Declaration on joining forces to boost sustainable digital transformation in cities and communities in the EU

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We, decision makers at all levels of government together with organisations and networks of cities and communities of all sizesEUROCITIES – the network of major European cities; Open and Agile Smart Cities (OASC); European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL)., believe that strong cooperation through multi-level governance in the EU and co-creation with citizens are key to our mission of turning our cities and communities into smart and sustainable places where people enjoy living and working. We aim for a cohesive, digital Europe, where every community can enjoy the economic and social benefits of this transformation, while making sure not to leave anyone behindAs recently stated in the Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions ‘Digital Europe for all: delivering smart and inclusive solutions on the ground’ (2019). We therefore underline the need for sufficient public and private investment in digital services, technologies, infrastructures and skills to achieve this goal.

At a time when our cities and communities are faced with a growing range of challenges, this declaration marks an important step in the launch of the ‘European way’ of digitally transforming cities and communities. This approach will ensure technological leadership in the EU while respecting European values and diversity, as well as individuals’ digital rights.

Although a number of initiativesE.g.: the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP SCC), the Digital Transition Partnership of the Urban Agenda for the EU (DTP UA), the Smart Cities Information System (SCIS), Horizon 2020 projects such as the Lighthouse projects and the IoT large-scale pilots, urban innovative actions, the URBACT programme, the EU cohesion policy and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and its communities, the Digital Cities Challenge (next phase, the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge will start in January 2020) and the Declaration of Cooperation on Digital Transformation and Smart Cities Growth signed by the mayors of all participating cities, the eGovernment action plan 2016-2020 and the Tallinn eGovernment ministerial declaration (2017) have led to successful innovative digital solutionsThe first version of the list is in the annexed input paper, and can be expanded over time., their impact on society as a whole remains limited and unevenly distributed across the EU. The extensive uptake and scaling up of these solutions are crucial to help our cities and communities meet their climate targets and reduce their environmental footprint. It will also encourage citizen participation, and help all types of businesses, including SMEs and start-ups, to prosper. It is time for all levels of government in the EU to join forces to scale up digital solutions so that at least 300 million Europeans can enjoy a better quality of life by 2025As stated in the Memorandum of Understanding on ‘Towards Open urban Platforms for Smart Cities and Communities’, EIP SCC, General Assembly, 21 May 2015 (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/memorandum-understan…).. Encouraging the use of commonly agreed digital solutions among regions, cities and communities will help close the digital divide and reduce inequalities for a stronger territorial cohesion.

Digital solutions underpinned by locally-generated data are essential for delivering more informed, innovative and high-quality services to the public and to businesses. These solutions include smart urban mobility, energy efficiency, sustainable housing, digital public services and civic-led governance. If the public is to trust these systems, data must be used responsibly through digital platforms, and its quality, security and privacy must be ensured.

Cooperation across geographical areas and between sectors will boost innovation and allow cities and communities to develop efficient, cost-effective and citizen-centric services. Therefore, the deployment and scaling up of open, interoperable, cross-sector and cross-border platforms as a means to boost digital transformation is at the heart of this declaration. This will help ensure technological sovereignty in the EU and the co-creation of digital solutions that do not lock our cities and communities into specific technologies.

The signatories agree on the following principlesThe full description of these principles is available in the annexed input paper.:

  • a citizen-centric approach;
  • a city-led approach at EU level;
  • the city as a citizen-driven and open innovation ecosystem;
  • ethical and socially responsible access, use, sharing and management of data;
  • technologies as key enablers;
  • interoperable digital platforms based on open standards and technical specifications, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and shared data models.

The signatories commit to developing together sustainable measures to:

Financial:

  • contribute on a voluntary basis to a joint investment plan to adopt and implement common existing digital solutions on a large scale in the EUWith full respect for the signatories’ legal and financial obligations.;
  • optimise synergies between EU, national, regional and local funds;
  • strengthen investment in local digital transformation from EU funds and programmes, to ensure an inclusive and sustainable Europe;
  • use common public procurement practices to jointly define specifications and reduce the cost of investing in successful digital platforms and related technologies.

Technical:

  • use a commonly agreed list of standards and technical specifications to achieve interoperability of data, systems, and platforms among cities and communities and suppliers around the worldThe first version of the list is in the annexed input paper, and can be expanded over time.;
  • make key enablers of city digital solutions — including data, infrastructure and services — available to all;
  • use a common marketplace to share data, digital services and solutions among cities and communities.

