascale (77) supercomputing and data infrastructure in the Union that shall be accessible to public and private users and for publicly 
and privately
 funded research purposes;









Amendment 77


Proposal for a regulation


Article 4 — paragraph 1 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


deploy ready to use/operational technology resulting from research and innovation to build an integrated Union high performance computing ecosystem, covering all scientific and industrial value chain segments, including hardware, software, applications, services, interconnections and digital skills;












(b)


deploy ready to use/operational technology resulting from research and innovation to build an integrated Union high performance computing ecosystem, covering all scientific and industrial value chain segments, including hardware, software, applications, services, interconnections and digital skills
, ensuring a high level of security and data protection
;









Amendment 78


Proposal for a regulation


Article 4 — paragraph 1 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


deploy and operate a post-exascale (78) infrastructure, including the integration with quantum computing technologies and develop new research infrastructures for computing science.












(c)


deploy and operate a post-exascale (78) infrastructure, including the integration with quantum computing technologies and develop new research infrastructures
; encourage the development within the Union of the hardware and software necessary for such deployment ,
 for computing science.









Amendment 79


Proposal for a regulation


Article 4 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





1a.
   
The actions under Specific Objective 1 shall be primarily implemented through the Joint Undertaking proposed by the Commission and endorsed by the Council of Ministers on 25 June 2018 in accordance with Regulation (EU) … of the European Parliament and of the Council

 (1a).






Amendment 80


Proposal for a regulation


Article 5 — paragraph 1 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


build up and strengthen core artificial intelligence capacities in the Union, including data resources and libraries of algorithms in compliance with data protection legislation;












(a)


build up and strengthen core artificial intelligence capacities in the Union, including data resources and libraries of algorithms. In compliance with data protection legislation
, AI-based solutions and resources made available shall respect the principle of privacy and security by design
; 
and ensuring that humans remain at the centre of the development and deployment of Artificial intelligence,











Amendment 81


Proposal for a regulation


Article 5 — paragraph 1 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


make those capacities accessible to 
all
 businesses and public administrations;












(b)


make those capacities accessible to businesses
, especially SMEs and start-ups,
 and public administrations 
including not-for-profit organisations, research institutions, universities,











Amendment 82


Proposal for a regulation


Article 5 — paragraph 1 — point c a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(ca)






to develop and reinforce industrial application and production systems, facilitating integration of technologies in value chains, development of innovative business models, and shortening the time passed from innovation to industrialisation; and to foster the take up of AI-based solution in areas of public interest and society











Amendment 83


Proposal for a regulation


Article 5 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 




The actions under this specific objective Artificial Intelligence shall be implemented exclusively through direct management by the Commission or an executive agency on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis.







Amendment 84


Proposal for a regulation


Article 5 — paragraph 1 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 




Actions carried out under Specific objective 2 shall comply with ethical principles and relevant national, Union and international laws, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention of Human Rights and the Protocol thereto. The Commission taking into account the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence shall specify conditions related to ethical issues in the work programmes under Specific objective 2. The calls or the grant agreements shall include relevant conditions as set out in work programmes. An ethical review of each project shall be performed during the evaluation of each action. Actions that are not ethically acceptable or that do not fulfil the conditions agreement shall not be eligible for funding.







Amendment 85


Proposal for a regulation


Article 6 — paragraph 1 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


support, together with Member States, the procurement of advanced cybersecurity equipment, tools and data infrastructures in full compliance with data protection legislation;












(a)


support, together with Member States, the procurement of advanced cybersecurity equipment, tools and data infrastructures in 
order to achieve a common high level of cybersecurity at the European level, in
 full compliance with data protection legislation 
and the fundamental rights while ensuring EU strategic autonomy











Amendment 86


Proposal for a regulation


Article 6 — paragraph 1 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


support the best use of European knowledge, capacity and skills related to cybersecurity;












(b)


support the best use 
and the increase
 of European knowledge, capacity and skills related to cybersecurity; 
and the sharing and mainstreaming of best practices;











Amendment 87


Proposal for a regulation


Article 6 — paragraph 1 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


ensure a wide deployment of the latest cybersecurity solutions across the economy;












(c)


ensure a wide deployment of the latest cybersecurity solutions across the economy; 
with special attention to public services and essential economic operators such as SMEs;











Amendment 88


Proposal for a regulation


Article 6 — paragraph 1 — point d








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(d)


reinforce capabilities within Member States and private sector to help them meet Directive (EU) 2016/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 concerning measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the Union (79).












(d)


reinforce capabilities within Member States and private sector to help them meet Directive (EU) 2016/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 concerning measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the Union (79)

including through measures aiming at developing a cybersecurity culture within organisations
 .









Amendment 89


Proposal for a regulation


Article 6 — paragraph 1 — point d a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(da)






improve resilience against cyber-attacks, to increase risk awareness and knowledge of basic security processes among users, particularly public services, SMEs and start-ups, to ensure that companies have basic levels of security, such as end-to-end encryption of data and communications and software updates, and to encourage the use of the security-by-design and by default knowledge of basic security processes as well as cyber-hygiene;











Amendment 90


Proposal for a regulation


Article 6 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 






The actions under Specific objective 3 Cybersecurity and trust shall be primarily implemented through the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and the Cybersecurity Competence Network in accordance with [Regulation … of the European Parliament and of the Council

 (1a)

].









Amendment 91


Proposal for a regulation


Article 7 — paragraph 1 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





The financial intervention by the Union under Specific Objective 4. Advanced Digital skills shall support the development of advanced digital skills in areas supported by this programme, thus contributing to increase 
Europe's
 talent pool, fostering greater professionalism, especially with regard to high performance computing, big data analytics, cybersecurity, distributed ledger technologies, robotics 
and
 artificial intelligence. The financial intervention shall pursue the following operational objectives:


The financial intervention by the Union under Specific Objective 4. Advanced Digital skills shall support the development of advanced digital skills in areas supported by this programme, thus contributing to increase 
Union's
 talent pool
, reducing the digital divide
, fostering greater professionalism 
on a gender balance way
, especially with regard to high performance computing, big data analytics, cybersecurity, distributed ledger technologies, robotics
, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, communication systems and networks, data protection competencies,
 artificial intelligence. 
To stimulate and improve labour market, and specialisation in digital technologies and applications,
 the financial intervention shall pursue the following operational objectives:





