Event report

Debate with citizens: Digital transformation At the PIP Institute, we are in the framework of the project Europe on our doorstep on Friday, 17. 12. in the municipality of Selnica (Hram culture Arnolda freighter), we organised a discussion on the digitalisation of our society, the opportunities that digitalisation brings and the possible traps and dangers that we will have to face in the face of an increasing number of digital services and tools. Franc Bogovič, MEP, took part in the debate. In his introduction, Mr Bogovič pointed out that “digitalisation is already encroaching on all the pores of our lives and that it has already changed the world, and is changing it.” Unfortunately, Europe has started to lag behind some other areas of the world over the last decade, especially China, South Korea and the USA. The EU does not currently have as powerful companies as Google, Facebook, Alibaba, etc., and this is why policies have focused on creating a common digital market to make the EU once again one of the leading players in digital development and digital technologies. However, in recent years, Europe has taken a leading role in the regulatory field, and various regulations are being adopted or have already been adopted that limit the misuse and use of personal data that we leave online, which limit privacy intrusion, etc., one of the most important directives is the GDPR (the Data Protection Directive). In this area, the rest of the world follows the example of the EU. The discussion continued on the state of digitalisation in Slovenia and in local self-governments. Slovenia has taken a major step in setting up a Minister for Digitalisation, which can focus on this area. However, it is a field that touches everyone else, we are facing accelerated digitalisation everywhere in society, from agriculture to industry to services in health care, education, public administration, etc. It will always be necessary to ensure investment in infrastructure, its modernisation, as technology progresses, and it is also very important that we provide access to data, to the internet, to services to all, not just a narrow handful of people. But it is also very important to invest in education so that citizens can use the latest technologies. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted in particular the importance of adequate infrastructure, connections, for example an offline education system, without computer equipment. “The digital transformation of the economy, i.e. companies, is also necessary,” said Bogovič. The debate concluded on smart villages, which are rural communities that improve their weaknesses through innovative and practical solutions, strengthen their strengths and, above all, enable residents to create and live in these communities and not to emigrate. We need to make every effort to keep rural areas inhabited, with a higher percentage of the population living in Slovenia than the EU average. This is the concept of a sustainable way of life associated with nature. It will probably not be good for the future if we all live in huge, urban metropolises. However, appropriate infrastructure needs to be provided in rural areas, ranging from a clean basic (water, regulated road) to optical connections for access to the World Wide Web. It is necessary to build on the problems that people face in practice and then to find appropriate digital solutions. This is a concept that the municipality/local community should adhere to in order to improve the quality of life. “By 2030, we are expecting a lot of change, our society will certainly be quite different in 2030 than it was in 2020. Responses will have to be found to the changing realities of society and, above all, to climate change, where digitalisation is one of the essential ways to alleviate or prevent it. The automotive industry will be profoundly changed, with much more jobs requiring high skills for the use of digital tools and green jobs," said Bogovič. Citizens who are aware of the importance of digitalisation, particularly in the economy, have also expressed their views in the debate at the level of businesses. Slovenian companies must not lag behind here if they want to remain competitive, so subsidising companies with a view to their digitalisation should be strengthened. They also want to make it easier to use or access digital services of public administration, banking, etc., which is available to all, but for some it is too complicated to use it. This should be addressed in particular through the development of digital literacy training programmes. They also stressed the satisfaction that Slovenia is sufficiently digitised, that rural areas also have the possibility of optimising the internet, thus making the countryside no less “connectable” than urban places.