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Ansip: Digital Single Market Must Be "Special Priority"
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip says he hopes the European Union will put more effort into setting up a functioning digital single market.
Delivering his annual report on his government's European Union policy to Parliament on December 13, Ansip reiterated that his country is not just in a receiving role and cited the example of the digital single market initiative co-introduced by Estonia.
"We must create opportunities for cross-border functioning of the economy in the digital sphere," said Ansip. "We must create a common platform for cross-border e-authentication, e-procurements, e-commerce, consumer protection and copyright."
Ansip expressed hope that the countries that will hold the presidency of the EU in the coming years - Poland and Denmark - would make the digital single market a "special priority."
"At stake is the question of Europe’s competitiveness. The question is about whether Europe will be able in future to offer highly-compensated high value-added jobs."
Ansip said Europe has 27 superb but different regulatory systems that in essence mean barriers to the functioning of a single market.