Digital Champions

The Digital Champions are appointed by each European Union Member State to help them and the European Commission promote the benefits of an inclusive digital society.[1] The Digital Champions act locally. They work with citizens, communities, businesses, governments, and academia. They do so by helping individuals become digital, by promoting e-skills in education, fostering e-government services, encouraging entrepreneurship, supporting businesses to embrace new technologies and be more competitive, contributing to research and innovation.[2] They also advise the European Commission on the implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe. The European Commission regularly interact with the Digital Champions and this exchange provides a valuable platform to discuss, compare and expand action at grass-roots level. The Digital Champions meet at least twice a year.[1][3]

Background

In December 2011, the European Council stressed that the Digital Single Market was an area of growth potential for the European Union. Vice-President Neelie Kroes, the Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, then asked the European Commission to take up this challenge by appointing a national Digital Champion, who could help get every European digital.[2] On 14 February 2012 the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso wrote to Member States and asked them to take further dedicated action to make the Digital Single Market a reality. One way to do this was to appoint a national Digital Champion.[4][5] The first meeting of the Digital Champions and Vice-President Kroes was held in Brussels in June 2012. Further meetings were held in Sofia in September 2012 and in Brussels 2013. The Digital Champions convened for the fourth time in Dublin back-to-back with the Digital Agenda Assembly.[6] The Champions fifth and sixth meetings were held in Brussels and their seventh meeting back-to-back to the Digital Action Day on 29 September 2014. The Digital Champions met with European Vice-President Andrus Ansip and European Commissioner Günther Oettinger in February 2015. Their ninth meeting took place back-to-back with the Digital Assembly in Riga in June 2015.

Digital Champions by country

27 Member States have nominated Digital Champions (Estonia has not made appointments). However, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, UK Digital Champion, resigned in 2013. Nikos Michalopoulos, the first Greek Digital Champion was nominated in September 2015. Andreu Veà Baró was appointed as the new Digital Champion of Spain in October 2014 replacing Alicia Richart who resigned in 2013. Riccardo Luna was appointed as the new Italian Digital Champion on 15 September 2014 by Matteo Renzi, after Francesco Caio's resignation (18 March 2014). The Digital Champions have different profiles and are professionals in their own field.

Member State Digital Champion
Austria Meral Akin-Hecke
Belgium[7][8] Saskia van Uffelen
Bulgaria[9] Gergana Passy
Croatia Darko Paric
Cyprus[10] Stelios Himonas
Czech Republic[11] Ondrej Felix
Denmark[12] Lars Frelle-Petersen
Finland[13] Linda Liukas
France[14] Gilles Babinet
Germany Gesche Joost
Greece Nikos Michalopoulos
Hungary Istvan Erenyi
Ireland[15] David Puttnam
Italy[16] Riccardo Luna
Latvia Reinis Zitmanis
Lithuania Kestutis Juskevicius
Luxembourg [17] Björn Ottersten
Malta[18] Godfrey Vella
Netherlands[19] Tineke Netelenbos
Poland Wlodzimierz Marcinski
Portugal[20] Antonio Murta
Romania[21] Paul Andre Baran
Slovakia [22] Peter Pellegrini
Slovenia Ales Spetic
Spain Andreu Veà Baró
Sweden[23] Jan Gulliksen
United Kingdom Martha Lane Fox (resigned [24] 29 November 2013)

References

  1. 1 2 "Digital Agenda for Europe - European Commission". Ec.europa.eu. 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  2. 1 2 "BBC News - European commissioner calls for 'digital champions'". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  3. ↑ "Meet the European Digital Champions (17 December 2012)". EUagenda.eu. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ "Barroso asks Member States to appoint a national Digital Champion « Telecentre Europe". Telecentre-europe.org. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  6. ↑ "3rd Digital Champions Meeting - TE @tc_europe". Telecentreeurope.ning.com. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  7. ↑ "Agoria>Opinions : Saskia Van Uffelen est notre "Digital Champion"". Agoria.be. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  8. ↑ "Saskia Van Uffelen, ‘Digital Champion’ belge - actualité - Datanews.be - Datanews.be". Datanews.levif.be. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  9. ↑ "Ex Bulgarian Minister Becomes EU 'Digital Champ' - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". Novinite.com. 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  10. ↑ "Stelios Himonas". Cyprus Mail. 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  11. ↑ "Internet in the Czech Republic - Aspen". Aspeninstitute.cz. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  12. ↑ "Digital Champions skaber flere digitale borgere | Digitaliseringsstyrelsen". Digst.dk. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  13. ↑ Ann O'Dea (2013-06-18). "Finland’s Digital Champion Linda Liukas in conversation with Silicon Republic at the IIEA (video) - Digital 21 - Digital 21 | siliconrepublic.com - Ireland's Technology News Service". siliconrepublic.com. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  14. ↑ "Gilles Babinet nommé "digital champion" | Ministère du redressement productif". Redressement-productif.gouv.fr. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  15. ↑ John Kennedy (2012-12-17). "Oscar-winning producer Lord David Puttnam named Ireland’s Digital Champion - Digital 21 - Digital 21 | siliconrepublic.com - Ireland's Technology News Service". siliconrepublic.com. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  16. ↑ "Amministrazione Trasparente. Ufficio del Presidente". Governo.it. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  17. ↑ "University of Luxembourg - Prof. Björn Ottersten appointed Digital Champion". N.uni.lu. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  18. ↑ "Government appoints Godfrey Vella as Malta’s new Digital Champion | di-ve - Malta's news, lifestyle & classified". di-ve. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  19. ↑ "Digivaardig Digiveilig". Digivaardigdigiveilig.nl. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  20. ↑ "TeK : Opinião : Entrevista: António Murta, o Digital Champion português". Tek.sapo.pt. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  21. ↑ "Biblionet Director Nominated for EU Digital Champion of Romania | IREX - Civil Society, Education and Media Development". IREX. 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  22. ↑ "Digital champion - Vice-President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes appreciates efforts of the Slovak Digital Champion". Digitalchampion.sk. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  23. ↑ "Regeringen utser Jan Gulliksen till Sveriges Digital champion" (in Swedish). Regeringen.se. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  24. ↑ "Martha Lane Fox resignation letter". GOV.UK. 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
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