Taiwan and the EU have agreed to host a forum on the digital economy by the end of this year, National Development Council Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) said yesterday.
Chen, who led a delegation to Germany and the EU headquarters in Brussels from May 26 to Saturday, said delegation members and EU officials have reached an agreement on the organization of the forum.
It would be the first-ever forum on the digital economy held by Taiwan and the EU.
Although the two sides have yet to determine the forum’s topic, Chen said EU officials voiced concerns about the effects of the digital economy on the labor market and they said everyone should develop digital skills.
Chen said she also believed that the issues are important and expressed the hope that Taiwan would implement digital education from as early an age as possible to address the digital gap.
The digital economy is to play a more important role in global development, and Taiwan wants to have more partnerships and exchanges with the international community, Chen said.
Chen said she told the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology that Taiwan and the EU could have deeper interactions by replicating the Taiwan-US exchange model and by setting up a Taiwan-EU interactive platform.
The agency approved of her idea and proposed that the two sides immediately start discussions about the forum so that it can be held by the end of this year, Chen said.
“The EU Network and Information Security Agency has also set a timetable and hopes that the two sides would hold discussion over the summer and hold the meeting by the end of the year,” Chen said.
Taiwan and the US have organized similar forums that allow participants to exchange ideas and work out solutions to regulatory barriers, the National Development Council said, adding that the EU forum could serve a similar purpose.
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