Eastern Partnership Panel on Harmonization of Digital Markets
Harmonization of Digital Markets (HDM) is an initiative aimed to ensure the integration of the digital markets of the Eastern Partnership countries into a common European space through the realization of interregional projects involving organizations and enterprises in the field of information and communication.
The HDM initiative was created within the framework of the Thematic Platform No. 2 “Economic integration & convergence with EU policies” and aims at convergence and harmonization of the digital markets of the EU and the countries of the Eastern Partnership on the basis of international and European standards. Within the framework of this initiative, a number of interregional projects with the participation of organizations and enterprises of the information and communication sphere of the interested EU member states and the Eastern Partnership are expected to be implemented.
The first meeting of the HDM Panel took place in Brussels on November 18-19, 2015, during which the HDM Action Plan 2016-2017 was approved, which, in accordance with the Declaration adopted at the first meeting of the Eastern Partnership senior officials on issues related to digital economy (June 11, 2015, Luxembourg) 6 priority areas are included: e-commerce for SMEs, e-Customs, e-ID, Trust Services, NIS and Cyber-security, Digital skills and Telecom rules, as well as 4 additional directions are also included: infrastructure for research, eTrade, eHealth, eLogistics and Digital Transport Corridors. Specific objectives were outlined for each theme, agreed priorities for 2016-2017, including goals and expected results, as well as selected coordinating state. In particular, direction concerning the rules for the provision of telecommunication services was fastened to Ukraine.
HDM Panel is held once a year and its main goal, among other, is the approval, analysis and monitoring of the HDM Action Plan, as well as the discussion on documents that can be presented during meetings of ministers on the digital economy.
