Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, Rapporteur. – Mr President, I am touched and grateful for the amazing support that I received from colleagues, cross-political groups. Let me tell you, Vice-President Ansip, how much I truly appreciate your commitment and cooperation, together with Commissioner Gabriel and Director-General Viola.

I noticed, Mr President, that only the extreme right populists have been against. They want the next generation to live in the past, instead of the future. They have not given us the answer on how France, for example, under the Front National, would compete alone by closing digital borders with China or the US. As usual, they are attacking without giving any answers. Let me tell you instead that I am proud that we have managed to keep the national exceptions restricted to just one. I am proud that we have succeeded in overcoming the Member States’ concerns that data process outside of the territory would be less safe and accessible.

Tell us please, dear colleagues from the extreme right: how would data be safer in a box in a cellar within a national border instead of in the cloud with the most efficient and safe cloud service providers? If they are not efficient, they are out of a job. And let me tell you that we have seen attacks, Mr President, against central government systems, and it is actually decentralisation more than centralisation of data storage and processing that can provide more security at a time when hackers are proliferating. Wake up to the digital realities.

Many sectors directly benefit from the free data flows. Some colleagues mentioned e—health. The transport sector is a good example. The truck industry, from Scania to Volvo, are depending on the free flow of data to deliver environmentally friendly and innovative solutions and to speed up maintenance at a distance. Mr President, we are only at the beginning of seeing the advantages for public authorities and companies. There is already more efficiency, fewer cars and more climate-friendliness in the use of a cloud provider located in another Member State.

Let me finish by telling you how much I have appreciated the cooperation with the Estonian Presidency, which managed to find a common solution quickly in the Council and the precedent set by Bulgaria for good cooperation in quickly finding a final agreement. A warm thank you to all the shadows: Christian, Daniel, Dita, Julie and Marco, the Commission, Mark from the ENCA secretariat, Silva from the EPP, the legal and policy department and stakeholders for their invaluable contribution. Mr President, together we have truly delivered a Volvo and a Ferrari, ready to drive into the new digital area.