AGM 2020 Resolution – Addressing the needs of consumers and vulnerable groups in the transition to a digital society

The Association for Consumer Rights (ACR) during the AGM 2020 approved a Resolution on Addressing the needs of consumers and vulnerable groups in the transition to a digital society

Justification/reasons and current situations to be addressed

• Malta has been developing a Digital Agenda for a number of years; however, so far measures are fragmented and there is therefore the need for a wider and stronger strategic approach.
• Digitalisation in industry is a key part of a broader transformation of the economy that includes robotisation, material sciences, and new production processes, referred to as Industry 4.0.
• Digitisation and Industry 4.0 profoundly affect business models and the entire context in which companies currently operate.
• Awareness building and a common sense of purpose among all stakeholders are paramount: in addition to business, this means social partners at all levels, academia, research institutes, regional and local public actors, the education sector and consumers
• No single European country is able to grasp on its own all opportunities in the digital era successfully. Europe as a whole is the critical scale, comparable to big markets such as the US and China. Digitisation of industry requires a shared industrial strategy for the EU and MS.
• Increasing disparities between and within MS in terms of industrial output and technological performance are worrying.
• Digitalisation will have considerable consequences for the labour market and work organisation, such as greater income disparities and reduced access to social security systems, which can prove negative if not properly countered.

Proposals/Recommendations

Measures at National and EU level

• There is a direct link between education programmes and facilities and social cohesion.
• Priority to be given to up-to-date skills and qualifications for digital technology users and reskilling
• To ensure that career guidance provides professional advice regarding the importance of subjects that are of utmost relevance to a digitalisation process (STEM) in particular to girls who often have wrong perceptions of these subjects
• Retail payment services play a crucial role in our society  e.g.s. Withdrawals from ATM’S, Paying online, Managing Assets Online, Complaining online via the ODR Platform, Flight Boarding machines,  Supermarket Payments etc.
• New technology is welcome yet this comes with the need of usage knowledge and people with disability and the older population find it hard to follow digitalisation.
• Some financial organisations have already incorporated accessibility features in the technical devises e.g. HSBC ATM incorporates an option to choose larger text

Background Information.

Easier access to make retail payments for the disabled and the older generation.

• The Malta Communications Authority in collaboration with the Education Department (Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability) to provide skills and qualifications on the ongoing developments of digital technology for vulnerable groups and the elderly
• Business and social partners should be more closely involved in developing curricula for all levels and forms of education raising awareness in all parts of society, in particular to promote acquisition of digital skills, analysing the worldwide picture and providing improved statistical data on services at national and EU level
• National governments to increase pressure on EU for investments in infrastructure (telecommunication, broadband) pushing for transparent public and private financial arrangements
• Monitoring, benchmarking and evaluating, including CSRs at national level and in the annual EU Semester
• Promoting 4.0 Platforms and PPPs as well as cooperation among stakeholders, including by bringing them together at EU level.
• Promoting the Digital Innovation Hubs as centres for advanced training of the work force deepening EU social dialogue at all levels to discuss labour market consequences as well as adjustments in the field of social and labour law, in particular concerning economic and political measures that should ensure protection for the entire workforce
• The setting up of an Agency is a step forward to ensure all sectors of society are up-to-date with developments The effective role of role of monitoring the strategy is crucial to ensure that no one is leftbehind. The Agency should be made up of different stakeholders referred to above and academia
• Some elderly people in particular are totally lost when it comes even to the simple use of an ATM. This became very visible when some branches closed during the COVID-19 epidemic.  This very vulnerable group was asked to stay at home yet some had to take a bus just to cash their pension check. The use of cheques for payment should be retained for some time because of people who not computer literate.

Addressing Cyber Security for connected products

Cybersecurity for connected products

Today, most of the connected devices available in the EU’s Single Market are designed and manufactured without the most basic security features embedded in their software.

• Consumers must be assured that the connected products they purchase or services they use are secure and protected from software and hardware vulnerabilities. For this to happen security by design and by default must become a priority.
• There is urgent need to to improve the current regulatory framework as well as the European Commission’s proposal for a Cybersecurity Act
• A minimum set of security measures should be obligatory for all connected products as a condition for putting them on the market. These requirements should include at least encryption, software updates and strong authentication methods. –
• For high-risk-affected connected products (e.g. self-driving cars, products for children, smart home and security products, smart cities systems, medical devices), the application of minimum security requirements should be complemented with mandatory cybersecurity certification.
• National authorities should ensure that they have the powers to withdraw products from the market  that do not comply with legal security requirements and/or certification schemes.

The effects on the economy and society are enormous, taking into consideration the global competition that Malta has to deal with as a result of its limited  market size. It is therefore important that Malta develops strategic alliances with other EU member States and beyond the proposed interventions require human and financial resources. Specific funds from Annual Budgets, European Social Fund and other EU funding sources are necessary. The topic being dealt with in this proposal is not static; on the contrary it is a fast developing area that we are dealing with. The Strategy should provide the necessary monitoring and evaluation measures as well as statistics to further strengthen its outcome from short to long term