The Belgian Presidency looks to support future generations with online safety, lead efforts on safe AI, and support network investments through the Gigabit Infrastructure Act
Spanish presidency hands a strong legacy, including the near-finished AI Act
On 1 January 2024, Belgium assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU, in the midst of the evolving stage of geopolitics and technology. Within telecoms and technology, the previous presidency, Spain, focused on the regulation of AI systems, reducing costs of rolling out high-speed networks, and promotion of the new European digital identity. Although the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated Spain’s presidency, there were some notable telecoms-based advancements. The Data Act was adopted in November 2023 and will become enforceable in 2025, and political agreement on the flagship Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act was reached just prior to the end of 2023. With a finalised text due 22 January, eyes will remain on France, Germany and Italy to make any specific requests of the text following their dissent in earlier negotiations during the trilogue process. Technical meetings have commenced to prepare the final text which will require approval from Member States and Parliament for final adoption.
Protecting future generations
Belgium has taken the helm of the presidency with the motto ‘Protect. Strengthen. Prepare.’, focusing on providing support for future generations through the concerns of the environment and online safety. The new incumbent will be continuing the progression of the green transition with finalisations needed on the Net Zero Industry Act and the scope of the Right to Repair Directive. The Right to Repair Directive will push towards a more circular economy for electronics, including smartphones as part of the Green Deal. With the EU elections approaching in June 2024, the time crunch is on for a final draft of the new legislation to fight child sexual abuse online. At present the proposed draft takes advantage of AI and will require platforms, such as WhatsApp, to scan and report illegal communications between minors and potential offenders. Principal among the sticking points of the draft are cybersecurity and privacy implications with Austria, Germany, and Poland yet to agree.
The final stretch for the Gigabit Infrastructure Act
Following on the heels of AI, the Council adopted a common position on the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) last term. The aim of GIA is to reduce costs of network deployment, and to facilitate the growing demand for data-intense connectivity. A joint statement was released, in December, from the European telecoms industry highlighting concerns that remain around the lack of difference between the draft text and and the existing Broadband Cost Reduction Directive. A clause which was explicitly opposed in the joint statement, and is likely to be a point of contention, is the proposal for the abolishment of fees for intra-EU communications, with the current caps due to expire in May 2024. Trilogues are expected to be concluded by the end of February 2024 with the Belgian Presidency responsible for finessing the details and getting it across the finish line.
