The Flemish Government Agreement 2019-2024 was announced on Tuesday 1 October and was negotiated by N-VA, CD&V and Open Vld. Although the coalition agreement does not contain a separate chapter on digital topics, the new Flemish Government is committed to making innovation and digital transformation a priority in its policies. To achieve this, the agreement emphasizes that Flanders must raise to the top of the digital infrastructure. Moreover, the Flemish Government also wants to take the lead in experimenting with new digital applications and digital transformations in its services.
Lifelong learning
The agreement stresses the importance of digitalization to stimulate a culture of lifelong learning. Therefore, the new Flemish government wants to set up a Lifelong Learning Platform and aims to use smart data to proactively make people aware of career opportunities and threats on the labor market. In addition, embedded in the VDAB (Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroepsopleiding, Flemish Office for Employment and Vocational Training) career platform, the Flemish government is developing a smart digital tool that will help Flemish people find their way in the private and public labor market. Citizens who do not have sufficient digital skills will be proactively tracked and supported to increase their self-reliance. However, already during the formative years in high school, the government wants to have an eye for digital innovations in the “classroom of the future” and for the corresponding IT applications. In addition, courses should be substantively up-to-date and respond to the reality of tomorrow, certainly also with regard to the necessary digital and transversal competences.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence will play an important role in the digitalization of Flanders. Therefore, the new Flemish Government is preparing an integrated plan for further digitalization of Flanders and the valorization of artificial intelligence. With this plan, the Flemish government wants to increase support for the policy programs and projects for Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, I-Learn and Mobilidata and ensure that these remain optimally tailored to the needs of Flemish companies and society as a whole. In addition, the government agreement states that the quality of life will also increase thanks to the efforts of AI. The Flemish AI policy plan fulfills the ambition to put Flanders on the world map in this strategic domain through research, training and practical applications in companies.
Digital security
The new Flemish government is also concerned about its digital security. Through the cyber-security policy plan, aimed at research, practical applications in companies and training, the coalition of N-VA, CD&V and Open Vld wants to develop in particular a resilient digital economy in Flanders. In this regard, also privacy is very important according to the government agreement. The government will, in accordance with international evolutions, develop standards for pooling, opening and exchanging data, with the utmost respect for user privacy. In addition, in the rapidly evolving media society where the impact of (social) media on society is enormous, the importance of media literacy and digital literacy should be increased to guard against fake news. Therefore, the Flemish government will continue to implement the media literacy policy together with the Knowledge Center Media Literacy so that they are able to pursue a coordinated policy throughout the media sector with other policy areas.
The ambition of Flanders is clear. The new government wants Flanders to be the world reference for a number of innovative technologies and sectors and to be a pioneer in digital entrepreneurship. Flanders must be the testing ground for companies and citizens who want to taste the digital applications of the future. The question remains, however, how these ambitions will be financed and how these priorities will be implemented concretely in order to give Flanders a leading (digital) position in the world.
