Spain’s Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said on Friday in Dublin called for stronger international coordination on artificial intelligence. On the sidelines of the Eurogruppe and informal Ecofin meetings, he proposed exploring the creation of an international agency to establish common criteria and oversee the technology’s development.
Cuerpo justified his proposal by pointing to the field’s pace of change and growing public interest. Safeguards and standardisation are needed to seize opportunities and keep risks manageable, he said. Spain is open to exploring the possibility of such an agency with partners. No concrete decisions were announced in Dublin.
The meetings in Dublin bring together the finance and economy ministers of the euro area. Their agenda regularly includes financial stability, regulation and competitiveness. The debate on artificial intelligence links technical, economic and regulatory issues, from providers’ accountability obligations and audit and certification procedures to liability and safety standards.
Cuerpo’s proposal comes at a time when legal and institutional foundations are already taking shape at European level. The European Commission is working to implement new rules and develop funding instruments for research and infrastructure. An international oversight agency would not replace these efforts, but would need to clearly define its responsibilities in relation to existing bodies in the European Union and beyond. It is unclear whether such a body would primarily coordinate, set standards or have direct inspection powers.
Interests diverge: countries with major technology companies favour innovation-friendly frameworks, while others emphasise precautionary oversight and data sovereignty. For Spain, the focus includes industrial competitiveness as well as consumer and data security. Cuerpo noted that, in his view, the technology’s expected benefits outweigh its potential risks and costs, provided reliable safeguards are in place.
What is clear is that Cuerpo advocated a globally coordinated approach in Dublin and raised the prospect of exploring an international structure. Whether, and in what form, this leads to a formal proposal remains open. No further national or international steps were announced on Friday.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).