TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION: THE ROLE OF THE EU AND ITS ADVANCED LEGISLATION

Objectives. The "digital transformation" is one of the challenges of our time, from how it will be tackled it will contribute or not to the creation of a more equitable and inclusive society compared to contemporary transformations. In this context, the aspects of regulation, governance and management of new technologies and data have particular centrality. Aspects in which the EU has acquired a role of primary importance for the protection of people and its legislation is a global benchmark for countries and big ICT players. The paper aims to offer an overview of the European approach and a detailed analysis of the legislation adopted by the Union on the subject. Methodology. The methodology used starts from the synthesis analysis of the literature, useful for providing a picture of what has been developed by the research and for defining the context object of the study. The paper also uses the analysis of recent legislation and official documents of the European Union in order to obtain a complete documentary framework. In particular, the legislation referred to is given by EU Regulations 2022/2065 of 10/19/2022 (DSA), 2022/1925 of 09/14/2022 (DMA), 2016/679 of 04/27/2016 (GDPR) and by the regulatory acts in the process of approval concerning the topics of Artificial Intelligence and Chips. Findings. The Paper carries out a comprehensive examination of EU objectives and legislation in the ICT sector and the role that the European Union has assumed with respect to citizens, Member States, third countries and tech companies operating globally. The main results consist in highlighting how in this sector, the EU confirms its main role as a regulator in new matters and how its legislation represents a standard for public and private.Research limits. As this is an evolving field, the literature on this topic is limited and finding relevant data can be difficult. Furthermore, a part of the legislation concerned is in the approval or implementation phase and this could imply a limit with respect to the certainty of some sources. Practical implications. Standardization on ICT and the protection of people is a complex phenomenon with very important implications for legislation, the economy and organization for our community. The document aims to demonstrate the centrality of the EU's role with a decision-making process based on involvement and on the balance of results that takes into account all the interests in the field (citizens, states, individuals). European legislation and decision-making could also be useful in other innovation topics. Originality of the study. This contribution aims to enrich the literature and improve knowledge on this extremely topical issue. The originality of the study lies in the analysis of innovative policies, documents and legislation that are in the definition or application phase, thus allowing an in-depth view of the topic in question.