Riga, 5 March 2020 - The delegation led by Environment Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Pūce will participate in the meeting of the high-level Nordic and Baltic Ministers (MR-DIGITAL) in Copenhagen, Denmark. During the meeting, ministers will discuss further development of cross-border digital solutions and strengthening regional cooperation in the digital environment.
Environment Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Pūce (AP!): “Enhanced national coordination and cooperation in the Nordic and Baltic region will provide more convenient services for our citizens, as well as a more attractive development and growth environment for new technology companies.”
During the meeting, ministers will discuss the new draft Digital North 2.0 declaration, which is scheduled to be drafted and approved by the end of this year. It agreed to undertake initiatives to improve Baltic and Nordic mobility and to promote data-based innovation, as well as to strengthen the digital leadership of the region.
In addition, the minister will propose to discuss issues to be addressed in order to promote the development of the single digital market and to remove barriers to the digital environment, including – the need to provide opportunities for all EU citizens to receive services in their mother tongue. This can be achieved through the targeted development of artificial intelligence solutions and machine translation technologies, as well as through the direct translation of regional languages. s. Latvia calls for cooperation and joint use of technology, for example through the use of the language technology platform Hugo.lv.
The Minister will also stress the need for leadership and coordination in coordinated implementation and commercialisation of 5G solutions across the region. This is essential for the development of an integrated and unified smart technology operating environment in the region, agreed by ministers at the meeting in Riga last year.
Ministers will also discuss the priorities of the Digital Europe programme. . Its emphasis is on building the EU's overall digital capacity and promoting greater development of e-servicesb U. It is also planned to discuss issues of digital governance and the role of the Nordic and Baltic regions in achieving EU objectives, as well as possible solutions to boost the competitiveness of artificial intelligence. . Similarly, the European network of digital innovation centres will play an important role in implementing the programme, which will provide a platform for cooperation between entrepreneurs and public administrations. This network allows for the transfer of knowledge and experience between EU countries, particularly the Nordic countries.
Ministers will also discuss opportunities for joint cooperation in the development of cross-border services. . They will improve access to essential services and user experience for people and businesses in the region, such as the possibility of recovering overpaid taxes, applying for higher education, applying for an e-prescription, and receiving a banking service s. In order to develop the digital single market, countries should agree on how to resolve the various challenges related to data exchange, cyber security, personal data security and regulatory harmonisation in the EU. Ministers are expected to discuss the definition of a common cross-border e-service basket during the meeting.
During THE meeting OF MR-DIGITAL, Minister Owl is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with the Finnish Minister of Local Government, Sirpa Paatero, to discuss cooperation opportunities in the setting up of artificial intelligence platforms, as well as in language technologies and machine translation. The Minister also intends to discuss cross-border cooperation with the Estonian Minister for Foreign Trade and Information Technology, Kaimar Karu. The Minister will also meet in a bilateral conversation with the Executive Director of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, Europe ready for the Digital Age, to discuss the need to ensure the development and deployment of mutually harmonised 5G technologies at EU level.
Information:
Public Relations Department
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development
Tel. 20200305; 67026533,
e-mail: prese@varam.gov.lv
www.varam.gov.lv