Europa ante el reto digital: obstáculos y soluciones
| Autor | David Ramiro Troitino, Tanel Kerikmäe |
| Cargo | Universidad Tecnológica de Tallin (TalTech)/Universidad Tecnológica de Tallin (TalTech) |
| Páginas | 1-3 |
https://idp.uoc.edu
IDP No. 34 (December, 2021) I ISSN 1699-8154 Journal promoted by the Law and Political Science Department
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2021, David Ramiro Troitiño and Tanel Kerikmäe
of this edition: 2021, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
ARTICLE
Europe facing the digital challenge:
obstacles and solutions
David Ramiro Troitiño
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
Tanel Kerikmäe
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
The subject of digital development in the EU is at a crucial moment for its future. New technologies
have been developed and are changing the way in which the European institutions interact with the
citizens, the Member States and the international world. Therefore, the European Union must adapt
fast and efficiently to the new possibilities to respond to its internal and external necessities generated
by the digital revolution. It is a controversial field in terms of integration because originally it was was
not included in the European Union Treaties. It was a primitive field that needed further development
to reach the current relevance. This situation generates tensions within the Member States because
normally they are reluctant to further cession of national sovereignty unless the necessity is manifest.
Nevertheless, the novelty of the topic provides a great advantage; most of the Member States of the
European Union have not legislated on this field or have done it mildly. This reduces the conflicts be-
tween national and European legislation, as the possibilities of conflict are minimal due to lax national
approaches or even non-existing national legislations. Consequently, the European Union is facing a
challenge that will define Europe in the coming decades in many different perspectives.
David Ramiro Troitiño treats the developments and impacts of the digital revolution over the citizens
and economy of Europe. He focusses on the European Digital Single Market, among other initiatives,
which will obviously have a substantial influence on economic relations between its members and in the
world, as the European market still occupies a central role in the world commerce system. His research
focuses on the analysis of European developments around digital initiatives and their influence on
the own essence of the organisation. The impact of this process will define the European Union in the
21st century. Sander Sagar and Thomas Hoffmann complement the vision related with the EU Digital
Single Market from a legal perspective based on the directives aiming at their actual implementation,
providing a legal frame for safe development.
https://idp.uoc.edu
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Europe facing the digital challenge: obstacles and solutions
IDP No. 34 (December, 2021) I ISSN 1699-8154 Journal promoted by the Law and Political Science Department
2
2021, David Ramiro Troitiño and Tanel Kerikmäe
of this edition: 2021, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
The European Union cannot slow down the fast technological developments and its implementation
in our society because of bureaucratic barriers; innovation is the key for success. Therefore, Olga
Shumilo and Tanel Kerikmäe explore the European position on Artificial Intelligence from a perspective
based on the mentioned premises. Their research provides a valuable insight of the obstacles for
innovation and the resistance to change generated by rigid civil service.
The European Union in particular, and Europe in general is united regarding human rights. The Euro-
pean values are a key factor in the integration of the continent because they provide the communality
required to a process based on common interest and common necessities. Hence, the protection of
the European values, especially human rights, is a priority for the European Union. The Artificial In-
telligence field requires a legal frame to respect, and even foster, the European values. It requires
a European approach to protect the European citizens and respect the European way of life. Pablo
Martínez Ramil develops the topic from a new perspective based on legal aspects. Ethics are part of
these European values, and have an impact on the use to be made on the possibilities offered by new
technologies. The European Union is working on facial recognition and privacy, establishing borders
defining our societies for the coming decades. It is a topic researched by Archil Chochia and Teele
Nässi in this dossier. The data provided by the digital capacities and their use is a main concern in the
European Union. Jozef Andraško - Ondrej Hamuľák - Matúš Mesarčík focus their research on govern-
ance aspects of cooperative, connected and automated mobility, providing a vision of the EU strategy
in such a sensitive field.
The digital development has created new possibilities, but also new necessities that need to be prop-
erly addressed to protect the European Union, its Member States, and its citizens. The most notorious
is Cyber security and EU cyber-diplomacy. Virtual threats are already a reality, as internal and exter-
nal agents are using them against the European Union. As an example, the development of internal
terrorism has been fostered by the new technological possibilities of propaganda and dissemination.
New common actions are required to fight against an internal threat. In addition, external forces are
influencing the European Union affairs by digital means, such as the spread of fake news or the use of
technology to gain a competitive advantage internationally. Agnes Kasper, Anna-Maria Osula and Anna
Molnár treat this complex topic from a brilliant approach combining real politics and new technological
necessities.
Therefore, the combination of these research articles provides a comprehensive vision of the digital
challenges to the European Union. A global vision providing a general approach to a topic that will
define the future of Europe, and the world, in the coming years.
https://idp.uoc.edu
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Europe facing the digital challenge: obstacles and solutions
IDP No. 34 (December, 2021) I ISSN 1699-8154 Journal promoted by the Law and Political Science Department
3
2021, David Ramiro Troitiño and Tanel Kerikmäe
of this edition: 2021, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
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RAMIRO TROITIÑO, D.; KERIKMÄE, T.; DE LA GUARDIA, R.; PÉREZ SÁNCHEZ, G. (eds). The EU in the 21st
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Recommended citation
RAMIRO TROITIÑO, David; KERIKMÄE, Tanel (2021). “Europe facing the digital challenge: obstacles and
solutions”. IDP. Internet, Law and Politics E-Journal. No. 34. UOC [Accessed: dd/mm/aa]
http://dx.doi.org/10.7238/idp.v0i34.393310
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About the authors
David Ramiro Troitiño
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
david.troitino@taltech.ee
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0542-5724
Tanel Kerikmäe
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
tanel.kerikmae@taltech.ee
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5972-827X
