State Secretary Andreja Metelko-Zgombić participated in a Ministerial Conference on Digital Response to COVID-19, co-organized via video link by Estonia and Singapore.
Addressing the conference, Metelko-Zgombić reflected on the events and circumstances that the Croatian presidency had been faced with in the past six months, of which COVID-19 has affected the priorities and work dynamic the most. Unable to hold in-person meetings, the Croatian presidency quickly shifted to a virtual mode, organizing around 70 ministerial videoconferences, including two meetings of telecommunication ministers precisely on the subject of digital response to COVID-19.
The state secretary said that the coronavirus pandemic had underlined the importance of boosting the EU’s resilience, also by strengthening digital sovereignty, as well as the importance of digital transformation in the post-crisis re-launching of economy.
The digital sector plays an important role in curbing the pandemic by implementing various mobile apps for informing and monitoring contacts. Metelko-Zgombić emphasized the need for these apps to ensure the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms so that the EU citizens could have trust in digital innovations. In addition, she stressed that digital literacy and education should play a key role in the digital transformation of societies so that no one would be left behind in the process, especially the most vulnerable members of society.