Taiwan-EU digital economy dialogue to be staged virtually next month

Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) A second round of the Taiwan-European Union (EU) Dialogue on Digital Economy is scheduled to be staged in December, albeit in virtual format due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Development Council (NDC) announced Tuesday.

The annual dialogue, first launched last year to enhance Taiwan-EU exchanges in the digital economy field, was originally set to be held in Taipei this June but was postponed due to the pandemic, said NDC Deputy Minister Yu Chien-hwa (游建華).

The two sides recently agreed to hold the meeting in virtual format next month, with the exact date yet to be announced, said Yu.

The upcoming dialogue will focus on issues concerning overall digital policy, data economics, information security certification, artificial intelligence and blockchain, among other topics, according to Yu.

The inaugural dialogue was held in June 2019, when then-NDC Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) met with Roberto Viola, head of the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission in Brussels, according to the NDC.

Chang Hui-chuan (張惠娟), head of the NDC's Department of Overall Planning, said the annual dialogue was launched with the aim of allowing both sides to learn from each other's policies concerning the digital economy and to find future cooperation opportunities for Taiwanese businesses and their European counterparts.

Chang expressed hope that the Taiwanese side can learn from the EU's policies in related fields and in particular, glean more details on the EU's information security certification, while seeking potential bilateral cooperation opportunities during December's meeting.