Brussels, 11/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - The first ministerial meeting of the Eastern Partnership on the digital economy took place on Thursday 11 June in Luxembourg. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the challenges and opportunities represented by the digital economy for the Eastern Partnership.
European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip attended the event and highlighted the advantages of cooperation with the European Union and the six Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) in the digital economy. He emphasised that “Integrating our digital economies will bring our Eastern European partners closer to the European Union”. Nonetheless, he also pointed out that “If we are to build a wider European digital market - beyond EU borders - it must be one where everyone operates under the same rules”. In this connection, the Commissioner welcomed the Belarus initiative and its suggestion to set up a committee to examine the harmonisation of the digital markets. This initiative has the backing of several member states and Ansip was pleased to point out: “It will be a good first step in this direction”. At the end of the meeting a declaration is expected to be adopted to generate the political impetus needed for cooperation in the digital economy. (Isabelle Lamberty)