Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society gave the start to the Digital Assembly 2018, taking place in Sofia.

The two-day forum is the biggest event during Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, dedicated to digitization. The guests to the forum include European Parliament Vice-President Evelyne Gebhardt, cabinet ministers from the EU member countries, as well as from Albania, FYROM, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. The event is focusing on digital policy topics such as social media, cybersecurity, digital skills, artificial intelligence and the digital future of Europe, with a special focus on the digitization of the Western Balkans. 

The European Commission is allocating 9 billion euro for the new digitization programme of Europe after 2020, said European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel within the frameworks of the forum. In Sofia the European Commission announced the launch of a Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans, aimed at supporting the region’s transition to a digital economy, higher economic growth and more jobs.