EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 21: Orienterende notat samt bilag vedr. underskrivelse af cloud-deklarationen

Europaudvalget 2020-21
EUU Alm.del Bilag 21
Offentligt

Member States Joint Declaration on Cloud

Informal Meeting of Ministers in charge of Telecommunications

–

15 October 2020

Building the next generation cloud for businesses and the public sector in the EU

Data is at the centre of the digital transformation and an essential resource for Europe’s

recovery, long-term competitiveness and climate sustainability.

The current COVID-19 crisis

has further highlighted how crucial the availability of a wide range of digital technologies is for

our economy and society. Cloud computing provides the data processing capacities required to

enable data-driven innovation, hence the urgent need to cooperate to foster

Europe’s

technological sovereignty and to ensure that our businesses and public sector have access to

resilient and competitive data storage and processing capacities.

Europe’s

leadership in this area

is essential to enable artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and 5G/6G. Europe should aim to

set global norms on data storage and processing and to maintain market openness and

international cooperation.

The benefits of cloud remain largely untapped by EU businesses and the public sector.

On the

supply side, investments have continuously increased despite the COVID-19 crisis. However the

public cloud infrastructure market is converging globally around four large non-European

players.

This raises concerns over

cloud users’

ability to maintain control over strategic and

sensitive personal and non-personal data. Also, commercial practices and a lack of

interoperability between cloud providers create risks of vendor lock-in,

undermining users’ trust

and cloud uptake. Europe is facing a great investment gap for cloud, estimated at

€11

billion

annually

, and needs to boost the development of a truly competitive EU cloud supply. A joint

European effort is needed to reverse this trend, by mobilising both users and suppliers.

The EU has a unique opportunity to address the need for more data sharing and

decentralised data processing, closer to the user (at the edge).

The volume of generated data

is greatly increasing and a growing proportion of data is being processed at the edge. The next

big wave of digital transformation will be powered by industrial data. To be ahead of the curve,

we need to ensure favourable conditions for EU businesses to develop cloud capacities with

global reach meeting the emerging needs of industrial data, especially in terms of processing

close to the user and guaranteeing

users’ data sovereignty.

To make the most out of the data we

produce, we also need to enable the deployment of EU data spaces in key public and private

sectors. Only by integrating data and network technologies at European scale can we attain the

next generation of resilient and competitive cloud offering. But we must act rapidly and together.

The next generation EU cloud offering should meet the needs of EU businesses and public

sector.

For this purpose, it should aim for the highest standards in terms of data protection,

cybersecurity, data portability/reversibility, interoperability, transparency, openness, energy

efficiency, performance and reliability. Completely interoperable, open, multi-vendor cloud

platforms and services, based on European, international or open source standards, will enable

Digital Economy and Society Index:

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/desi

Figures of IDC and Synergy Research Group.

SWD(2020) 98 final,

Identifying Europe's recovery needs:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?qid=1590742540196&uri=SWD%3A2020%3A98%3AFIN

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 21: Orienterende notat samt bilag vedr. underskrivelse af cloud-deklarationen

users to migrate effectively to the cloud, reaping its full economic benefits and availing of a high

degree of choice in the market.

As announced in the EU Data Strategy

, Member States and industry are invited to co-invest

with the Commission in the European cloud federation and common data spaces. The

Commission aims

at financing €2 billion

in this area over 2021-2027, drawing upon different

spending programmes including the Digital Europe Programme, Connecting Europe Facility 2

and the financial instrument InvestEU.

The proposed Recovery and Resilience Facility will

make additional financing available for Member States (20% of the Recovery and Resilience

Facility should be invested for the digital transition) to upgrade their existing data infrastructures

and stimulate cloud uptake.

As a result, the total funding in cloud and data could reach up to €10

billion.

The Member State Signatories agree to work together towards a European cloud

federation initiative to shape the next generation secure, energy-efficient and interoperable

cloud supply for Europe.

