Data is at the heart of the EU’s digital transformation that is influencing all aspects of society and the economy. It is necessary for the development of artificial intelligence, which is one of the EU’s priorities, and presents significant opportunities for innovation, recovery after the Covid-19 crisis and growth, for example in health and green technologies.

Read more about big data opportunities and challenges

Responding to the European Commission’s European Strategy for Data, Parliament’s industry, research and energy committee called for legislation focussed on people based on European values of privacy and transparency that will enable Europeans and EU-based companies to benefit from the potential of industrial and public data in a report adopted on 24 February 2021.

The benefits of an EU data economy

MEPs said that the crisis has shown the need for efficient data legislation that will support research and innovation. Large quantities of quality data, notably non-personal – industrial, public, and commercial – already exist in the EU and their full potential is yet to be explored. In the coming years, much more data will be generated. MEPs expect data legislation to help tap into this potential and make data available to European companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and researchers.

Enabling data flow between sectors and countries will help European businesses of all sizes to innovate and thrive in Europe and beyond and help establish the EU as a leader in the data economy.

The Commission projects that the data economy in the EU could grow from €301 billion in 2018 to €829 billion in 2025, with the number of data professionals rising from 5.7 to 10.9 million.

Europe’s global competitors, such as the US and China, are innovating quickly and applying their ways of data access and use. To become a leader in the data economy, the EU should find a European way to unleash potential and set standards.

Rules to protect privacy, transparency and fundamental rights

MEPs said rules should be based on privacy, transparency and respect for fundamental rights. The frree sharing of data must be limited to non-personal data or irreversibly anonymised data. Individuals must be in full control of their data and be protected by EU data protection rules, notably the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The committee called on the Commission and EU countries to work with other countries on global standards to promote EU values and principles and ensure the Union’s market remains competitive.

European data spaces and big data infrastructure

Calling for the free flow of data to be the guiding principle, MEPs urged the Commission and EU countries to create sectoral data spaces that will enable the sharing of data while following common guidelines, legal requirements and protocols. In light of the pandemic, MEPs said that special attention should be given to the Common European Health Data Space.

As the success of the data strategy depends largely on information and communication technology infrastructure, MEPs called for accelerating technological developments in the EU, such as cybersecurity technology, optical fibres, 5G and 6G, and welcomed proposals to advance Europe’s role in supercomputing and quantum computing. They warned that the digital divide between regions should be tackled to ensure equal possibilities, especially in light of the post-Covid recovery.

Environmental footprint of big data

While data has the potential to support green technologies and the EU’s goal to become climate neutral by 2050, the digital sector is responsible for more than 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As it grows, it must focus on lowering its carbon footprint and reducing E-waste, MEPs said.

EU data sharing legislation

The Commission presented a European strategy for data in February 2020. The strategy and the White paper on artificial intelligence are the first pillars of the Commission’s digital strategy.

Read more about artificial intelligence opportunities and what the Parliament wants

The industry, research and energy committee expects the report will be taken into account in the new Data Act that the Commission will present in the second half of 2021.

Parliament is also working on a report on the Data Governance Act that the Commission presented in December 2020 as part of the strategy for data. It aims to increase data availability and strengthen trust in data sharing and in intermediaries.

Parliament is set to vote on the committee report during a plenary session in March.

When: Thursday 25 February at 15.30

Where: EP Press room and via Interactio

President David Sassoli is set to convey Parliament’s position and answer journalists’ questions regarding the EU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on the production and rollout of vaccines as well as on lessons learnt from the pandemic. He will also comment on the European Security and Defence Policy and EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood.

Interpretation will be available at the press conference in Italian, English, French and German.

Journalists wishing to actively participate and ask questions, please connect via Interactio by using this link.

You can also follow it live from 15.30 CET via Parliament’s webstreaming and EbS.

Information for the media – Use Interactio to ask questions

Interactio is only supported on iPad (with the Safari browser) and Mac/Windows (with the Google Chrome browser).

When connecting, enter your name and the media you are representing in the first name / last name fields.

For better sound quality, use headphones and a microphone. Interpretation is only possible for interventions with video.

Journalists are asked to connect a few minutes before the start of the press conference to perform a connection test. Technical assistance can be provided if necessary via the chat box.

