Digital Agenda for Europe Survey, Answers from Antwerp City

EU local and regional authorities contributing to the

Mid-term review of Europe 2020

Assessment of the Digital Agenda for Europe flagship initiative

Three years after its launch, the Committee of the Regions will take stock of the Digital Agenda for Europe flagship initiative at a conference to be held on 2 July 2013 in Brussels. This conference will be the fifth in a series of CoR events and monitoring initiatives surrounding the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014. More news on this conference can be found on the CoR website[1].

By participating in this survey, you will:

ensure that your views are taken into account in the debate held during the conference;

contribute to the fourth CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, to be published in October 2013;

contribute to the CoR's consultative activity in this field over the coming months;

contribute to the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014.

If you wish to participate in this survey, Please complete this questionnaire in any eu language, using the spaces provided, and return it in text format to:

by 27May 2013

For more information on this survey and for details on how to join the

Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, go to:

The questionnaire is available on this website in all official languages of the EU

Contributor information[2]

Name of sender: / Milan Rutten
Contact details:
(address, telephone, email) /
Stad Antwerpen, Grote Markt 1, 2000 Antwerpen
On behalf of:
(name of local or regional authority) / Stad Antwerpen (City of Antwerp)
Type of organisation / City/Town/Municipality Region
County/Province
Association of local and/or regional authorities
Other (please specify)
Country: / Belgium
Member of the EUROPE 2020 Monitoring Platform: / Yes No

Policy challenges and responses at regional and local level

BOX 1 – Digital Agenda for Europe: basic information
The Digital Agenda for Europe was adopted in 2010, as an integral part of the Europe 2020 strategy[3], to stimulate the digital economy and address societal challenges through Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The flagship initiative aims to speed up the roll-out of high-speed Internet and reap the benefits of a digital single market for households and firms in Europe. The Digital Agenda contains 101 actions, in 7 pillars[4], which will help to reboot the EU economy and enable Europe's citizens and businesses to get the most out of digital technologies.
1. Digital Single Market. The Digital Agenda will update EU Single Market rules for the digital era. The aims are to boost the music download business, establish a single area for online payments, and further protect EU consumers in cyberspace.
2. Interoperability and Standards.Europe must ensure that new IT devices, applications, data repositories and services interact seamlessly anywhere. The Digital Agenda identifies improved standard-setting procedures and increased interoperability as the keys to success.
3. Trust and security. The Digital Agenda proposes a number of practical solutions, including a coordinated European response to cyber-attacks and reinforced rules on personal data protection.
4. Fast and ultra-fast access to the Internet. To match world leaders like South Korea and Japan, Europe needs download rates of 30 Mbps for all of its citizens and at least 50% of European households subscribing to internet connections above 100 Mbps by 2020.
5. Research and Innovation. Currently, EU investment in ICT research is still less than half US levels. The Digital Agenda seeks to maintain Europe's competitive edge through increased coordination and elimination of Europe's fragmented efforts.
6. Enhancing digital literacy, skills and inclusion. Over 50% of Europeans use the internet daily – but 30% have never used it at all. As ever more daily tasks are carried out online, everyone needs enhanced digital skills to participate fully in society.
7. ICT-enabled benefits for EU society. The Digital Agenda focuses on ICTs' capability to reduce energy consumption, support ageing citizens' lives, revolutionises health services and deliver better public services.
A specific scoreboard measuring Member State performance and progress hasbeen especially designed to provide analysis and detailed data on all the policy areas covered by the Digital Agenda[5].
You can find more information on the Digital Agenda for Europe, as seen from thelocal and regional authorities' viewpoint, in the Committee of the Regions' publication Delivering on the Europe 2020 Strategy Handbook for Local and Regional Authorities[6]. General information on Europe 2020 can be found on the strategy's official website[7].
1) What are the main challenges currently facing your region/city in terms of (i) access to the Internet, (ii) e-Governance, and (iii) computer literacy?
i)In the city of Antwerp, as in the whole of Belgium, there is still no widespread offer of free wi-fi. In the 2013-2018 management agreement the city therefore stated its intention to explore the possibilities of providing wi-fi hot spots in Antwerp. The provision of free wi-fi points in public places is a sort of back-up to the e-inclusion efforts. This of course contributes towards better and affordable broadband access. As regards affordable broadband access, obviously the efforts of the federal government remain crucial.
ii)The city of Antwerp is preparing for a digital revolution in the field of communication and service. On the one hand, the city wants to communicate in a personalised and interactive way with its inhabitants. For this purpose, a new digital platform is being developed that will replace the current site 2014. Via one login, citizens will be able to organise all their contacts with the city (e.g. replies to messages, applications, documents, etc). On the other hand, the city will offer digital services as much as possible. Residents can then basically deal with the administrative processing of a certain number of local products and services completely digitally (e.g. changes of address, moving house, etc).
Modernising the digital platform requires above all a budgetary investment, but that is included in the general budget. However, enough digital applications must be in place to make using the platform worthwhile for consumers (e.g. "renewing a book loan from the library" is a widely used application, unlike, say, "applying for a fishing permit"). Adjusting the various work processes so as to be able to achieve digitisation in the back office is a complex task. There is little sense, for instance, in making it possible to rent a sport hall digitally if the venue capacity cannot be entered digitally too.
Next, a government has to win the trust of the user. People now easily make use of online services such as Amazon or Google. In principle, a local authority should be able to obtain a similar degree of confidence. A high level of security and personal data protection play an important role here.
iii)Depending on the research method used, around 10 to 20 % of Antwerp's inhabitants have little or no access to the internet. This is called the first-grade digital divide. A government can close this gap by, among other things, providing more free wi-fi points or stimulating affordable broadband access. But the biggest challenge lies in bridging the second-grade digital divide. This concerns the machinery of social exclusion caused by differences in use and skills. In a diverse city like Antwerp with more than 170 different nationalities, this is no easy task. Indeed, factors such as education or language deficiency have a major impact.
2) Which of the aims of the Digital Agenda for Europe (listed in Box 1) are most relevant in view of the challenges currently facing your city/region?
The following objectives as defined in the Digital Agenda are most relevant in the light of the challenges outlined:

