Themes in data strategy: thematic analysis of ‘A European Strategy for Data’ (EC)

Abstract

AbstractIn March 2021, the European Commission announced Europe's Digital Decade (Europe’s Digital Decade: Commission sets the course towards a digitally empowered Europe by 2030. European Commission Press Release. Access on https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_983). Here the Commission sets the course towards a digitally empowered Europe by 2030. In February 2020, the European Commission published ‘A European Strategy for Data’ (European data strategy: Making the EU a role model for a society empowered by data. European Commission, February 2020. Access on: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019–2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-data-strategy_en (2020)) as part of a wider drive concerning digital transformation and policy. In this article, we analyse the publication as it touches on broader themes ranging from digital literacy, to cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence. Within this context, in this article, we use the EC publication as a point of departure to explore themes central to national and international digital transformation and policy writ large. As such, this article is to be read as a thematic analysis rather than a close reading of the EC’s publication. The article is divided into three parts: an executive findings and recommendations section (where our main findings are articled); Themes and Key Takeaways (where we thematically flesh out the document); and, EU Data Strategy document summary (where we provide an overview summary the document itself).