Amendment 92


Proposal for a regulation


Article 7 — paragraph 1 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


support the design and delivery of 
long-term trainings and
 courses for students, IT professionals and the workforce;












(a)


support the design and delivery of 
high quality long-term training
 courses 
including blended learning
 for students
, teachers, educators
, IT professionals
, researchers
 and the workforce 
including public servants, in collaboration with schools, universities and research centres
;









Amendment 93


Proposal for a regulation


Article 7 — paragraph 1 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


support the design and delivery of short-term trainings and courses for entrepreneurs, small business leaders and the workforce;












(b)


support the design and delivery of 
high quality
 short-term trainings and courses 
including blended learning
 for entrepreneurs, small business 
and start-up
 leaders, and the workforce 
including public servants and self-employed
;









Amendment 94


Proposal for a regulation


Article 7 — paragraph 1 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


support on-the-job trainings and traineeships for students, young entrepreneurs and graduates.












(c)


support 
high quality
 on-the-job trainings
, including blended learning
 and traineeships for students, young entrepreneurs and graduates.









Amendment 95


Proposal for a regulation


Article 7 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 




The actions under Specific objective 4 Advanced Digital Skills shall be primarily implemented through direct management by the European Commission. The European Digital Innovation Hubs may act as facilitators for training opportunities, advising companies and liaising with the appropriate competence centres to ensure the widest geographical coverage across the Union .







Amendment 96


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





The financial intervention by the Union under Specific Objective 5. Deployment, best use of digital capacities and Interoperability shall achieve the following operational objectives:


The financial intervention by the Union under Specific Objective 5. Deployment, best use of digital capacities and Interoperability shall achieve the following operational objectives 
complementing the digital infrastructure actions to that end while reducing the digital divide
:





Amendment 97


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


ensure that the public sector and areas of public interests, such as health and care, education, judiciary, transport, energy, environment, cultural and creative sectors, 
can
 deploy and access state-of-the-art digital technologies, in particular high performance computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity;












(a)


ensure that the public sector and areas of public interests, such as health and care, education, judiciary, transport 
and communication
 energy, environment, cultural and creative sectors, 
as well business established within the Union can effectively
 deploy and 
have the necessary skills through training to use
 access state-of-the-art digital technologies, in particular high performance computing, 
language technology,
 artificial intelligence and cybersecurity









Amendment 98


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


deploy, operate and maintain trans-European interoperable Digital Service Infrastructures (including related services) in complementarity with national and regional actions;












(b)


deploy, operate and maintain trans-European interoperable 
state of the art
 Digital Service Infrastructures 
across the Union
 (including related services) in complementarity with national and regional actions;









Amendment 99


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


facilitate the development, update and use of solutions and frameworks by European public administrations, businesses and citizens, including the re-use of interoperability solutions and frameworks;












(c)


facilitate the development, update and use of solutions and frameworks by European public administrations, businesses and citizens, including 
open source and
 the re-use of interoperability solutions and frameworks;









Amendment 100


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point d








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(d)


offer to public administrations access to testing 
and
 piloting of digital technologies, including their cross-border use;












(d)


offer to public administrations access to testing piloting 
and scaling-up
 of digital technologies, including their cross-border use;









Amendment 101


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point e








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(e)


support the uptake of advanced digital and related technologies, including in particular high performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and future emerging technologies by the Union industry, notably SMEs;












(e)


support the uptake of advanced digital and related technologies, including in particular high performance computing, artificial intelligence, 
distributed ledger technologies,
 cybersecurity 
data protection, cloud computing and information governance
 and future emerging technologies by the Union industry, notably SMEs 
and start-ups
;









Amendment 102


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point f








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(f)


support the design, testing, implementation and deployment of interoperable digital solutions for EU level public services delivered through a data-driven reusable solutions platform, fostering innovation and establishing common frameworks in order to unleash the full potential of the public administrations’ services for European citizens and businesses;












(f)


support the design
, maintain
, testing, implementation and deployment of interoperable digital solutions for EU level public services delivered through a data-driven reusable solutions platform, fostering innovation and establishing common frameworks in order to unleash the full potential of the public administrations’ services for European citizens and businesses;









Amendment 103


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point g








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(g)


ensure a continuous capacity at the Union level to observe, analyse and adapt to fast-evolving digital trends, as well as sharing and mainstreaming best practices;












(g)


ensure a continuous capacity at the Union level 
to spearhead digital development, in addition
 to observe, analyse and adapt to fast-evolving digital trends, as well as sharing and mainstreaming best practices 
and facilitating cross-fertilisation between the different national initiatives, leading to the development of the digital society thanks to a permanent cooperation among all actors involved at EU level
;









Amendment 104


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 — point h








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(h)


support cooperation towards achieving a European ecosystem for trusted infrastructures using distributed ledger services and applications, including support for interoperability and standardisation and fostering the deployment of EU cross-border applications;












(h)


support cooperation towards achieving a European ecosystem for trusted infrastructures using 
inter alia
 distributed ledger services and applications, including support for interoperability and standardisation and fostering the deployment of EU cross-border applications 
based on security and privacy by design, guaranteeing data protection and consumer safety
;









Amendment 105


Proposal for a regulation


Article 8 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 




The actions under Specific objective 5 Deployment, best use of digital capacities and Interoperability shall be primarily implemented through direct management by the European Commission. The European Digital Innovation Hubs and competence centres may act as facilitators.







Amendment 106


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period 2021–2027shall be EUR 9 194 000 000  in current prices.




1.   The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period 2021–2027shall be EUR 
8 192 391 000  in 2018 prices (EUR
9 194 000 000  in current prices).






