Press conference on new digital priorities for 2013-2014/ Brussels
18 December 2012
Good morning everybody
We conducted a comprehensive review of our Digital Agenda for Europe and it is going well.
But that is not enough.
Yesterday doesn’t count in the digital world – complacency is a killer. And Europe doesn’t have time.
The digital economy is growing seven times faster than the rest of the economy.
If not for the digital economy then the EU would be in recession.
So we have to take our digital opportunities.
Today I am presenting a “to-do” list today, for 2013 and 2014.
It is a wake-up call.
Broadband and jobs are the topics.
But the message is that we need to take risks and push ourselves.
There is too much risk-avoiding in Brussels and in national capitals.
That has to stop or Europe has no future.
I refuse to just tick off the list of actions we created in 2010.
I don’t want that, that is lazy. Europe cannot afford laziness.
That is why I am here today with new priorities.
This is personal for me. I am 71; I don’t have to do this job.
But I want to. I want to because I am inspired by this new generation, and want them to see the value of Europe too.
I don’t want to say in 2014 that I am ashamed of not speaking, or regretting not acting.
Europe needs this.
The seven actions you can see from our press release, and on the screen behind me, revolve around broadband and getting the economy moving.
Some of it we already started- like stabilising regulation for broadband through to 2020.
In 2013 we will make that concrete, with a package of 10 actions just on broadband. It needs to be seen as a package, and it’s a balanced package. The markets have given positive reactions.
So the time for thinking and complaining is over.
2013 is all about doing. Here to read more.
