8th February 2024
Dara Calleary, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, today set out plans for Ireland’s 6-month chairmanship of the D9+ in 2024.
Ireland will chair the D9+ for the first half of 2024. The D9+ brings together twelve digitally ambitious EU Member States, who are working together to progress the EU Digital Single Market.
The four key themes of Ireland’s D9+ Chairmanship will be:
- Effective and coherent digital regulation as a foundation for innovation and growth in the EU,
- The importance of stability and predictability in fostering investment and growth,
- The D9+ as advocates for EU Digital values, and
- Creating the conditions for EU Unicorns.
Speaking today, Minister Calleary said:
“As Chair of the D9+ for the first half of 2024, Ireland will work with like-minded countries to push our collective ambitions to lead the digital transformation of the European Union by advancing policies on the four pillars of the EU Digital Decade: digital business, digital infrastructure, digital government, and digital skills.
“Over the course of our Chairmanship, we will hold a series of national and international events, culminating in the Digital Ireland Conference, and a meeting of the D9+ Ministers in Dublin in April 2024.
“The next 6-months will be significant for Ireland and the European Union, and we will work to share our vision that an effective, coherent, and proportionate approach to digital regulation will lay a strong foundation for an innovative and thriving digital single market in Europe. Europe can and should the lead the way, and inspire other parts of the world to follow Europe’s example. I look forward to working with fellow D9+ members to influence the next European Commission on our shared digital priorities.”
He continued:
“During the five-year term of this European Commission, a suite of groundbreaking digital regulation has been progressed to ensure that companies of all sizes across the EU can benefit from the opportunities the digital economy presents, and ensure we have a fair and safe internet for the benefit of all. We are now working to implement these rules - the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, the Data Act, the Data Governance Act, and the recently agreed AI Act, as well as legislation on cybersecurity and improving public services.
“I am acutely aware that Ireland, as home to the EMEA headquarters of many of the leading global tech firms, has a critical role to play in ensuring that digital regulations are implemented coherently and effectively. We are working in close collaboration with European partners and maintain an open dialogue with the business community to do this.
“I am ambitious for Ireland; we know this is a fastmoving area and to be a digital frontrunner we must continue to innovate and support the ecosystem adopt ethical and person-centred principles in their use of digital innovations. I intend to work closely with my fellow D9+ Ministers over the course of Ireland’s Chairmanship and beyond to advance our work in this important area.”
ENDS
Digital Ireland Conference
The second Digital Ireland Conference will take place on 18 April in the Hibernia Conference Centre in Dublin Castle, the day before the D9+ Ministerial meeting. The conference will bring together government, industry and academia to exchange views on digital developments in the EU and globally. The overarching themes for discussion will include implementation of digital regulation, Artificial Intelligence and the opportunities of the digital transformation.
The Digital Ireland Conference demonstrates Ireland’s ambition laid out in the National Digital Strategy to continue to be a digital leader at the heart of European and global digital developments. It also demonstrates Government’s commitment to enhancing the coherence of digital and regulatory structures, driving greater clarity, coherence and cooperation in digital in Ireland.
About the D9+
The D9+ group is an informal alliance of Digital Ministers from the digital frontrunner EU Member States. It was established in 2016 bringing together the top-ranked European countries in the European Commission annual Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), plus a small number of other countries who share similar ambitions for the Digital Single Market.
The Ministers generally meet twice a year to build on their collective strengths in advanced digital policy and to confront the challenges associated with and to influence EU digital policy.
Ireland’s chairmanship represents an opportunity, as stated in Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework, to be “a strong voice in Europe for a balanced approach to digital regulation in areas such as data, digital markets, digital services, cyber security and AI, bringing Ireland’s expertise and experience.”
About DESI Index
The European Commission has been monitoring Member States’ digital progress through the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) reports since 2014. As of 2023, and in line with the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, DESI is now integrated into the State of the Digital Decade report and used to monitor progress towards the 2030 digital targets across the four areas of infrastructure, skills, government, and business.
For more information see: The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) | Shaping Europe’s digital future
About the Report on the State of the EU Digital Decade
The first State of the Digital Decade was published on 29 September 2023 and takes stock of the EU’s progress towards a successful digital transformation as set out in the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030. The report highlights the need to accelerate and deepen collective efforts, including through policy measures and investment in digital technologies, skills and infrastructure.
For more information see: 2023 Report on the state of the Digital Decade | Shaping Europe’s digital future