Trust and security: research has shown that the majority of citizens are willing to enter into contact with the government digitally but that privacy and personal data protection are an issue. Thus, the sharing of data by various government agencies is not automatically accepted. In practice, however, this may increase the provision of services. So, that is one digital dilemma.
Fast and ultra-fast internet connections: as shown in the Digital Agenda this is crucial for economic competitiveness. For a city like Antwerp, where the port plays a very important role and which is heavily committed to the creative economy, this is a logical focus.
Research and innovation: as mentioned in the previous point, the city of Antwerp's main economic assets are the port and the creative economy. Support or better coordination in the field of research and innovation are more than welcome here.
Improving digital literacy and e-inclusion: in the reply to question 1) iii), the challenge of e-inclusion was outlined. The city of Antwerp is consciously opting for a digital strategy, but all residents will have to be involved.

3) Please briefly describe what type of policy programmes/actions are being implemented in your city/region in the policy areas covered by the Digital Agenda for Europe, highlighting their specific contribution to the above aims.
i)The city has drawn up an ambitious programme for achieving a new digital communication strategy: (only available in Dutch).
The aim is to give all users digital access to the city in as personalised and relevant a way as possible - so they can find out about services and products, be inspired or have a conversation with the city itself - wherever, whenever and however they want. Users can count on having a high-quality digital experience, which is in line with international standards and trends.
This can only be achieved if users trust the government. In developing the digital platform it will therefore be necessary to pay attention to the protection of personal data. The city plans to provide full transparency on the use of data.
ii)As regards free wi-fi points or access to fast internet connections, we have examined whether the existing wi-fi network can be thrown open for public use in all official, public city locations. In addition, freely accessible and efficient wi-fi zones could be provided in prominent public places such as squares, parks and shopping streets. Such wi-fi zones could possibly be made operational through cooperation with private initiatives or public-private partnerships with operators.
iii)To address the problem of digital illiteracy, public access points are being brought online. These access points are provided in such places as libraries, community centres or schools. In Antwerp we call these "digi points." The digi points are organised in deprived areas and pay particular attention to disadvantaged groups. The city is investigating whether these free computer sites can be extended. Civil society or intermediate organisations, such as senior citizens' associations or organisations for the poor, are also encouraged to set up accessible workplaces.
Afterwards, consideration will be given to the proposal to target digital projects in specific areas as an innovative approach tobringing in e-inclusion. Joint creation with the target group is an important starting point. The advantage is that residents (and residents' groups) are more directly motivated to pass on their digital knowledge and skills and then tomove on and take part in local actions - whether digital or not.
4) CoR opinions from October 2010[8] and October2011[9]relating to the Digital Agenda for Europe identified, among others, a particular need to: i) create local digital agendas to speed up the optimal use of ICT through orchestrated local, regional and European cooperation, ii) improve interoperabilityand e-government by developing new applications such as human-centred e-services, e-learning, e-health and e-administration,iii) ensure equaland affordable broadband accesseverywhere and lead pilot projects aimed at closing the accessibility gap and iiii)ensure that security requirements are met at every level so as to guarantee optimum levels of privacy and protection of personal data.
Has your city/region currently adopted specific policies in these fields? Has your city/region adopted a local/regional digital agenda?
As previously stated, various measures in these policy areas were put forward in the digital communication strategy which was approved in April this year by the Antwerp city council. At the same time the digital communication strategy forms the basis for the digital agenda of the city of Antwerp.
The digital agenda of the city largely stresses the same things as Europe, with ample attention being paid to having an efficient e-government and e-services, affordable internet access, user privacy and protection of personal data. Obviously, the city's digital agenda is geared less to general norms and standards, but more to achieving concrete and relevant applications for the public. Attention to open standards and open data are indeed an integral part of the urban digital agenda.