Amendment 107


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 2 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


up to EUR 2 698 240 000  for Specific Objective 1, High Performance Computing












(a)


up to 
EUR 2 404 289 438  in 2018 prices (
EUR 2 698 240 000 
in current prices)
 for Specific Objective 1, High Performance Computing









Amendment 108


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 2 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


up to EUR 2 498 369 000  for Specific Objective 2, Artificial Intelligence












(b)


up to 
EUR 2 226 192 703  in 2018 prices (
EUR 2 498 369 000 
in current prices)
 for Specific Objective 2, Artificial Intelligence









Amendment 109


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 2 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


up to EUR 1 998 696 000  for Specific Objective 3, Cybersecurity and Trust












(c)


up to 
EUR 1 780 954 875  in 2018 prices (
EUR 1 998 696 000 
in current prices)
 for Specific Objective 3, Cybersecurity and Trust









Amendment 110


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 2 — point d








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(d)


up to EUR 699 543 000  for Specific Objective 4, Advanced Digital skills












(d)


up to EUR 
623 333 672  in 2018 prices (
EUR 699 543 000 
in current prices) for
 Specific Objective 4, Advanced Digital skills









Amendment 111


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 2 — point e








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(e)


up to EUR 1 299 152 000  for Specific Objective 5, Deployment, best use of digital capacities and Interoperability












(e)


up to EUR 
1 157 620 312  in 2018 prices (
EUR 1 299 152 000 
in current prices) for
 Specific Objective 5, Deployment, best use of digital capacities and Interoperability









Amendment 112


Proposal for a regulation


Article 9 — paragraph 5








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






5.   Resources allocated to Member States under shared management may, at their request, be transferred to the Programme. The Commission shall implement those resources directly in accordance with point (a) of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation or indirectly in accordance with point (c) of that Article. Where possible those resources shall be used for the benefit of the Member State concerned.




5.   Resources allocated to Member States under shared management may, at their request, be transferred to the Programme. The Commission shall implement those resources directly in accordance with point (a) of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation or indirectly in accordance with point (c) of that Article. Where possible those resources shall be used 
to the maximum extent possible
 for the benefit of the Member State concerned.






Amendment 113


Proposal for a regulation


Article 10 — paragraph 1 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment







The programme shall be open to:






deleted







Amendment 114


Proposal for a regulation


Article 10 — paragraph 1 — point 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











1.


Members of the European Free Trade Association, which are members of the European Economic Area, in accordance with the conditions laid down in the European Economic Area agreement;












1.




The programme shall be open to
 Members of the European Free Trade Association, which are members of the European Economic Area, in accordance with the conditions laid down in the European Economic Area agreement;









Amendment 115


Proposal for a regulation


Article 10 — paragraph 1 — point 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











2.




Acceding countries, candidate
 countries 
and potential candidates
 , in accordance with the 
general principles and general terms and conditions for their participation in Union programmes established in the respective framework agreements and Association Council Decisions, or similar agreements, and in accordance with the specific
 conditions laid down in 
agreements between the
 Union 
and them;














2.




Full or partial association to the programme of third
 countries 
that are not referred to in paragraph 1 shall be based on a case by case assessment of the Specific objectives
, in accordance with the conditions laid down in 
a specific agreement covering the participation of the third country to any
 Union 
programme, provided that this specific agreement fully respects the following criteria:










 








 








—




the participation of the third country is in the interest of the Union;














 








 








—




the participation contributes to achieving the objectives lay down in article 3;














 








 








—




the participation does not raise any security concerns and fully respects the relevant security requirements lay down in article 12;














 








 








—




the agreement ensures a fair balance as regards the contributions and benefits of the third country participating in the Union programmes;














 








 








—




the agreement lays down the conditions of participation in the programmes, including the calculation of financial contributions to individual programmes and their administrative costs. These contributions shall constitute assigned revenues in accordance with Article [21(5)] of [the new Financial Regulation];














 








 








—




the agreement does not confer to the third country a decisional power on the programme;














 








 








—




the agreement guarantees the rights of the Union to ensure sound financial management and to protect its financial interests.















Amendment 116


Proposal for a regulation


Article 10 — paragraph 1 — point 2 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










2a.





When preparing the work programmes, the European Commission or other relevant implementing bodies, shall assess on a case-by-case basis whether the conditions laid down in the agreement referred to in paragraph 2 are met for the actions included in the work programmes.










Amendment 117


Proposal for a regulation


Article 10 — paragraph 1 — point 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment













3.





Countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective framework agreements and Association Council Decisions, or similar agreements, and in accordance with the specific conditions laid down in agreements between the Union and those countries;









deleted







Amendment 118


Proposal for a regulation


Article 10 — paragraph 1 — point 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment













4.





Third countries in accordance with the conditions laid down in a specific agreement covering the participation of the third country to any Union programme, provided that the agreement









deleted












 








—




ensures a fair balance as regards the contributions and benefits of the third country participating in the Union programmes;












 










 








—




lays down the conditions of participation in the programmes, including the calculation of financial contributions to individual programmes and their administrative costs. These contributions shall constitute assigned revenues in accordance with Article [21(5)] of [the new Financial Regulation];












 










 








—




does not confer to the third country a decisional power on the programme;












 










 








—




guarantees the rights of the Union to ensure sound financial management and to protect its financial interests.












 





Amendment 119


Proposal for a regulation


Article 11 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   The cooperation with third countries and organisations mentioned in paragraph 1 under Specific 
Objective
 3. Cybersecurity and Trust shall be subject to Article [12].




2.   The cooperation with third countries and organisations mentioned in paragraph 1 under Specific 
Objectives 1, High Performance Computing, 2 Artificial intelligence and
 3. Cybersecurity and Trust shall be subject to Article [12].






Amendment 120


Proposal for a regulation


Article 12 — paragraph 5








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






5.   The work programme may also provide that legal entities established in associated countries and legal entities established in the EU but controlled from third countries are not eligible for participation in all or some actions under Specific Objective 3 for security reasons. In such cases calls for proposals and calls for tenders shall be restricted to entities established or deemed to be established in Member States and controlled by Member States and/or nationals of Member States.




5.   The work programme may also provide that legal entities established in associated countries and legal entities established in the EU but controlled from third countries are not eligible for participation in all or some actions under Specific Objectives 
1, 2 and
 3 for 
strategic and
 security reasons. In such cases calls for proposals and calls for tenders shall be restricted to entities established or deemed to be established in Member States and controlled by Member States and/or nationals of Member States.






Amendment 121


Proposal for a regulation


Article 12 — paragraph 5 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





5a.
   
Actions including the transfer of technology outside the Union shall not be permitted. With a view to ensuring long term strategic security objectives, an opportunity evaluation shall be carried out in respect of the participation of entities which have their main establishment outside the Union.








Amendment 122


Proposal for a regulation


Article 12 — paragraph 5 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





5b.
   
