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We would like to thank Michal Kobosko MEP, Renew Europe and the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union for their collaboration on the debate at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event was attended by digital and new technology experts and decision makers including Renate Nikolay (DG CNECT), Alexandra Geese (MEP), Paul Keller (Open Future), Marc Vancoppenolle (Nokia), Dr Agnieszka Jankowska (T-Mobile Poland), Jesus Contreras (EIT Digital) and Isabelle Zablit-Schmitz (Numeum). The discussion was moderated by Dr Michał Boni, President of the Foundation.
Key findings from the debate:
- A new defence paradigm and dual-use technologies can drive Europe's digital growth, including through secure networks and quantum cryptography,
- We need to simplify regulation, but above all ensure consistency in the application of law across the EU,
- the economic situation makes it necessary to change the approach from 'regulation first' to 'innovation and investment first'. So a shift from ex ante to ex post application of law,
- SMEs must be involved in digital transformation - this is the key to inclusive growth in Europe, especially in Poland
- Europe's digital sovereignty necessitates reducing strategic dependencies e.g. on the cloud and building resilience in supply chains
- investments in infrastructure, cloud and connectivity in general are essential for Europe's future and underpin all digitisation,
Conclusion: accelerating Europe's digital transformation is fundamental to maintaining its competitiveness. Investment in digitisation should therefore support the EU's competitiveness, in line with the recommendations of Mario Draghi's report. It is not only an economic issue, but also a foundation for protecting our democracy. Europe's future depends on our ability to make the right decisions in the new paradigm - and our joint debate has shown that we have the knowledge and energy to achieve this.
Many thanks to all the speakers and participants in the debate!