Increased cooperation with Africa, new commitments on quantum communications, as well as a new investment instrument to support young digital companies: these are some of the results achieved at the Digital Assembly, which is taking place on 13 and 14 June in Bucharest (Romania).
This annual event, co-organised by the European Commission and the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, is primarily described as a meeting place for stakeholders interested in digital policy. This year it comes at a crucial moment, namely after the European elections and a few months before a new European Commission takes office.
It was an opportunity for the various participants to raise their concerns in this forum, as the Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, pointed out in her introductory speech: “You will not hear me today [speak] about the need to propose new legislation or review this or that regulatory aspect. It will be up to the next Commission to decide how to proceed and for you to speak today, because this assembly is a place to listen”, she said.
Various initiatives
In addition to these comments, the assembly was also the site of concrete initiatives. Several Member States have co-signed a joint declaration, in which they affirm their willingness to collaborate to create a quantum communications infrastructure (QCI). This infrastructure must be able to transmit and store information and data in a totally secure manner and to integrate quantum technologies and systems into conventional communication infrastructures.
The EU-African Union Digital Economy Task Force also announced the adoption of its final report, which proposes strategic recommendations and concrete measures to strengthen cooperation between the two continents on digital issues.
It should be noted that a new investment instrument (Digital Innovation and Scale-up Initiative) is also scheduled to launch on Friday 14 June, in order to promote the development of digital start-ups in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. This tool, with an estimated budget of €600 million and a total targeted investment volume of €1.8 billion, is a joint initiative of the Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)