Digital tools are changing the world we live in. Economically, they are transforming countless sectors: how we buy, consume and receive; business and distribution models; the products and services we enjoy. In the meantime, they raise many issues for society, too: from privacy and the right to be forgotten to the impact on employment – and how to ensure a workforce able to benefit from tomorrow's digital jobs. From the smartphone to the social network, we are increasingly taking new digital tools for granted. We are slowly discovering what implications they have for us – how we interact, how we transact; even how we legislate. They challenge old systems and old ways of thinking.

In this context, there are two points I would like to make.

First, these changes are inevitable. The benefits on offer are so great and the competition to achieve them so fierce that it is not in question whether or not these changes will happen; the question is when, and how. So we need to have our response prepared. I want Europe to be in the lead and in control, and that means not opposing or blocking change, but understanding and mastering it.

Second, if we understand these changes properly, we can ensure that they provide opportunities, and not just threats. In an area such as privacy, for example, technology can be a tool empowering people to take control. Digital technology holds an enormous positive potential for people, and society: in education or energy, in development or healthcare.

It is not policymakers who will come up with the innovations or create the jobs that new technology allows, but we can ensure that the right networks and frameworks are in place. Evidence and academic understanding can help us to do that, so that our policies do not limit innovations, even if they are disruptive. Research and data can increase our understanding of their impact on society, and the opportunity that they hold.

Change is both inevitable and essential to our future development as a society. Publications like this help us deal more effectively with such change. Therefore, I welcome the contributions in this yearbook.