Legal:

  • assess the legislative measures needed to provide a common EU framework for cross-sector and cross-border digital solutions to cities and communities (e.g.: eIDConnecting Europe Facility electronic identification (eID) building block (https://ec.europa.eu/cefdigital/wiki/display/CEFDIGITAL/eID). schemes)

Education and capacity building:

  • develop administrative capacities to make the best of digitalisation and to avoid technology or vendor lock-in;
  • develop citizen-centric design approaches as a new competence for policy-making;
  • identify new skills needed by public authorities and businesses, and take action to ensure that people acquire these skills;
  • provide the public with the digital education and skills they need to benefit from smart city solutions and to participate in decision making;
  • develop a culture of having a co-creative, participative and cross-sector approach to designing and implementing smart and sustainable local solutions;
  • facilitate and coordinate activities including knowledge sharing, communication, dissemination and consultancy provision, to scale up successful digital solutions;
  • take advantage of opportunities that can accelerate deployment, such as Digital Innovation HubsA Digital Innovation Hub is a single organisation or coordinated group of organisations that supports companies and/or the public sector in their digital transformation by providing access to technical expertise and experimentation (‘test before invest’) as well as innovation services such as financing advice, training and skills development. More info at https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-innovation-hubs..

Monitoring and measuring:

  • help develop and implement a framework, built on existing methodologiesE.g.: The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is the composite index that summarises relevant indicators on digital performance in the EU and tracks the evolution of EU Member States in digital competitiveness (https://digital-agenda-data.eu/datasets/desi/visualizations), the Digital Cities Challenge self-assessment tool measured the cities’ technological transformation along 8 dimensions: https://www.digitallytransformyourregion.eu/assess-your-citys-digital-m…, to measure and monitor the benefits for citizens, public authorities, businesses and other stakeholders at local level.

A multi-level governance steering board will be set up in the first quarter of 2020 to progress on the above commitments and ensure that they are delivered by 2025. This steering board will join forces and resources and will improve stakeholder dialogue and collaboration in order to boost the sustainable digital transformation of cities and communities.

 

 

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INPUT PAPER

Principles for sustainable digital transformation of cities and communities in the EU

Citizen-centric approach

Europe’s digital transformation process is to be developed with, and for, people. Sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, sustainable production, clean air, efficient digital public services, accessible housing and waste management are at the core of smart and sustainable cities and communities, creating quality and qualified jobs and a more equal and inclusive society. Citizens have a key role to play in developing and implementing smart city strategies and solutions. Connecting and engaging with people while enabling them to play a role in policy-making and creating solutions is crucial for successful, smart cities and communities.

A city-led approach at EU level

Strategic cooperation at EU level to scale up digital solutions should benefit from a city-led approach. As the level of government closest to the citizens, local authorities are best placed to understand the needs of the local communities and to coordinate an integrated approach that connects local, regional, national and European businesses.

The city as a citizen-driven and open innovation ecosystem

Cities and communities are ideal real-life, large-scale testing grounds for digital solutions and can act as urban-living labs. Cities can lead stakeholder participation and ensure that the local community is actively involved in creating solutions. Open innovation, through which local stakeholders cooperate and take ownership of the agreed solutions, is vital for a successful digital transformation in the EU. Equally important is that cities and communities in the EU collaborate to make the most of economies of scale to foster investment in innovation.

Technologies as key enablers

Technologies are a means rather than an end in the digital transformation of our cities. The most advanced technologies with the simplest solutions is the ideal combination that will make our cities smart and sustainable.

Ethical and socially responsible access, use, sharing and management of dataEUROCITIES principles on citizen data (http://nws.eurocities.eu/MediaShell/media/EUROCITIES_citizen_data_princ…) and the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights (https://citiesfordigitalrights.org).

A vast quantity of digital data is produced every day. This data must be used responsibly and its quality, security and privacy ensured by design, to ensure public trust. Practices to be avoided include misuse of data — including unauthorised data sharing, reselling customer data, and biased algorithms that reinforce social inequalities. Digital data must be used in the public interest to improve decision making and public services. Local governments must support practices and initiatives that ensure a better use and management of data, including the once-only and privacy-by-design principles, algorithm transparency and the use of unbiased algorithms to improve quality of life and digital rights in cities and communities.

Interoperable digital platforms with open standards, APIs and shared data models

Urban platforms are the 'operating systems' of the services provided by smart cities. They are necessary for handling the growing range of stakeholders and data across various sectors. Interoperable urban platforms that promote open standards, APIs and shared data models are crucial for removing barriers such as vendor lock-in and non-interoperable proprietary protocols. Interoperable urban platforms are essential for developing and putting in place innovative and cost-effective solutions across the EU, since they create open and interoperable ecosystems and can be extended to serve as spaces for creative experimentation.

Existing successful digital solutions

EU-funded and local pilots as well as supporting actions and partnerships have produced standards, mechanisms, services, guidelines and tools that enable the interoperability of urban platforms, with a strong local impact and significant EU added value. Examples are listed below.

A ‘Consolidated Report of Technical Specifications’ has been prepared as a working documenthttps://living-in.eu/sites/default/files/files/Consolidated-Report-on-T… to support the action plan for the declaration.

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