Where appropriate the Commission or the funding body may carry out security checks, actions which do not comply with security rules may be excluded or terminated at any time.








Amendment 123


Proposal for a regulation


Article 13 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   The Programme is designed to be implemented enabling synergies, as further described in Annex III, with other Union funding programmes, in particular through arrangements for complementary funding from EU programmes where management modalities permit; either in sequence, in an alternating way, or through the combination of funds including for the joint funding of actions.




1.   The Programme is designed to be implemented enabling synergies, as further described in Annex III, with other Union funding programmes, in particular through arrangements for complementary funding from EU programmes where management modalities permit; either in sequence, in an alternating way, or through the combination of funds including for the joint funding of actions. 
The Commission shall ensure that when leveraging the complementary character of the programme with other European funding programmes, in particular ESIF, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Horizon Europe and Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-2), investEU, Erasmus, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) the achievement of Specific objectives 1 to 5 are not hampered.







 




The Commission shall look into ways of improving the overall efficiency of programmes offering resources in the field of digitalisation.







Amendment 124


Proposal for a regulation


Article 13 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   Appropriate mechanisms of coordination between relevant authorities and appropriate monitoring tools shall be established to systematically ensure synergies between the Programme and any relevant EU funding instruments. The arrangements shall contribute to avoiding duplications and maximising impact of expenditure.




2.   Appropriate mechanisms of coordination between relevant authorities 
and between authorities and the European Commission
 and appropriate monitoring tools shall be established to systematically ensure synergies between the Programme and any relevant EU funding instruments. The arrangements shall contribute to avoiding duplications and maximising impact of expenditure.






Amendment 125


Proposal for a regulation


Article 14 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   The Programme may provide funding in any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation, including notably procurement as a primary form as well as grants and prizes. 
It
 may also provide financing in the form of financial instruments within blending operations.




2.   The Programme may provide funding in any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation, including notably procurement 
by the Commission or funding body, by grant beneficiaries individually or jointly
 as a primary form 
of the action
 as well as grants and prizes. 
Procurements may authorise the award of multiple contracts within the same procedure and may provide for place of performance conditions in line with applicable international procurement agreements. The Programme
 may also provide financing in the form of financial instruments within blending operations.






Amendment 126


Proposal for a regulation


Article 15 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





The Programme may be implemented through European Partnerships. This may include in particular contributions to existing or new public-private partnerships in the form of joint undertakings established under Article 187 TFEU. For these contributions, provisions relating to European Partnerships under [Horizon Europe Regulation, ref to be added] apply.


The Programme may be implemented through European Partnerships 
agreed within the Strategic programming Process between the Commission and the Member States
. This may include in particular contributions to existing or new public-private partnerships in the form of joint undertakings established under Article 187 TFEU. For these contributions, provisions relating to European Partnerships under [Horizon Europe Regulation, ref to be added] apply.





Amendment 127


Proposal for a regulation


Article 15 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 




European Partnerships shall:






 










(a)






Be established in cases where they will more effectively achieve objectives of Digital Europe Programme than the Union alone;










 










(b)






Adhere to the principles of Union added value, transparency, openness, impact, leverage effect, long-term financial commitment of all the involved parties, flexibility, coherence and complementarity with Union, local, regional national and international initiatives;










 










(c)






Be time limited and include conditions for phasing-out the Programme funding.











Amendment 128


Proposal for a regulation


Article 15 — paragraph 1 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 




Provisions and criteria for their selection, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and phasing-out are set out in (Reference to be added).







Amendment 129


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — title








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





Digital Innovation Hubs




European
 Digital Innovation Hubs





Amendment 130


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   During the first year of the implementation of the Programme, an initial network of Digital Innovation Hubs shall be established.




1.   During the first year of the implementation of the Programme, an initial network of 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs shall be established 
on existing infrastructure and shall be at least one European Digital Innovation Hub per Member State
.






Amendment 131


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 2 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   For the purpose of the establishment of the network mentioned in paragraph 1, each Member State shall designate candidate entities through an open and competitive process, on the basis of the following criteria:




2.   For the purpose of the establishment of the network mentioned in paragraph 1, each Member State shall designate candidate entities through an open
, transparent, inclusive
 and competitive process, on the basis of the following criteria:






Amendment 132


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 2 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


appropriate competences related to the functions of the Digital Innovation Hubs;












(a)


appropriate competences related to the functions of the 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs;









Amendment 133


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 2 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


appropriate management capacity, staff and infrastructure;












(b)


appropriate management capacity, staff and infrastructure 
and skillset
;









Amendment 134


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 2 — point d a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(da)






proven cooperation with the private sector to ensure market relevance of the interventions under the Specific Objectives 1 to 5;











Amendment 135


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 2 — point d b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(db)






links with existing ICT Hubs created under Horizon 2020, the EUinvest Hub and the European Entreprise network;











Amendment 136


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 2 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





2a.
   
The detailed conditions to be fulfilled in order to be designated as ‘European Digital Innovation Hub’ and the tasks to be executed, shall be harmonised and published in due time in order to allow for proper preparation and implementation of the actions.








Amendment 137


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 3 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






3.   The Commission shall adopt a decision on the selection of entities forming the initial network. These entities shall be selected by the Commission from candidate entities designated by Member States on the basis of the criteria mentioned in paragraph 2 and the following additional criteria:




3.   The Commission shall adopt a decision on the selection of entities forming the initial network. These entities shall be selected 
and clearly identified
 by the Commission from candidate entities designated by Member States on the basis of the criteria mentioned in paragraph 2 and the following additional criteria:






Amendment 138


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 3 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


the need to ensure by the initial network a coverage of the needs of industry and areas of public interest and a comprehensive and balanced geographical coverage.












(b)


the need to ensure by the initial network a coverage of the needs of industry and areas of public interest and a comprehensive and balanced geographical coverage
, improving convergence and contribute to fill the gap between the cohesion countries and the other Member States and to decrease the digital divide in geographical terms
.









Amendment 139


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






4.   Additional Digital Innovation Hubs shall be selected on the basis of an open and competitive process, in such a way to ensure the widest geographical coverage across Europe. The number of entities of the network shall be proportional to the population of a given Member States 
and there shall be at least one Digital Innovation Hub per Member State
. To address the specific constraints faced by the EU outermost regions, 
specific entities
 may be 
nominated to cover their needs
.