For more details, check the connection guidelines and recommendations for remote speakers.

February 24, 2021 General

China: EUTM and RCD Focus – 2010 to 2019 Evolution & 2020 COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The remarkable growth in filings for EU trade marks and designs by Chinese applicants may have come to prominence during 2020 – especially following the onset of the COVID‑19 pandemic – but this story starts much earlier.

The latest China Focus Report was initially developed to study the exponential growth in interest from Chinese applicants over the decade from 2010 to 2019. This trend was clearly identified in the previously published EUIPO Trade Mark Focus and Design Focus reports and this new report provides more detailed information regarding top Chinese applicant/owner and class filing/registration volumes and rates, as well as data concerning straight-through applications and objection/deficiency rates.

However, the global COVID‑19 pandemic is currently impacting and disrupting human societies, provoking health and economic crises in major economies and developing countries. Several of the ‘Top 10’ countries, in terms of EUTM and RCD filings, are amongst the hardest hit. Therefore, the EUIPO feels that the picture would not be complete without an update on the impact this unprecedented upheaval is having on the filings for EU IP rights.

This analysis focuses specifically on the preponderant influence of demand from China on overall application volumes for both EUTMs and Direct RCDs since the pandemic began to spread globally, that is, during the first few months of 2020. This general expansion can clearly be seen in the notable increase in the Chinese share of overall EUTM filings (from 9.5 % in 2019 to 16.2 % in 2020) and Direct RCD filings (from 14.3 % in 2019 to 19.1 % in 2020).

The predominance of technology-based enterprises, such as Huawei, in the Top 10 ranking of EUTM applicants from China is echoed in the distribution of the Top 10 Chinese EUTM classes filed for, with Class 9 (electrical apparatus; computers) accounting for 20 % of all Chinese EUTM class filings from 2010 to 2019.

The most relevant fluctuation in Chinese EUTM class filings for 2020 concerns Class 10 (medical apparatus & instruments). Indeed, more than 25 % of overall Class 10 filings in 2020 originated from Chinese applicants. This fact demonstrates a strong correlation between the increased global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and Chinese efforts to meet this demand by significantly increasing their production and supply of goods such as medical-grade gloves and masks.

For more detailed information on how increasing Chinese demand for EU IP rights is impacting overall filing dynamics, please read the new China: EUTM and RCD Focus – 2010 to 2019 Evolution & 2020 COVID‑19 Impact Analysis

• Total financing reached €5.2 billion
• One third of the financing contributed to build resilience against the pandemic
• 41% of the funds supported climate action and environmental sustainability, making 2020 a record year for EIB green investments in Poland
• Financing for innovation included projects in renewable energy, mobility and biotech

In a year heavily marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIB Group confirmed its strong support to the Polish economy, providing €5.2 billion of overall financing to the country’s public and private sectors. Volumes delivered in 2020 were largely in line with the trend of the previous years, a sign that the country responded swiftly to the pandemic and continued to invest in the future despite the forced downturn.

Loans granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) amounted to €4.6 billion, while the European Investment Fund (EIF) provided €660 million in guarantees and equity investments to small and medium-sized businesses and mid-caps. In absolute terms, Poland was the fifth biggest recipient of EIB Group financing among the 27 EU Member States after Italy, France, Spain and Germany.

This overall financing represents around 1% of Poland’s GDP, making the country the first recipient of EIB Group financing on a “per GDP basis” among the 15 largest EU economies.

 “If anything can be learnt from the past year, it is that emergency action can and must be accompanied by investments in the future. It is indeed significant that in 2020 the EIB Group not only maintained a high level of support to the Polish economy, but it also managed to invest around one third of its funds into COVID-19 related response initiatives and around 40% into climate action and environmental sustainability. We scaled up our green financing and we will continue to do so this year, while helping the public and private sectors to cope with the pandemic. A green recovery and support for innovation are two goals shared by Poland and the EIB” – said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska, who is in charge of operations in Poland.