They agree to cooperate towards one set of common technical rules

and norms (future EU Cloud Rulebook) and the deployment of interconnected cloud capacities

across the EU, including common marketplaces. The implementation of the European cloud

federation initiative will be facilitated by the Commission, gathering as many European partners

as possible. It will be driven by the European Alliance for Industrial Data and Cloud and bring

together cross-border initiatives meeting the European requirements. Once operational, Member

States and industry will be free and without obligation to buy services provided by operators that

are part of European cloud federation.

The European cloud federation initiative will aim at creating synergies between national and

cross-border initiatives, to enhance and broaden their scale and coverage. The Gaia-X initiative

for

“a

European federated data infrastructure” is a leading example of a public-private initiative

aiming at a broad European scope. Together with this, many Member States already have

national cloud initiatives that can provide the basis for further cooperation, such as: the Polish

Common State IT Infrastructure Program (WIIP), Italian Cloud for public administration,

Belgium’s G-Cloud,

Estonia Government Cloud, French cloud strategy for public administration,

Spanish cloud strategy for the state public administration, Portugal’s National Cloud Strategy for

Public Administration, Greece’s G-Cloud,

Ireland’s G-Cloud, Austria’s

Ö-Cloud initiative and

Lithuania’s project on

the government infrastructure consolidation.

The Signatories agree to work together on the European cloud federation initiative, by:

1. Investing to shape the next generation of competitive cloud infrastructures and services for

businesses, the public sector or areas of public interest.



Stimulating the emergence of a

resilient and competitive European supply for the public

and private sector needs

of highly trusted, secure, interoperable and energy-efficient cloud

infrastructure and services, covering all architecture levels and encompassing the edge.

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-data-strategy_en

Without prejudice to on-going budgetary negotiations.

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 21: Orienterende notat samt bilag vedr. underskrivelse af cloud-deklarationen



Working together with the Commission to deliver options for a

European cloud federation

initiative, together with an ambitious investment plan,

gathering private, national and EU

efforts. The initiative will aim to interconnect data processing and storage infrastructures

across the EU territory, leading to the next generation of European cloud and edge services.

It will be complemented by new data sharing tools, architectures and governance

mechanisms for thriving data sharing, and efforts to develop relevant skills and competences.

Supporting the launch of a

European Alliance for Industrial Data and Cloud,

as the

driving force of the European cloud federation initiative. The Signatories agree to encourage

broad European industry participation across sectors in the Alliance. All interested Member

States should have the possibility to join the Alliance, which should ensure EU geographical

representativeness. The Alliance will be facilitated by the Commission. Building upon

existing industrial initiatives, it will have the mandate to design the detailed business,

investment and implementation plan to deploy the next generation cloud capacities for the

public and private sectors. It will also foster the emergence of

cross-sectoral data,

computing and industrial ecosystems.

Where possible,

mobilising national public and private funds to (co-)invest

in the pan-

European deployment of trusted, secure, interoperable, energy-efficient federated cloud

infrastructures and services, through an open and transparent process. Member States and

eligible countries should encourage public and private entities to leverage proposed EU

programmes and financial instruments, such as the proposed Invest EU, Digital Europe

Programme, Connecting Europe Facility, Horizon Europe and the Recovery Plan for Europe.

To modernise public sector cloud capacities, identifying, on a voluntary basis, appropriate

use cases for interconnecting

existing national, regional and/or local public sector cloud

capacities,

without prejudice to legitimate considerations related to national security. This

could enable public sector bodies to reduce their operating costs and carbon footprint,

stimulate cloud uptake and ultimately shape pan-European data storage and processing

capacities enabling a swift delivery of public services for EU citizens and businesses.

Striving to make the EU a worldwide data hub, by increasing the attractiveness of the EU for

data storage and processing activities towards relevant international partners.



2. Defining a common approach on federating cloud capacities at European level, notably by

creating synergies with and building on existing national initiatives.