4.   Additional 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs shall be selected on the basis of an open
, transparent
 and competitive process, in such a way to ensure the widest geographical coverage across Europe. The number of entities of the network shall be proportional to the population of a given Member States. To address the specific constraints faced by the EU outermost regions, 
additional Innovation Hubs
 may be 
selected in those regions
.






Amendment 140


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 5








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






5.   The Digital Innovation Hubs 
may
 receive funding in the form of grants.




5.   The 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs 
shall be clearly identified by means of specific indications and
 receive funding in the form of grants.






Amendment 141


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






6.   The Digital Innovation Hubs which receive funding shall be involved in the implementation of the Programme to:




6.   The 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs which receive funding shall be involved in the implementation of the Programme to:






Amendment 142


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 — point a








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(a)


provide digital transformation services — including testing and experimentation facilities — targeted towards SMEs and midcaps, also in sectors that are slow in the uptake of digital and related technologies;












(a)


provide digital transformation services 
and technological expertise
 including testing and experimentation facilities — targeted towards 
start-ups,
 SMEs and midcaps, also in sectors that are slow in the uptake of digital and related technologies;









Amendment 143


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 — point a a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(aa)






support companies, especially SMEs and start-ups, organisations and public administrations to become more competitive and improve their business models through use of new technologies covered by the Programme











Amendment 144


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 — point b








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(b)


transfer expertise and know-how between regions, in particular by networking SMEs and midcaps established in one region with Digital Innovation Hubs established in other regions which are best suited to provide relevant services;












(b)


transfer expertise and know-how between regions, in particular by networking SMEs
, start-ups
 and midcaps established in one region with 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs established in other regions which are best suited to provide relevant services; 
encourage exchanges of skills, joint initiatives and good practices;











Amendment 145


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


provide thematic services, including services related to artificial intelligence, high performance computing and cybersecurity and trust to the administrations, public sector organisations, SMEs and midcaps. Individual Digital Innovation Hubs may specialise in specific thematic services and do not need to provide all thematic services mentioned in this paragraph;












(c)


provide thematic services, including services related to artificial intelligence, high performance computing and cybersecurity and trust to the administrations, public sector organisations, SMEs
, and start-ups
 and midcaps. Individual 
European
 Digital Innovation Hubs may specialise in specific thematic services and do not need to provide all thematic services mentioned in this paragraph;









Amendment 146


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





6a.
   
The European Digital Innovation Hubs may also cooperate with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in particular the EIT Digital as well as the Digital Innovation Hubs set up under Horizon 2020.








Amendment 147


Proposal for a regulation


Article 16 — paragraph 6 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





6b.
   
The European Digital Innovation Hubs may carry out the activities of the Digital Innovation Hubs set up under the Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, including the Innovation Hubs of the EIT Digital








Amendment 148


Proposal for a regulation


Article 17 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   Only actions contributing to the achievement of the objectives referred to in Article [3] and Articles [4]-[8] shall be eligible for funding.




1.   Only actions contributing to the achievement of the objectives referred to in Article [3] and Articles [4]-[8] shall be eligible for funding 
in accordance with the general objectives set out in Annex I
.






Amendment 149


Proposal for a regulation


Article 18 — paragraph 2 — point a — point ii








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(ii)


a third countries associated with the Programme;












(ii)


a third countries associated with the Programme 
in accordance with articles 10 and 12
;









Amendment 150


Proposal for a regulation


Article 18 — paragraph 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






3.   Legal entities established in a third country which is not associated to the Programme are exceptionally eligible to participate in specific actions where this is necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the Programme.




3.   Legal entities established in a third country which is not associated to the Programme are exceptionally eligible to participate in specific actions where this is necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the Programme
, and when it does do not imply additional security risks for the Union or put in question the Union's strategic autonomy
.






Amendment 151


Proposal for a regulation


Article 18 — paragraph 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






4.   Natural persons 
shall not
 be eligible
, except
 for grants awarded under Specific Objective 4. Advanced digital skills.




4.   Natural persons 
may
 be eligible for grants awarded under Specific Objective 4. Advanced digital skills. 
Third country nationals may be eligible provided that they reside within the Union.








Amendment 152


Proposal for a regulation


Article 19 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





Grants under the Programme shall be awarded and managed in accordance with Title VIII of the Financial Regulation.


Grants under the Programme shall be awarded and managed in accordance with Title VIII of the Financial Regulation 
and may cover up to 100 % of the eligible costs on duly justified reasons, without prejudice of the co-financing principle; and in accordance with the specification under each objective
.





Amendment 153


Proposal for a regulation


Article 20 — paragraph 1 — introductory part








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   The award criteria shall be defined in the work programmes and in the calls for proposals, taking into account at 
the minimum
 the following elements:




1.   The award criteria shall be defined in the work programmes and in the calls for proposals, taking into account at 
least
 the following elements:






Amendment 154


Proposal for a regulation


Article 20 — paragraph 1 — point e








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(e)


where applicable, the economic, 
social,
 climate 
and
 environmental impact, 
and
 accessibility;












(e)


where applicable, the economic, climate, environmental 
and social
 impact, 
in particular promoting
 accessibility 
and equal educational and professional opportunities
;









Amendment 155


Proposal for a regulation


Article 20 — paragraph 1 — point g








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(g)


where applicable, a balanced geographical distribution across the Union, including the outermost regions;












(g)


where applicable, a balanced geographical distribution across the Union, including the outermost regions 
including overseas countries and territories
;









Amendment 156


Proposal for a regulation


Article 20 — paragraph 1 — point h a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(ha)






where applicable, the freedom for re-use and adaptation of the projects' results;











Amendment 157


Proposal for a regulation


Article 20 — paragraph 1 — point h b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(hb)






where applicable, the public interest;











Amendment 158


Proposal for a regulation


Article 20 — paragraph 1 — point h c (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(hc)






where applicable, a reduction of digital divide between regions, citizens or business.











Amendment 159


Proposal for a regulation


Article 21 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





Blending operations decided under this Programme shall be implemented in accordance with the [InvestEU regulation] and Title X of the Financial Regulation.


Blending operations decided under this Programme shall be implemented in accordance with the [InvestEU regulation] and Title X of the Financial Regulation. 
The amount of expenditure from this programme to be blended with a financial instrument shall be non-refundable.







