Nicosia: Promoting the use of AI by businesses, children’s online protection, and the protection of critical infrastructure are on the agenda of the informal meeting of Telecommunication and Digital Policy Ministers, held in Nicosia on Thursday under Cyprus’ EU Presidency. “We feel these are three of the main persistent dimensions of our shared digital agenda, items that we have not exhausted and where further exchange of practical views is still needed to collectively move forward and also keep the momentum of the discussion,” Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, said, opening the meeting.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the agenda aims to tackle critical issues that shape the capacity to act, innovate, and protect from a practical angle. Damianou stated that discussions would begin with a focus on accelerating the adoption of trustworthy AI across the European Union, emphasizing the transition from policy frameworks and pilot projects to large-scale implementation. The discussions will explore how national and EU-level initiatives can align to accelerate AI uptake, ensuring AI delivers tangible benefits for citizens, businesses, and public services.
The second session will address strengthening the protection of minors online, an issue of increasing concern across Europe. Damianou emphasized the importance of consistent protection and effective safeguards across the digital single market as digital risks evolve. He noted that several Member States are announcing practical steps to address these concerns.
EU Ministers were also scheduled to discuss the protection of Europe’s critical infrastructures and strengthening collective resilience during an informal lunch. Damianou highlighted the goal of moving beyond merely discussing policy frameworks towards deploying policy decisions and tools for Europe’s relevance in the digital world. He stressed the importance of protecting individuals and children during the technological transition to a digital reality.
Damianou mentioned that the meeting was originally planned for March but postponed due to the situation in the Middle East. He assured that Cyprus remains committed to stability, diplomacy, and international law, with no ongoing disruptions to public safety or operations.
In her statements, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, outlined the three important topics for discussion. She emphasized supporting AI usage, noting only 20% of European businesses used AI last year. She also highlighted the importance of protecting minors and strengthening cybersecurity for critical infrastructure.
Spain’s Minister for Digital and Civil Service, “scar Lopez, reiterated the importance of children’s protection, noting that only France and Spain have adopted minimum age requirements for social media use. He advocated for a European common ground and regulation on this issue. Regarding AI, Lopez emphasized the need for reliable AI and the European model as a standard.
Radoslav Stefanek, Slovakia’s Plenipotentiary for Artificial Intelligence, stated that protecting children online is a priority for Slovakia. He raised concerns about banning the use of children’s data in language models and highlighted physical AI as another important topic.