Michiel Rijsberman (D66), Member of the Council of the province of Flevoland, The Netherlands, was appointed by the Fit for Future (F4F) Platform plenary to analyse the Digital Europe programme in 2023. 

“The digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy is one of the main challenges we face today, to be put in practice effectively as well as ethically and accountably. I will look at the European Commission’s 2023 evaluation of the Digital Europe programme from a practical and cohesion-orientated point of view, drawing on expertise and feedback from the network of Regional Hubs, our partners and stakeholders. The programme’s objectives, like those on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Skills, focus strongly on implementation by public administrations at all levels. This is why our input as local and regional representatives will be instrumental,” said Rijsberman. 

This work will be supported by the European Committee of the Regions’ Network of Regional Hubs (RegHub). With 46 contact points across the EU, the network, which is a sub-group of the F4F platform, provides feedback on implementation of EU laws on the ground. The network thus adds the local and regional perspective to EU policy making and enlarges its evidence base. 

 Rijsberman will present his draft opinion on 2 June 2023. 

The (F4F) Platform is an evaluation tool established by the European Commission for better and less burdensome EU legislation. It is the main instrument of the Better Regulation Agenda of the European Commission designed to simplify and modernise EU laws to better tackle future challenges, while cutting red tape. 

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