“A sustainable development and climate action are very important goals for Poland. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown clearly that we also have to invest much more in the digital area. Development of cutting-edge technologies will be crucial in the process of digitalization of our economies and will help our citizens in their work and various social activities. I encourage the EIB to back Poland in financing our digital projects” – said Tadeusz Kościński, Minister of Finance, Development Funds and Regional Policy.

COVID-19 response

The EIB provided support to the government’s Anti-Crisis plan to fight the pandemic and its economic and social consequences, with a EUR 650m loan to the Ministry of Finance for COVID-19 financing, which was signed in September. A milestone was the first operation in December with the development fund Polski Fundusz Rozwoju (PFR), which saw the EIB engaged in a bond buying operation for PLN 500m (€110 million) to support the Financial Shield Program, a key nationwide initiative that aims to protect employment and ensure access to financing during a period of severe economic disruption. A second bond buying operation for PLN 2 bn was signed in early February 2021.  

Other operations included loans to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and to municipalities. A EUR 10 m loan to Scope Fluidics came in support of the biotech sector, contributing to research on diagnostics, including for infectious diseases like COVID-19.

Overall EIB Group financing for projects and initiatives linked to the pandemic response in Poland corresponded to about one third of the total financing to the country last year.

Green recovery, energy transition and mobility

The EIB scaled up its financing in support of Poland’s energy transition. Two major operations were signed with Pomerania Wind Farm, a local subsidiary of the Lithuanian group Ignitis Renewables, and with the German developer company wpd AG, for the construction of on shore wind farms. The latter project was financed jointly with Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) and received the backing of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). 

The EIB also signed its first operation to build solar plants with Energy Solar Projekty, a subsidiary company of the Energy and Infrastructure SME Fund managed by the Lithuanian-based investment management company Lords LB Asset Management.  

Two operations signed last year are helping to create around Wroclaw an ecosystem for the production of electrical vehicle batteries. In March, the EIB signed a €480 million loan agreement with LG Chem Wroclaw Energy, the Polish subsidiary of the LG Chem Group, for the construction and operation of highly automated and innovative manufacturing facilities for advanced lithium-ion (li-ion) cells and batteries for battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs). In June, the Bank signed a €125 million loan with Umicore, the Belgian-based global materials technology and recycling group, to finance the greenfield production facility for cathode materials that will be supplied to battery manufacturers of high-tech lithium-ion batteries, including LG Chem.

The EIB continued to finance the sustainable development and revitalization plans of Polish cities and regions. In 2020, 17 cities and regions received EIB loans, for PLN 4.4 billion (equivalent to approximately €1 billion) in aggregate. The first EIB loan to a Polish city below 100.000 people (Ostrow Wielkopolski) was signed in September thanks to a joint financing scheme launched with BGK that will be followed by more such loans under a new PLN 700m programme for small and medium municipalities approved at the end of 2020.

Within its urban financing, the EIB also supported environmental-friendly public transport in cities, including the metro in Warsaw, tramways in Krakow and commuter trains in the Tri-City (Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot). National rail networks PLK and PKP Cargo also received backing.

Overall, in 2020, climate action and environmental sustainability projects reached 41% of the total EIB group financing in Poland (record year).

EFSI: Poland part of the success story of the Juncker Plan

Poland has also been an important recipient of funds under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe (Juncker Plan), a joint initiative of the EIB and the European Commission running between 2015 and 2020.

As of 31 December 2020, approved financing under EFSI reached €4,2 billion (of which €276 million in 2020), which are expected to trigger €21,9 billion of mobilised investments. This made Poland rank fifth among EU countries in terms of funds received. The EIB Group looks forward to making the most of InvestEU, the successor of EFSI under the European budget 2021-2027.

To learn more about the EIB in Poland:

Poland page

List of 2020 press releases: link

February 24, 2021 General

IP pre-diagnostic (IP Scan) training session

On 24-26 February, 120 intellectual property experts from across the EU will follow the online IP pre-diagnostic (IP Scan) training session organised by the EUIPO as part of the SME Fund initiative which offers financial support to European SMEs.

The training programme covers a variety of topics such as IPRs and Soft IP, IP internationalisation and commercialisation, as well as IP and innovation. Practical sessions with guest SMEs will take place and they will have the opportunity to explain to the participants what they expect from an IP pre-diagnostic (IP Scan) exercise.