Critical choices for the roles of technology in the European Commission – Computerworld Portugal

Candidate to manage digital economy has no experience in technology policy

. <- .post-Summary -> President elected to the European Commission revealed on Wednesday its candidates for the 27 new Commissioners , who should take office on 1 November next including some controversial choices for employees responsible for policies on technology and competition. . The commissioners still have to be approved by the European Council and the European Parliament

Echoing criticism from other politicians, Jan Philipp Albrecht, a German member of the European Parliament and representative of the Green and Liberal Alliance, called Günther Oettinger – designated for Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society -. as

“biggest mistake” of candidates, mainly due to their inexperience in technology policy One of the biggest challenges for the new Commission is the creation of a so-called “market digital single, “harmonizing policies and laws across the European Union related to technology, Juncker said .

Andrus Ansip (pictured below) was Prime Minister of Estonia to resign in March and is appointed to be Vice President of the Commission responsible for the Digital Single Market. He will lead a team project to better seize the opportunities offered by digital technologies, according to the Commission. Your team will also focus on telecommunications regulation, legislation, copyright and data protection, spectrum management and enforcement of competition law, he added.

Your main task will be to “make legislative measures ambitious towards a digital single market linked, “said the Commission. For this he will work closely with Oettinger, a German who is currently Commissioner for Energy. . Oettinger will be responsible for the modernization of copyright rules, according to the Commission

The importance of the challenges of the new Commission were highlighted by James Waterworth, vice president of the Computer & amp; Communications Industry Association, in a statement sent by email. “Ansip and Oettinger, and the rest of the college of commissioners, need to ensure that innovative and Europeans get a full benefit of an open Internet, global. This means putting in place the right conditions for startups and ensure that citizens continue to enjoy wider access to information, products and services, “he said.

However, not everyone was happy with the proposed candidates. Julia Reda, Member of Parliament for the Pirate Party, said in his website [in German] that, although he was pleased digital issues have highlighted the plans of the new Commission, “I can not expect much of Commissioners Oettinger and Ansip, who will be responsible for Internet policy. “

Oettinger has no experience in the area for which it was named, Reda said. And when naming Ansip, the Commission is left with a vice president who was defending the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), which threatened the digital rights of European citizens, he added.

Juncker also had a few other names that will be important for the IT industry. The Danish policy Margrethe Vestager was designed to commissioner of competition and, in that capacity, she may have to deal with several issues involving Google and other technology companies.

The Czech political Vera Jourová was designed to commissioner responsible for justice, gender equality and consumers. This role may include the reform of laws protecting personal data in Europe .