Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) has called on the EU to commit themselves in the development of blockchain technology, which, according to him, steps out of the lab and into the mainstream.

In his speech at Digital Day 2018 in Brussels Andrus Ansip (Andrus Ansip) pointed to the blockchain, as one of the priorities for the EU. He stressed that the technology of the blockchain is among the “areas where Europe plays the leading role” along with an artificial intelligence (AI).

“I would like to see the EU take similar commitments [as AI] regarding blockchain technology, which is now out of the laboratories and into the mainstream. As with AI, we should use this opportunity for innovation,” said an official of the European Commission.

Ansip mentioned the EU investments in the blockchain, artificial intelligence, digital health care, other areas of digitalization of the economy and made clear that this funding, in his opinion, is not enough. “We need money,” he said.

“Digital single market creates the right conditions and infrastructure for functional digital Europe. But none of this comes for free,” said the Vice-President of the EC.

We will remind that last autumn, the European Commission said that in the framework of Horizon 2020 will invest €30 billion in innovation, including the blockchain. Also, the EC has launched a study designed to assess the technical feasibility and potential of the blockchain infrastructure of the EU as a whole.

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