The Czech Government has been focusing on the development of the digital economy and defined it as one of its priorities. Since the beginning of its term, the nonexistence of a unified coordination system has been repeatedly requested by the social and economic partners. They were asking for a coordinator that would provide a sounding board for their issues, a coordinator that would bring together all ministries as well as the public and private sector to move along the digital agenda in the Czech Republic.
During the debate, many options for the coordination have been discussed. In the end, the most favored option was to anchor the coordinator at the Office of the Government, more specifically to entrust me with this position and expand my portfolio as the State Secretary for European Affairs with the digital agenda.
Sounds strange? The opposite is true. My team and I have been actively engaged in this topic for quite some time as it is a vast pan-European topic and one of the key priorities of the current European Commission. Moreover, we have been the key players in this agenda on the national level as well. Last year, we prepared the Czech Action Plan for the Development of the Digital Market, summing up all government-run measures for the support of the digital economy and enforcing the commitments of various ministries to move the e-agenda along. Moreover, since one of the key tasks will be the coordination of digital activities of the public and private sectors, the Office of the Government, as an “umbrella” body for the ministries, is an ideal place for the coordinating role.
The digital agenda has, without a doubt, an enormous potential, encompassing our society as a whole. It is essential to get a good grasp on the agenda at the national level, keep it transparent, and manage to coordinate it successfully. We have already went a long way in building digi-Czech – but when I look at other EU countries, we could – and should – be much further along.
The key priorities I will focus on are:
- e-commerce – accessible, secure and easy-to-use
- e-skills – the key to success both in work and life in the 21. century
- e-government – easily accessible and user-friendly
- security – data protection and cybersecurity
- how to embrace new opportunities (such as shared economy, online platforms or open data)
During the summer, I will introduce the priorities in a more comprehensive and detailed way. They will be developed according to discussions within the government and with our economic and social partners.