How is the Digital Agenda for Europe relevant to your city or region?

BOX 2 – Digital Agenda for Europe: 2012 update
The flagship initiative of the Digital Agenda of Europe, as reviewed by the Commission in December 2012[10], identifies several important areas where more focused action is needed in order to create growth and jobs in Europe. The review comes at a time when more needs to be done to revive Europe's economic performance and when the digital economy is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy. The seven priorities/transformative actions for 2013-2014 are:
1) Create a new and stable broadband regulatory environment.
2) New public digital service infrastructures through the Connecting Europe Facility[11]
3) Launch Grand Coalition on Digital Skills and Jobs
4) Propose EU cyber-security strategy and Directive
5) Update the EU's copyright framework
6) Accelerate cloud computing[12] through public sector buying power
7) Launch new electronics industrial strategy – an "Airbus of Chips"
In particular, Europe needs a 'wake-up call' on high-speed broadband. High-speed internetis the basis for the digital economy; without it, essential services such as cloud computing,eHealth, smart cities, audiovisual services – and the benefits thereby derived – will simply not take off.
5) The Digital Agenda for Europeas updated by the Commission in December 2012, sets out a "Digital Agenda Review" based on the seven priorities/transformative actions presented in Box 2 above.
Which of these actions are most relevant to your specific local/regional situation?
For the city of Antwerp, the following priorities are most relevant:

Digital public services: the city is striving to achieve modern customer management. A digital approach is a crucial part of this. It offers citizens the opportunity to have an administrative request handled completely digitally smoothly, without having to come in person to a counter.
Investing in digital skills and jobs: broadening and renewing economic activity is important for the competitiveness of the city of Antwerp. European reports have stressed the potential of digitisation more than once, especially as regards job creation. Given the high level of youth unemployment in the city - especially among ethnic minorities - increasing digital literacy among disadvantaged groups is essential. The digital agenda also offers more opportunities in the creative economy, and thus job creation.
Guarantees in the field of cyber-security and personal data protection: the importance here of winning the public's confidence has already been extensively discussed.
High-speed broadband connections: fast and efficient broadband has an impact on all previous points and is pretty much the leitmotif running through the digital story.

6) Which of the actions and priorities under the Digital Agenda for Europe (set out in Box 2) are the most difficult to achieve in your city/region? Please, explain why.
Investing in digital skills or eliminating the digital divide requires a focused and intensive approach. Digital skills are becoming increasingly important in order to increase the chances of success in the labour market (as more and more applications are completely digital). So it is crucial to boost digital skills in problem neighbourhoods or among the unskilled.
Personal data protection is a new factor, especially because of the complexity of different links (if we want to optimise services we must be able to exchange data, but with respect for privacy). A clear general framework here is more than worthwhile. This also applies to directives in the field of cyber-security and the stability of the "cloud."
From a local viewpoint, the EU's copyright framework plays a much more minor role.
7) Overall, what are the strong and weak pointsof the Digital Agenda for Europe, as seen from your regional/local standpoint?
The emphasis on innovation and security are the strong points. Several governments are making a start on innovation and creative economics and recognise the role of digitisation but are often still looking for specific levers or "incentives." And for the security aspect, there is indeed a need for an overarching European approach.
The city's digital agenda has been deliberately kept broad (see next question). It is all about personalised and targeted communication, the provision of services and e-services, conversation, participation in policy and open data. And about e-inclusion. There the two agendas sometimes differ. That in itself is no problem, but the opportunities as regards communication and participation in policy, while they are relevant in supporting any policy, are not discussed so much.
8) Would you recommend any specific changes to the Digital Agenda for Europe, following Europe 2020's mid-term review in 2014?
The digital agenda must be kept sufficiently broad. Digital is much more than an IT story. It is about providing services for citizens, how to communicate directly with them, what information is relevant to them, how a government should interact or how it should organise participation in policy in a digital manner. The agenda largely succeeds there, but aspects such as communication, participation and open data, which in other European forums are discussed and are important as regards innovation and public services, form an integral part of a digital agenda.

Are your country's policies relevant to your city or region?