Cooperating with the Commission to define and implement

common conditions of

participation in European cloud federation

through a set of norms (such as technical

standards, codes of conduct

and certifications, including those foreseen in EU legislation),

building on existing European initiatives. Cloud providers participating in European cloud

federation should guarantee European standards in terms of security, data protection,

consumer protection, data portability and energy efficiency and contribute to European

digital sovereignty, while meeting diverse cloud user needs and ensuring competitiveness.

They must provide adequate assurance and enable EU citizens, public sector and businesses

E.g. EU Codes of Conduct on data protection or

data portability (also known as ‘SWIPO’)

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 21: Orienterende notat samt bilag vedr. underskrivelse af cloud-deklarationen

to maintain control over strategic and sensitive data. In particular, while all cloud providers

are welcome in European cloud federation, the resulting cloud capacities should not be

subject to laws of foreign jurisdictions. In case providers are subject to such laws, they

should demonstrate that verified safeguards are in place in order to ensure that any access

request to data of EU citizens, businesses and entities is compliant with EU Law. This set of

norms should be compiled in an

EU Cloud Rulebook,

to foster broader market awareness

and adherence to these norms by cloud services operating in Europe. The Commission should

develop the Rulebook with close involvement of Member States, while taking into account

suppliers and users. It should be regularly updated, and stimulate the participation of SMEs

in European cloud federation.



Working towards

technical solutions for federating European cloud capacities (common

standards, profiles and technical specifications)

in order to ensure portability, trust, data

protection, security and interoperability. The signatories agree to cooperate with the

Commission and to encourage relevant stakeholders to formulate those technical

requirements, identify suitable standards and explore the need to develop new voluntary

European standard(s), in cooperation with existing European public and private initiatives.

Cooperating with the Commission in the

swift deployment of European data spaces,

amongst other by developing the framework for interoperability between industrial and

public partners of a data space using different cloud providers, which is essential for trust.

Supporting the deployment of

common and interoperable EU cloud marketplaces,

facilitated by the Commission, to help in particular public entities and SMEs to find the cloud

offering adapted to their needs and compliant with European legislation and values. This

includes encouraging relevant stakeholders and leveraging the Digital Europe Programme.

Such marketplaces could be built on existing public and/or private initiatives.



Driving the uptake of trustworthy, secure, and energy-efficient data processing capacities for

small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and public administration.



Acknowledging the

leading role of the public sector

in cloud and edge uptake, in particular

by: exploring the adoption and implementation of

‘cloud first’

and multi-cloud policies at

national, regional and local levels; recognising the need to develop

EU common

requirements and standards for cloud procurement,

in cooperation with the Commission

and existing initiatives, and implementing them in procurement procedures; considering

demand aggregation of public administrations, and subsequently by working towards

common cloud procurement.

Leading a shift towards

more secure and energy-efficient data centers and cloud services,

including by promoting the new EU green public procurement criteria services

procurement national action plans.

Supporting

advanced education, training and new digital skills

development related to

cloud computing, primarily for SMEs, start-ups and public sector, including by leveraging



https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/eu_gpp_criteria_en.htm

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 21: Orienterende notat samt bilag vedr. underskrivelse af cloud-deklarationen

the proposed Digital Europe Programme and by making use of EU structural funds, in line

with EU State aid rules.

Through the actions above, the Signatories agree to act decisively, in close cooperation with the

Commission, to achieve the

deployment of next generation cloud supply for EU businesses

and the public sector, ensuring a high degree of EU digital and data sovereignty,

by:



combining private, national and EU investment efforts;



aiming for high-level of trust, security, interoperability and energy-efficiency;



supporting the launch of the European Alliance for Industrial Data and Cloud, and

ensuring one set of common technical solutions and policy rules for cloud federation;



leading by example in the

uptake of cloud to boost Europe’s recovery

through digital.