The broad coalition behind this campaign
includes scientists and organisations promoting the rights of:
older people, people with disabilities,
racialised people, people experiencing poverty,
homeless people, migrants with precarious status,
people with poor or no literacy level.
They are organisations promoting human rights, digital rights,
social justice, and lifelong learning.
In the last six months, the open letter rallied support
from 650 civil society organisations and scientists
across 20 European countries.
So, what do we demand, and why?
In all European countries, the same process is underway.
Public administration, banks, energy suppliers, employers,
health and education providers, public transports… have moved online.
Counters, mail services, and phone lines are disappearing.
This process is taking place at a time when more than 40%
of the European population still lack basic digital skills.
In many cases, digital exclusion increases existing social inequalities,
and may lead to dramatic situations,
such as non-take-up of basic social rights,
financial exclusion, or even energy supplies being cut off.
This situation undermines a number of shared European values
regarding essential services,
such as accessibility, universality, and equal treatment.
Adopted in 2017, the European Pillar of Social Rights
states that “Everyone has the right to access essential services of good quality,
including water, sanitation, energy, transport,
financial services, and digital communication.”
And it states also that support for access to such services
shall be available or those in need.
Now, we recognise the many efforts made by the European Union
and its member states to increase digital inclusion,
but digital inclusion is only part of the solution.
On the one hand, learning takes time,
especially for the 20% of European adults
– one in five people – with literacy issues.
On the other hand, the vast majority of digital tools
is not designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
We also want to point out – also like monsieur Cormand said –
that automation in social protection systems,
made available through the growing development and use of AI,
may create further issues of exclusion and discrimination.
Recent examples in the Netherlands, Denmark, and France
show that thousands of families have been wrongly suspected
or even accused of social fraud.
In these cases, algorithms have reinforced racial, class,
or gender biases, depriving families of the income they need to survive.
Even if the digital transition will not stop tomorrow,
we call upon EU leaders to act urgently
in order to restore equity and dignity.
We therefore ask for a moratorium
that would freeze the further development of online essential services
on a European scale,
as long as these online services discriminate between people.
All essential services should be accessible to all, even offline,
and this requires the right to multichannel access,
also known as the “click, call, and connect principle”,
to be urgently protected in EU law.
Offline channels, such as counters and helplines,
should be provided to cover all people’s needs
and should not involve any additional costs.
We also need a pause because European democracies need time
to debate what role digital technologies should have in our societies.
Digitalisation is not only a technical issue.
It is a political issue.
So, today, we urge the European institutions
to take our concerns into consideration.
The start of a new institutional cycle
is the opportunity to set a legal framework
protecting – promoting, even more –
the values of the European Union
and protecting all people in Europe from unfair discrimination.
So I thank you all for being here today.
And for supporting this very important goal.