Members of the S&D Group in the European Parliament together with leaders from the Party of European Socialists (PES) and other progressive organisations from across Europe met in Prague today to discuss what digitalisation means for Europe. The event culminated in the adoption of a digital declaration outlining the priority areas for progressives in the coming years.

This event was part of the Together initiative. Over the next 18 months progressive leaders will meet with citizens and civil society to discuss our priorities for the coming years. This was the first Together initiative after the launch event in Brussels in October and took place alongside the annual PES congress.

S&D Group vice-president responsible for the digital union Josef Weidenholzer said:

"Digitalisation has already radically altered everything from how we work, to how we communicate and how we spend our spare time. As progressives, we need to fight to ensure that digital change bring real benefits to everyone in society – not just those at the top. This means everything from ensuring access to high-speed internet for all to ensuring that users can access their content when they travelling abroad as if they were at home.

"As the left we need to find new means of connecting citizens to the state – through e-democracy and digital civic education – that can boost participation and provide real benefits to citizens lives."

S&D vice-president Marju Lauristin added:

"In our digital declaration, we outline our vision of how digitalisation can be harnessed to create the fairer and more equal society that we want. We are calling for greater investment in training, in infrastructure, and in support for entrepreneurs to ensure Europe remains at the forefront of the digital economy. We want legislation to be updated, on everything from copyright to workers’ rights, to reflect the new reality on the ground and ensure that everyone is remunerated fairly for the work they do."

"Ultimately we need digital policies that bring Europe together."

Read the full Digital Declaration and more about the Together initiative: http://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/...