Date: 2020-05-14
Mr President, thank you for this opportunity to address the European Parliament on an issue so closely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The work on COVID-19 contact tracing applications fits within the more general work to ensure a safe return to our normal social and economic activity as quickly as the circumstances allow. Contact tracing applications can help restore life in the European Union as we used to know and appreciate it the unrestricted movement of people, goods and services while upholding the highest health and safety standards. They would support the revival of our tourism, aviation and shipping industries. We have followed with interest the statements and declarations coming from the European Parliament, especially the resolution on EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. As you are aware, the Commission presented its recommendation on 8 April 2020 on a common Union toolbox for the use of technology and data to combat and exit from the COVID-19 crisis. All Member States welcomed the initiative and there was overall agreement that this technology is a key element in the mix of measures for the exit strategy. On 9 April, the European Data Protection Board also issued its guidance on this subject. When the Ministers responsible for telecommunications and digital issues held an informal videoconference on 5 May, they reached consensus on the need to ensure the interoperability of national applications. At this point in time, we have national solutions some already working, some under development. To save time and effort, work on interoperability should take into account the progress already made at the national level. We must also make sure that, irrespective of the technical solutions adopted, these apps are trusted enough to be used by our citizens in large enough numbers. This will not happen unless the apps can be used on a voluntary basis, ensure adequate protection of personal data and privacy and avoid the stigmatisation or any potential misuse of the collected and stored data. There is a need for a joint shared approach and common standards in developing such apps. These apps should do nothing more than trace contacts. Malfunctioning of the app could potentially change the life of our users, so the efficiency of the application should always be checked. It is also important to mention that there are sizeable regional differences between digital services across and between the different Member States. We must ensure digital inclusion in every part of Europe. Bridging this gap will not happen without investments, interconnectivity, technological and human digital skills. In this respect, the Croatian Presidency is working on the Council conclusions as our answer to the Commission communication on shaping Europe's digital future. The issues include the resilience of our digital infrastructure, the importance of reliable data availability at the European level, the urgency of implementing our e-health initiatives, the importance of improving the digital aspects of our education, our security, of our networks and data. All these aspects will be covered in the Council conclusions.