Amendment 160


Proposal for a regulation


Article 22 — paragraph 2 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





2a.
   
Where an action has already been awarded or has received contributions from another Union programme or support from an EU fund, that contribution or support shall be listed in the application for a contribution under the Programme.








Amendment 161


Proposal for a regulation


Article 23 — paragraph 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






3.   The 
first multiannual work programme
 shall focus on the activities set out in the Annex and ensure that the actions thereby supported do not crowd out private financing. 
Subsequent work programmes may include activities not set out in the Annex provided that they are consistent with the objectives of this Regulation, as set out in Articles [4 — 8].






3.   The 
work programmes
 shall focus on the activities set out in the Annex 
I
 and ensure that the actions thereby supported do not crowd out private financing.






Amendment 162


Proposal for a regulation


Article 23 — paragraph 3 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





3a.
   
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 27 to amend Annex I to review or complement the activities set out therein in a manner consistent with the objectives of this Regulation as set out in articles 4 — 8.








Amendment 163


Proposal for a regulation


Article 24 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   Indicators to monitor the implementation and progress of the Programme in achieving the general and specific objectives set out in Article 3 are set in the Annex II.




1.   
Measurable
 indicators to monitor the implementation and progress of the Programme in achieving the general and specific objectives set out in Article 3 are set in the Annex II.






Amendment 164


Proposal for a regulation


Article 24 — paragraph 1 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





1a.
   
The Commission shall define a methodology to provide for measurable indicators for an accurate assessment of the progress towards achieving the general objectives set out in Article 3(1). On the basis of this methodology the Commission shall complement Annex III at the latest by 1st January 2021.








Amendment 165


Proposal for a regulation


Article 24 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   To ensure effective assessment of progress of the Programme towards the achievement of its objectives, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 27 to amend Annex II to review or complement the indicators where considered necessary and to supplement this Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.




2.   To ensure effective assessment of progress of the Programme towards the achievement of its objectives, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 27 to amend Annex II to review or complement the 
measurable
 indicators where considered necessary and to supplement this Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.






Amendment 166


Proposal for a regulation


Article 24 — paragraph 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






3.   The performance reporting system shall ensure that data for monitoring programme implementation and results are collected efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner. To that end, proportionate reporting requirements shall be imposed on recipients of Union funds and Member States.




3.   The performance reporting system shall ensure that data for monitoring programme implementation and results 
are suitable for an in-depth analysis of the progress achieved and the difficulties encountered and
 are collected efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner. To that end, proportionate reporting requirements shall be imposed on recipients of Union funds and Member States.






Amendment 167


Proposal for a regulation


Article 24 — paragraph 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






4.   Official EU statistics such as regular ICT statistical surveys shall be used 
to their maximum
. National Statistical Institutes shall be consulted on, and involved together with Eurostat, in the initial design and subsequent development of statistical indicators used for monitoring the implementation of the programme and the progress made with regard to digital transformation.




4.   Official EU statistics such as regular ICT statistical surveys shall be used 
in the most efficient manner possible, as well as collection of DESI datasets at NUTS-2 to help address the lack of Digital Europe related regional data
. National Statistical Institutes shall be consulted on, and involved together with Eurostat, in the initial design and subsequent development of statistical indicators used for monitoring the implementation of the programme and the progress made with regard to digital transformation.






Amendment 168


Proposal for a regulation


Article 25 — title








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





Evaluation




Programme
 Evaluation





Amendment 169


Proposal for a regulation


Article 25 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   
Evaluations
 shall 
be carried out in a timely manner to feed into the decision-making process
.




1.   
The Commission
 shall 
ensure regular monitoring and external evaluation of the Programme, based notably on the performance reporting system as referred to in Article 24, paragraph 3
. 
The evaluations shall also provide for a qualitative assessment of the progress towards achieving the general objectives set out in Article 3(1).








Amendment 170


Proposal for a regulation


Article 25 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   
The
 interim evaluation 
of the Programme
 shall 
be performed once there is sufficient information available about the implementation
 of the 
Programme, but
 no later than 
four years after the start of the implementation of the Programme
.




2.   
In addition to regularly monitoring the Programme, the Commission shall establish an
 interim evaluation 
report and
 shall 
submit it to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee
 of the 
Regions
 no later than 
31 December 2024
. 
The interim evaluation shall present the findings necessary to make a decision about a follow-up to the Programme beyond 2027 and its objectives.







 




The interim evaluation shall be submitted to the European Parliament.







Amendment 171


Proposal for a regulation


Article 25 — paragraph 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






3.   
At the end of the implementation of the Programme, but no later than four years after the end of the period specified in Article [1],
 a final evaluation of the Programme 
shall be carried out by the Commission
.




3.   
On the basis of a final external and independent evaluation, the Commission shall establish
 a final evaluation 
report
 of the Programme
, which assesses its longer-term impacts and its sustainability
.






Amendment 172


Proposal for a regulation


Article 25 — paragraph 4 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 





4a.
   
The Commission shall submit the final evaluation report referred to in paragraph 3 to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions no later than 31 December 2030.








Amendment 173


Proposal for a regulation


Article 25 — paragraph 5








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment








5.
   
The Commission shall communicate the conclusions of the evaluations accompanied by its observations, to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.







deleted







Amendment 174


Proposal for a regulation


Article 26 — paragraph 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






4.   As part of the control system, the audit strategy 
may
 be based on the financial audit of a representative sample of expenditure. That representative sample shall be complemented by a selection based on an assessment of the risks related to expenditure.




4.   As part of the control system, the audit strategy 
shall
 be based on the financial audit of 
at least
 a representative sample of expenditure. That representative sample shall be complemented by a selection based on an assessment of the risks related to expenditure.






Amendment 175


Proposal for a regulation


Article 27 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in 
Article
 24 shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2028.




2.   The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in 
Articles 23 and
 24 shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2028.






Amendment 176


Proposal for a regulation


Article 27 — paragraph 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






3.   The delegation of power referred to in 
Article
 24 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.




3.   The delegation of power referred to in 
Articles 23 and
 24 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.






Amendment 177


Proposal for a regulation


Article 27 — paragraph 6








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






6.   A delegated act adopted pursuant to 
article
 24 shall enter into force if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.




