Abstract

The global challenges of the 21st century push all modern countries to compete in multiple fields with different approaches, times, and methods. Particularly, digitization, articulated in all its forms, represents one of the most considerable and fascinating issues that the European union has to face. It is a journey that starts from afar and that has its roots in the desire to generate ever greater integration between the member countries, aimed at laying the foundations for shared public policies in the digital field. One of the crucial issue in recent years concerns the creation of the Digital single market (Dsm), i.e., that shared space in which one can benefit, from both an economic and social point of view, from digital developments and their consequent applications. Therefore, the purpose of this Web review is to explore the issue of European public policies about the Dsm and its implementation, providing a focus on the role of Big tech, the use of big data and possible regulatory developments. This analysis will be addressed through the study and discussion of two recent volumes on the subject (Manganelli and Nicita, 2022; Mãrcuţ, 2020). The texts prove to be fundamental for analyzing the major regulatory interventions in the sector, the interventions of the European commission and the main challenges to the creation of the Dsm. Furthermore, the article highlights the critical issues that Europe will be called upon to resolve, especially considering the economic and political strength of big tech, as well as the potential social impact. All in all, it is observed how the correct development of the Dsm can guarantee a dynamic, protected, and efficient economic and social system, fundamental conditions for responding to the challenges for the present and the future of the European union.