Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri, together with other EU Ministers signed an EU ministerial declaration that confirms the willingness of member states to position Europe as the lead market for 5G. The signing took place during an informal meeting of ministers of competitiveness and telecommunications in Tallinn Estonia, which is now hosting the EU Presidency.

The declaration indicates the steps member states have to take to foster the swift roll-out of 5G infrastructure and related services across Europe. It emphasises on the need to create the right preconditions to leverage the full potential of 5G and proposes a strategic dialogue with stakeholders on 5G challenges. The declaration will be signed by telecommunications ministers of EU member states during the informal meeting in Tallinn Estonia next week.

5G is a critical element to enhance connectivity and ensure that consumers and businesses can become more competitive in Europe. It is expected that future 5G infrastructure will serve a wide range of applications and sectors including professional uses such as assisted driving, eHealth, energy management, possibly safety applications.

This meeting addressed the necessity to facilitate the data economy, especially with respect to the free flow of data, an essential element that will help the Maltese Government to develop and implement its planned blockchain strategy in various sectors of the economy. Having such a strategy will enable Malta to harness blockchain technology in several government areas such as facilitating trade between EU countries. The Maltese Government sees this economic strategy as a key opportunity for the creation of an innovative industry with great potential for the Maltese economy.

Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri said the Maltese Government agrees that actions should be taken at EU level in order to facilitate access to and reuse of data across different sectors and organisations in member states. This would improve the overall competitiveness and ensure that resources are used efficiently.