Europe’s Political Economy  

Health / PODCAST

Vaccine certificates: Damned if you do, damned if you don't
An EU vaccine passport could help us get back to normal sooner, but at what cost?

Despite lingering disagreement between member states, the Commission will soon present its proposal for an EU vaccine passport. The upcoming 'digital green pass' should make it easier for EU citizens to cross borders in time for the summer holidays.

But not everyone is on board; health experts warn there are still too many unknowns about the effectiveness of the existing vaccines, while others worry about the ethical, social, and privacy implications.

With vaccine certificates becoming a potential ethical, technical and political minefield, the Commission and member state governments will have to think through all possible effects and outcomes: What are the benefits of having an EU vaccine certificate? What are the potential pitfalls? And what could be some of the unforeseen, downstream consequences in the long run?

In this episode, EPC analysts try to answer those questions, covering the health, social, freedom of movement and data privacy dimensions of the debate.

With contributions from Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and EPC policy analysts Simona Guagliardo, Alberto-Horst Neidhardt and Andreas Aktoudianakis; and Programme Assistant Helena Hahn.
With Rebecca Castermans , Alberto-Horst Neidhardt , Simona Guagliardo , Andreas Aktoudianakis , Helena Hahn

DIGITAL EU / PODCAST

The Digital Services Act - Why data access matters
With its upcoming Digital Services Act, the European Commission intends to set clear rules for online platforms and the services they provide, which will make them more accountable and subject to public scrutiny and oversight.   

If internet platforms are to be held accountable, the new rules must enable journalists and researchers to gain access to data that allows them to dissect the algorithmic systems that govern the content users get to see on their screens.  
In this podcast, AlgorithmWatch and the EPC explore why data access matters; what makes it so difficult for journalists and researchers to get their hands on data from internet platforms; and how EU policymakers plan to take the decision-making on internet governance out of the private boardroom.

You will hear excerpts from a speech by Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Competition. She spoke recently at an online webinar where AlgorithmWatch and the EPC presented the outcome and final recommendations of their 'Governing Platforms' project. We also spoke with Tom Dobber, postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research, and Rania Wazir, data scientist and board member of the Vienna Data Science Group. They are two of many researchers who, in the context of AlgorithmWatch's 'Left on Read' campaign, gave an account of their experiences with trying to get access to data on internet platforms.

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With Rebecca Castermans , AlgorithmWatch