6.   A delegated act adopted pursuant to 
Articles 23 and
 24 shall enter into force if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.






Amendment 178


Proposal for a regulation


Article 29 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






1.   The recipients of Union funding shall acknowledge the origin and ensure the visibility of the Union funding (in particular when promoting the actions and their results) by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public.




1.   The recipients of Union funding shall acknowledge the origin and ensure the visibility of the Union funding (in particular when promoting the actions and their results) by providing coherent, 
truthful,
 effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public.






Amendment 179


Proposal for a regulation


Article 29 — paragraph 2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment






2.   The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to the Programme, and its actions and results. Financial resources allocated to the Programme shall also contribute to the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, as far as they are related to the objectives referred to in Article [3].




2.   The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to the Programme, and its actions and results
. It shall also ensure integrated information and access to potential applicants to Union funding in the digital sector
. Financial resources allocated to the Programme shall also contribute to the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, as far as they are related to the objectives referred to in Article [3].






Amendment 180


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 1 — paragraph 2 — point 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











1.


A joint procurement framework for an integrated network of world-class HPC including exascale supercomputing and data infrastructure. It will be accessible on a non-economic basis to public and private users and for publicly funded research purposes.












1.


A joint procurement framework for an integrated network of world-class HPC including exascale supercomputing and data infrastructure. It will be accessible 
to all businesses and public administrations, and
 on a non-economic basis to public and private users and for publicly funded research purposes.









Amendment 181


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 1 — paragraph 2 — point 6








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











6.


The deployment of ready to use/operational technology: supercomputing as a service resulting from R&I to build an integrated European HPC ecosystem, covering all scientific and industrial value chain segments (hardware, software, applications, services, interconnections and advanced digital skills).












6.


The deployment of ready to use/operational technology: supercomputing as a service resulting from R&I
, in particular new technologies that have previously benefitted or that currently benefit from Union funding,
 to build an integrated European HPC ecosystem, covering all scientific and industrial value chain segments(hardware, software, applications, services, interconnections and advanced digital skills).









Amendment 182


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 2 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





The Programme shall build up and strengthen core Artificial Intelligence 
capacities
 in Europe including data resources and repositories of algorithms and making them accessible by all businesses and public administrations as well as reinforcement and networking of existing AI testing and experimentation facilities in Member States.


The Programme shall build up and strengthen core 
capacities of
 Artificial Intelligence 
and distributed ledger technologies
 in Europe including data resources and repositories of algorithms and making them accessible by all businesses and public administrations as well as reinforcement and networking of existing AI testing and experimentation facilities in Member States.





Amendment 183


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 4 — paragraph 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





The Programme shall support easy access 
to
 advanced digital skills, notably in HPC, AI, distributed ledgers (e.g. blockchain) and cybersecurity for the current and future labour force by offering students, recent graduates, and existing workers, wherever they are situated, with the means to acquire and develop these skills.


The Programme shall support easy access 
and training opportunities in
 advanced digital skills, notably in HPC, AI, distributed ledgers (e.g. blockchain) and cybersecurity for the current and future labour force by offering students, recent graduates 
or citizens of all ages in need of upskilling
, 
jobseekers
 and existing workers, wherever they are situated, with the means to acquire and develop these skills.





Amendment 184


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 4 — paragraph 2 — point 1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











1.


Access to on the job training by taking part in traineeships in competence centres and companies deploying advanced technologies.












1.


Access to on the job training 
and blended learning opportunities
 by taking part in traineeships in competence centres and companies deploying advanced technologies.









Amendment 185


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 4 — paragraph 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





All interventions will be designed and implemented primarily through the Digital Innovation Hubs, as defined in Article 
15
.


All interventions will be designed and implemented primarily through the Digital Innovation Hubs, as defined in Article 
16
.





Amendment 186


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 5 — subpart I — point 1 — point 1.2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











1.2.


Support the design, piloting, deployment, maintenance and promotion of a coherent eco-system of cross-border digital services infrastructure and facilitate seamless end-to-end, secure, interoperable, multi-lingual, interoperable cross-border or cross-sector solutions and common frameworks within public administration. Methodologies for assessing the impact and benefits shall also be included.












1.2.


Support the design, piloting, deployment, maintenance
, expansion
 and promotion of a coherent eco-system of cross-border digital services infrastructure and facilitate seamless end-to-end, secure, interoperable, multi-lingual, interoperable cross-border or cross-sector solutions and common frameworks within public administration. Methodologies for assessing the impact and benefits shall also be included.









Amendment 187


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 5 — subpart I — point 2 — point 2.1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











2.1.


Ensure that EU citizens can access, share, use, and manage their personal health data securely across borders irrespective of their location or the location of the data. Complete the eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure and extend it by new digital services, support deployment of the European exchange format for electronic health records.












2.1.


Ensure that EU citizens can access, share, use, and manage their personal health data securely 
and in a way that guarantees their privacy
 across borders irrespective of their location or the location of the data. Complete the eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure and extend it by new digital services, support deployment of the European exchange format for electronic health records.









Amendment 188


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 5 — subpart I — point 3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











3.


Judiciary: Enable seamless and secure cross-border electronic communication within the judiciary and between the judiciary and other competent bodies in the area of civil and criminal justice. Improve access to justice and juridical information and procedures to citizens, businesses, legal practitioners and members of the judiciary with semantically interoperable interconnections to 
national
 databases and registers as well as facilitating the out-of-court dispute resolution online. Promote the development and implementation of innovative technologies for courts and legal practitioners based on artificial intelligence solutions which are likely to streamline and speed-up procedures (for example ‘legal tech’ applications).












3.


Judiciary: Enable seamless and secure cross-border electronic communication within the judiciary and between the judiciary and other competent bodies in the area of civil and criminal justice. Improve access to justice and juridical information and procedures to citizens, businesses, legal practitioners and members of the judiciary with semantically interoperable interconnections to databases and registers as well as facilitating the out-of-court dispute resolution online. Promote the development and implementation of innovative technologies for courts and legal practitioners based on artificial intelligence solutions which are likely to streamline and speed-up procedures (for example ‘legal tech’ applications).









Amendment 189


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 5 — subpart I — point 4








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











4.


Transport, energy and environment: Deploy decentralised solutions and infrastructures required for large-scale digital applications such as smart cities 
or
 smart rural areas in support of transport, energy and environmental policies.












