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Latvia’s authorities meet open technologists

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Category: Blog

Created on Friday, 22 January 2016 13:12

The smart city activities of Riga and the intelligent transport systems devised by Latvia’s state road department are two of the many topics in next week’s “Open Technologies and Smart Solutions” conference. The meeting on 28 January is organised by Latvia’s Open Technology Association (LATA).

The use of open technology and open standards are essential prerequisites for the creation of smart solutions, and key to ensuring interoperability of devices and platforms, emphasises LATA in a conference announcement.

Riga city council member Agris Ameriks will explain what Riga has accomplished so far, and present the city’s future plans. A second presentation, byIT manager Boris Jeļisejevs, details the Latvian State Roads’ Intelligent Transport System. The goal of this traffic information project is to increase the efficiency and safety of transport.

“The LATA conference is about sharing knowledge, and for discussing smart technologies that emphasise security, privacy, data storage and ICT management aspects”, says LATA’s conference organiser Ieva Vītolina. She expects the conference to attract some 200 participants. “The target groups include ICT experts and policy makers, researchers, and public administrations.”

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Save-the-date: Digital4EU Stakeholder Forum on February 25th, 2016 in Brussels

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Category: Blog

Created on Thursday, 17 December 2015 09:12

Digital4EU 2016 will consist of five sessions covering different areas related to the Digital Single Market:

• The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) mobilising digital projects
• Delivering the Digital Single Market – from the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) to action
• The right infrastructure for a data-driven economy
• Innovate, start and scale up
• Data as the fuel for our new economy

Vice-President Andrus Ansip (@Ansip_EU), responsible for the Digital Single Market and Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger (@GOettingerEU), responsible for the Digital Economy and Society will deliver keynote speeches. The conference will be opened by Roberto Viola (@ViolaRoberto), Director-General at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technologies (DG CONNECT).

Digital4EU 2016 is the second edition of the #Digital4EU Stakeholder Forum, held in February 2015, which focused on President Jean-Claude Juncker's digital priorities.

When? 8.30 - 19.00, 25 February 2016,

Where? Charlemagne building, Rue de la Loi 170, B-1000  Brussels, Belgium. Live coverage of the event will also be provided via web-streaming.

How do I participate? Registration will open in January 2016.

More information on this and further details on the programme will be available on the event's webpage.

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Italy’s ICT skills gap not closing, study shows

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Category: Blog

Created on Wednesday, 20 January 2016 13:14

In Italy, the gap between workers’ available ICT skills and required ICT skills shows no sign of closing, according to a study by Italian ICT and telecom trade groups. An inventory of available ICT skills shows that workers in public administrations are lagging far behind those in the commercial sector. In the latter, workers have attained some 71% of the required ICT skills, in public administrations this figure standst at just under 40%.

Italy needs a long-term strategy for improving ICT skills, the study concludes.

The report, published on 15 January, is promoted by the Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale (AGID) - the country’s Agency for the Digitalization of the Public Sector.

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Towards a modern, more European copyright framework: Commission takes first steps and sets out its vision to make it happen

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Created on Thursday, 17 December 2015 09:10

On 9 December 2015 the European Commission unveiled its vision to modernise the EU copyright rules.

As announced in the 2016 Commission Work Programme, the Digital Single Market Strategy will be taken forward in the area of copyright with a step-by-step approach.

As a first step, the Commission adopted a legislative proposal on cross-border portability (FR - DE), which will ensure that subscribers to online content services can continue using them while temporarily present in another Member State.

Further measures will follow in 2016, as set out in the Commission Communication (FR - DE]. The Commission's action plan is built on four complementary pillars:

1. Widening online access to content across the EU, including in the light of the results of the review of the Satellite and Cable Directive ;
2. Adapting exceptions to copyright rules to a digital and cross-border environment, focussing in particular on those exceptions and limitations which are key for the functioning of the digital single market and the pursuit of public policy objectives (such as those in the area of education, research - including text and data mining - and access to knowledge);
3. Creating a fair marketplace, including as regards the role of online intermediaries when they distribute copyright-protected content;
4. Strengthening the enforcement system.

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