Orgalime welcomes the Commission Communication on ‘Digitising European Industry: reaping the full benefits of a Digital Single Market’. It is pleased to note that the Commission proposes measures which will at the same time will boost both digital innovation capacities and foster digital innovation in all industry sectors across Europe. 

The European engineering industries are the driving force incorporating digital innovation in all processes of manufacturing and in the wider industry and therefore play an essential role in bringing Europe’s economy back on track. Orgalime is pleased that the Commission recognises the core role of Europe’s manufacturing industry in this. 

Orgalime believes that the 5 areas identified as priorities in the Communication have to be implemented speedily for a number of reasons:

• to ensure a consistent legislative framework allowing for a level-playing field in the Digital Single Market
• to channel the foreseen €500 million R&D funding in the most effective way to ensure a maximum return on investments,
• to encourage cooperation of companies in Digital Innovation Hubs to grasp the opportunities offered by digitisation
• to trigger further public and private investments by reinforcing the coordination role of public private partnerships and supporting the building of the industrial platforms of the future.

However, Orgalime regrets that too little attention is paid in the Communication:

• to physical infrastructures, particularly to the roll out of broadband networks: beyond the set-up of the European Data Infrastructure, the full deployment of Directive 2014/61/CE on broadband cost reduction should be further supported
• to cybersecurity - a fundamental concern for most companies, but also an industry sector where the EU is strong. The Communication should have embraced much more than its standardisation part.

“Europe’s engineering industries are in the full throes of digitising their products, processes and with this, the services they offer to clients” commented Adrian Harris, Director General of Orgalime. “We see this Commission Communication as another core building block in the EU’s industrial policy and look forward to accompanying policymakers as they implement the actions proposed”.

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