4.


Transport, energy and environment: Deploy decentralised solutions and infrastructures required for large-scale digital applications such as smart cities, smart rural areas 
or outermost regions
 in support of transport, energy and environmental policies.









Amendment 190


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 1 — part 5 — subpart II — title








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











II


Initial activities related to the 
digitization
 of industry:












II


Initial activities related to the 
digitisation
 of industry:









Amendment 191


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 2 — point 2.2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











2.2


Number of companies and organisations 
using AI














2.2


Number of companies and organisations 
testing and experimenting with AI in co-operation with Digital Innovations Hubs











Amendment 192


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 2 — point 2.2 a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










2.2a





Number of concrete AI applications supported by the programme that are being currently commercialised.










Amendment 193


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 4 — point 4.1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











4.1


Number of ICT specialists trained and working












4.1


Number of ICT specialists trained and working 
each year in the Union











Amendment 194


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 4 — point 4.2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











4.2


Number of enterprises having difficulty recruiting ICT specialists












4.2


Number of enterprises having difficulty recruiting ICT specialists 
each year in the Union











Amendment 195


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 4 — point 4.2 b (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










4.2b





Number of students, recent graduates and unemployed that have improved their status after training provided in the framework of the programme.










Amendment 196


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 5 — point 5.1








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











5.1




Take-up
 of digital public services












5.1




Frequency of take-up
 of digital public services









Amendment 197


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 5 — point 5.2








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











5.2




Enterprises
 with high digital intensity score












5.2




Number of enterprises
 with high digital intensity score









Amendment 198


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 2 — part 5 — point 5.3








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











5.3




Alignment
 of the National Interoperability Framework with the European Interoperability Framework












5.3




Extent of alignment
 of the National Interoperability Framework with the European Interoperability Framework









Amendment 199


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 3 — point 1 — point b a (new)








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment





 










(ba)






Digital Europe Programme shall actively create synergies with Horizon Europe around the sustainability of data originating from research projects;











Amendment 200


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 3 — point 1 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


Digital Europe will invest in (i) digital capacity building in High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and advanced digital skills; and (ii) national 
and
 regional deployment within an EU framework of digital capacities and the latest digital technologies in areas of public interest (such as health, public administration, justice and education) or market failure (such as the digitisation of businesses, notably small and medium enterprises);












(c)


Digital Europe will invest in (i) digital capacity building in High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and advanced digital skills; and (ii) national, regional 
and local
 deployment within an EU framework of digital capacities and the latest digital technologies in areas of public interest (such as health, public administration, justice and education) or market failure (such as the digitisation of businesses, notably small and medium enterprises);









Amendment 201


Proposal for a regulation


Annex 3 — point 3 — point c








Text proposed by the Commission




Amendment











(c)


Digital Europe will invest in (i) digital capacity building in High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and advanced digital skills; and (ii) national and regional deployment within an EU framework of digital capacities and the latest digital technologies in areas of public interest (such as health, public administration, justice and education) or market failure (such as the digitisation of businesses, notably small and medium enterprises);












(c)


Digital Europe will invest in (i) digital capacity building in High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence
, distributed ledger technology
, Cybersecurity and advanced digital skills; and (ii) national and regional deployment within an EU framework of digital capacities and the latest digital technologies in areas of public interest (such as health, public administration, justice and education) or market failure (such as the digitisation of businesses, notably small and medium enterprises);










(1)  The matter was referred back for interinstitutional negotiations to the committee responsible, pursuant to Rule 59(4), fourth subparagraph (A8-0408/2018).

(53)  Council Decision / /EU.

(53)  Council Decision / /EU.

(54)  Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016; OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1.

(54)  Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016; OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1.

(54a)  
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).



(55)  https://www.eu2017.ee/news/insights/conclusions-after-tallinn-digital-summit

(56)  https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/21620/19-euco-final-conclusions-en.pdf

(55)  https://www.eu2017.ee/news/insights/conclusions-after-tallinn-digital-summit

(56)  https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/21620/19-euco-final-conclusions-en.pdf

(57)  COM(2018)0098.

(57)  COM(2018)0098.

(57)  COM(2018)0125

(57)  COM(2018)0125

(59)  As indicated in the Communication on Digitising European Industry (COM(2016)0180)

(59)  As indicated in the Communication on Digitising European Industry (COM(2016)0180)
(60)   
(61)   
(62)   
(60)   
(61)   
(62)   

(63)  Impact Assessment accompanying the document ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation on establishing the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking’ (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/proposal-council-regulation-establishing-eurohpc-joint-undertaking-impact-assessment)

(63)  Impact Assessment accompanying the document ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation on establishing the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking’ (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/proposal-council-regulation-establishing-eurohpc-joint-undertaking-impact-assessment)

(64)  Document ref. A8-0183/2017, available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0240

(64)  Document ref. A8-0183/2017, available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0240

(65)  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/policies/cybersecurity

(65)  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/policies/cybersecurity

(67)  Document ref. A8-0183/2017, available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0240

(67)  Document ref. A8-0183/2017, available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0240

(68)  http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=51628

(68)  http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=51628

(69)  COM(2016)0725

(69)  COM(2016)0725

(37)  
null



(73)  COM(2016)0180: Digitising European Industry — Reaping the full benefits of a digital single market.

(73)  COM(2016)0180: Digitising European Industry — Reaping the full benefits of a digital single market.

(1a)  
Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications) (OJ L 201, 31.7.2002, p. 37).



(74)  COM(2018)0321, p. 1.

(74)  COM(2018)0321, p. 1.

(75)  
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13)



(1a)  
Communication of 25.4.2018 on Artificial Intelligence for Europe, COM(2018)0237, available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2018/0237/COM_COM(2018)0237_EN.pdf



(77)  Billions of billions of floating operations per second

(77)  Billions of billions of floating operations per second

(78)  A thousand times faster than exascale

(78)  A thousand times faster than exascale

(1a)  
Regulation establishing the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. 10594/18. Brussels, 18 September 2018 (OR. en). http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10594-2018-INIT/en/pdf



(79)  OJ L 194, 19.7.2016, p. 1


(79)  OJ L 194, 19.7.2016, p. 1


(1a)  
Regulation … of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and the Network of National Coordination Centres