In the last month, the European Commission has launched two flagship initiatives which look set to focus much of the attention of its President, Ursula von der Leyen, in the coming years.<\/p>\n
Delivering on broader commitments, notably to the SDGs, they offer a more concrete and targeted response to two key trends \u2013 the growing role of digital technology in all parts of our lives, and climate change.<\/p>\n
Each initiative \u2013 the European Green Deal<\/a> and Shaping Europe’s Digital Future<\/a> \u2013 includes a set of proposals and actions, aiming to place the region in a position of strength, while acting to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and values.<\/p>\n Given the role that these two documents are likely to have, it is worth already looking at what they mean for libraries, and where there may be value in pushing for more acknowledgement of the role that libraries can play in achieving their goals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The European Green Deal<\/strong><\/p>\n The first of the two documents to appear was the European Green Deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ever since her nomination as President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has highlighted her commitment to action around climate change.<\/p>\n In this document, she sets out a path forward on this. As can be expected, this covers policy action in areas which are traditionally associated with climate change (emissions reduction, green energy, circular economy, energy efficiency, clean transport, environmentally-friendly food chains, protection of biodiversity and reducing pollution).<\/p>\n However, it also calls for sustainability to be mainstreamed into wider EU and national policies, and in turn for other priorities such as equality and growth are also integrated into climate action.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what does this mean for libraries?<\/p>\n Already, the importance of information is recognised, both at the individual level in helping individuals take specific decisions between products, and at a continent-wide level in supporting research and data sharing. Libraries are a key part of the information infrastructure of any country, and so have a key role to play in success.<\/p>\n But there is also strong potential for libraries in references to the need for building awareness and motivation to act more broadly. Many libraries are already engaged in sustainability education, providing an excellent community space for building awareness of the need for change.<\/p>\n The Green Deal already refers to how schools and universities do this, but if we are to reach entire populations \u2013 for example to hold the citizen dialogues promised by the Green Deal, libraries must also be included.<\/p>\n Libraries are \u2013 furthermore \u2013 excellent candidates for efforts to promote renovation and refurbishment. As public spaces, they can act as models for communities of what is possible, building awareness more broadly.<\/p>\n Finally, it is to be hoped that as the implementation of the Green Deal moves forwards, there will be recognition of the role of culture and heritage in climate action. For more, see the work of the Climate Heritage Network<\/a>, and IFLA\u2019s own exploration of how libraries contribute to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shaping Europe’s Digital Future<\/strong><\/p>\n The second major policy document focuses on the different questions raised by the growing role of digital technology in our economies, societies and democracies.<\/p>\n While the previous Commission already saw scattered actions around particular aspects of digital \u2013 copyright and terrorist content for example \u2013 Shaping Europe’s Digital Future<\/a> aims to set out a more comprehensive roadmap.<\/p>\n It does this by looking in turn at the individual level (ensuring that everyone has the connectivity and skills they need to make the best of the internet), markets (promoting competition, innovation and consumer rights) and civic life (freedom of speech, diversity of content, and the fight against crime).<\/p>\n The Agenda also underlines the international dimension, both in terms of setting rules and supporting digital development. While this remains to be defined, the whole Agenda is defined by a desire to find a European approach to the internet, and to maintain the possibility to enforce this.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the library angle?<\/p>\n The most obvious is the strong focus on digital skills. With over seven million adults a year in Europe accessing the internet for the first time in libraries, and many more taking part in training activities, this is an area where libraries have a proven potential to contribute. The current consultation on the Digital Education Action Plan \u2013 one of the actions foreseen in document \u2013 offers an opportunity to highlight this point.<\/p>\n