Activities of Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO related to 2022/2198(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on virtual worlds – opportunities, risks and policy implications for the single market
Amendments (13)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that virtual worlds or ‘metaverses’ arconstitute a major step forward in the digital transition, and thatevolution in the development of the internet that has the potential to impact all areas of citizens' lives, namely in education, culture, arts and design, music, entertainment and social activities and interactions. Although there is no standardised definition, they can be defined as a simulation of real-time, immersive 3D or 2D spaces in which users can interact;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for the EUuropean Union (EU) to adopt a comprehensive strategy for virtual worlds, building on the strengths of its industry to overcome the hardware and software challenges, while harnessing the, sustainable and human centred strategy for virtual worlds, ensuring safety and respect of fundamental rights, while favouring innovation and progressbuilding ofn the video gamestrengths of its industry;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that the EU should harness the innovation and progress of videogames, as well as the cultural, economic and educational benefits that emerge from them;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the EU, in view of the strategic autonomy considerations raised by virtual worldsStates that European digital sovereignty is essential to ensure the safeguard of human rights, democracy, the rule of law, sustainability, equality, inclusion, accessibility, safety and security in the virtual worlds. Notes that increasing the funding for SMEs and start-up developing projects that operate according with EU values will contribute to avoid dependences on third countries and to strengthen a European leadership. Calls for the Commission, to ensure substantial investment in this field; notes that the Horizon Europe and Creative Europe programmes both fund augmented and virtual reality projects; points out, however, that the budgets of these programmes are inadequateacknowledges the need to increase the budgets of the Horizon Europe and Creative Europe programmes, that are lacking enough resources to foster a realprominent EU strategy for immersive technologies and to address the challenges of inclusivity and accessibility to virtual worlds;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the importance of developing metaverses for the EU’s cultural and creative ecosystems, as new spaces for creativity and expression; insists on ensuring the accessibility of metaverses in order to make them truly democratic spac, which can be used to promote European cultural and linguistic diversity; insists on the importance of making virtual worlds truly democratic spaces, fostering digital literacy and access to quality and affordable internet as a basic right for all citizens, ensuring connectivity and accessibility to all citizens, namely those living in rural areas, and to facilitate inclusion of vulnerable groups, notably people with disabilities;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Emphasises the pressing need to foster education, training and upskilling of workers in the field of virtual worlds, in order to create and keep talent within the European Union, avoiding a brain drain towards other markets and facilitating the harmonisation of training and mutual recognition of qualifications across Member States;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. States that virtual worlds can significantly impact education and research by transforming how we acquire knowledge; stresses that metaverses can allow for better visualisation of educational content, awareness raising and increased possibilities for collaboration between learners and enhanced distance and lifelong learning; highlights the potential of virtual worlds to empower individuals and bridge the digital divide through education, promoting digital literacy among all society groups and reducing inequalities in terms of gender, socioeconomic differences and for people with disabilities;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that an EU strategy for virtual worlds must go hand in hand with an appropriate framework to ensure the protection and promotion of intellectual property, in particular authors' rights and copyright, and stresses the need to protect artist and their creations in the virtual worlds; notes that most intellectual property systems in the metaverse are based on blockchain technology, and believes that non-fungible tokens can represent a new source of revenue for the EU’s cultural ecosystem.
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Emphasises the need to ensure a safe and healthy environment in virtual worlds, where cybersecurity, privacy, transparency and the rights and needs of the users are properly preserved and protected, preventing any form of harassment, bullying, discrimination and surveillance of citizens and workers;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Stresses the importance of protecting children and minors in the virtual worlds, drawing on the existing European legislation and strategies such as the DSA and the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), to ensure online safety and a positive use of the metaverses;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Calls on the European Commission for a close and continuous monitoring on the development of virtual worlds, to identify issues and challenges that may arise and that are not addressed by the current legal framework or that may need further harmonisation among Member States;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Notes that future developments of the virtual worlds should be guided by a set of ethical and human centric principles, in line and up to date with existing and future EU legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Market Act, the Copyright Directive, etc.;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6e. Underlines the value of the recommendations by the European citizens' panel on virtual worlds and recalls the currently ongoing European Parliament Pilot Project "A space for the metaverse", which will contribute to create an interdisciplinary European network of experts, thinkers and leaders, for an ethical and democratic development of the metaverses;