Friday, September 27, 2013
In 2010, Mario Monti’s report to the EC, “A new strategy for the singlemarket” was bluntly clear in pointing out that “the cost of non-digital Europe is significant” and that “the EU could gain 4 % of GDP by stimulating the fast development of the digital single market by 2020.” A possible gain up to € 500 billion was estimated, the same impact of the 1992 internal market program.
No sooner said than done, in less than 3 years – which correspond to more or less the speed of light in political/bureaucratic terms – the EC set up its first digital agenda, began revising its out-dated data protection rules and has now come up with a regulatory proposal to achieve a “Connected Continent” by removing the remaining obstacles to the completion of a “Digital Single Market”. Now, you can be a Eurosceptic, a Europhobic and even Eurotrash, but you still have to admit this is quite a lot of work.
Growth - we at More Europe! truly believe - comes with more integration and mobile internet, which, being a key to streamlined communication flows among EU businesses, is certainly an integration driver. The real point is, what does that mean for all the fellow EU citizens – like myself – who do not have a good grasp on the complicated concepts of growth and integration but make extensive – yes, often inappropriate - use of Facebook, YouTube and online sport newspapers?
The new EC Proposal foresees, among other things, “the phasing out of unjustified surcharges for intra-Union communications and roaming communications within the Union.” This means - fasten your seatbelts – that you, fellow EU citizen, will soon be empowered to tweet, like, post, comment and bet in every corner of the Union at a reasonable price. With no more roaming charges to pay you will get rid of all the hideous “being-abroad-3G-issues” you have experience every time your Ryanair flight lands or you cross an EU border on a night train.
Forget the “I wish that bitch could read that I am having a drink with her ex-boyfriend” feeling or the “what is the point in going to the museum if my Facebook friends cannot see I am checking in” dilemma. They will know. You will easily be able to cross-border-like your wannabe boyfriend’s Facebook status. No more embarrassment in asking locals for directions or entering a nice bar without having read a good number of TripAdvisor reviews. Your amazing Instagrams will be uploaded right away and you will never ever get lost again or miss a game score because Siri (or alike) will be there for you.
That’s it. No more surprises. Your holidays will be efficient, connected and organized. Like you never even left home.
