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With today’s (6 May) publication of the ‘Digital Single Market Package’, the European Commission is presenting a bundle of measures aimed at following up on the goals and priorities set by the EU’s Digital Agenda for Europe. Digitalisation constitutes huge opportunities to enhance EU growth and productivity and to create quality employment. At the same time, however, digitalisation may also lead to further rises in inequality, job losses, and unjust societies. Digital innovation is therefore a double-edged sword that should be regulated wisely.

The Commission’s political initiatives under the heading of ‘Digital Single Market’ shows what its primary goal is: the creation of a single market for digital transactions.  The package also outlines initiatives in the fields of vocational training and promotion of innovation in the public sector. Yet, including such measures in the single market package makes them appear as support initiatives seeking to support the digital economy in populating the digital single market and not as measures intended to ensure fair labour market outcomes and cohesive societies.

Already before, European politics and policies have made the mistake to focus solely on the creation of a single economy, arguing that the single market would automatically create better employment conditions and better access to high quality services. In reality though, the single market for services has meant increased competition going hand in hand with cost pressure and erosion of quality. For workers, this means deterioration of working conditions, atypical employment and difficult access to vocational training.

UNI Europa’s will constructively accompany the changes digitalisation will bring – stressing the importance of tapping the digital potentials in a way that they advance quality jobs, common welfare, social justice and social innovation in Europe. That means ensuring training and re-training for workers, encouraging social innovation and investment to create jobs.

Digitalisation and a European digital single market have a huge potential – but that potential needs to be tapped into by means of active social and employment policy. Unleashing market forces – yet again – will not do the trick!