Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Europe’s digital future: at the heart of Bulgarian EU Presidency closing events

БНР Новини
European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel
Photo: BTA

From 25 to 28 June, EU Digital and Innovation Week, the digital and tech flagship event of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of EU under the theme "re:Inventing Europe's Future", presents three high-profile events in the city of Sofia.

The official guests of the Digital Assembly (25-26 June) included Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel, Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski, the Vice- President of the European Parliament Evelyne Gebhardt, the Director- General of DG CONNECT Roberto Viola, European Commission officials as well as cabinet ministers from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.

The Digital Assembly discussed recently adoptedlegislative and policy initiatives: Digital in the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework; Free flow of non-personal data and the April 2018 Data package; the European Electronic Communications Code; and Promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services.

In the years since their EU accession, Central and Eastern European countries have made important strides in improving their socio-economic performance. Competitive labour costs, newly built infrastructure and access to a large Single Market have attracted significant investments in both manufacturing and services. As a result, many of these countries managed to achieve sustained economic growth.

However, the emergence of new technologies requires a strategic reflection on the future economic strategies of the countries from Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

Effective implementation of digital technologies offers new opportunities for innovation and growth. At the same time, relying on labour cost advantages may not be a winning strategy for the future. Therefore, the politicians and senior policy makers, experts and entrepreneurs who attended the Digital Assembly exchanged views on possible pathways for countries to transform their economies from ones based on cost advantages to ones based on innovation and added value.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, commented the success of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of EU in the light of the Digital Single Market and the progress and priorities by the end of 2018 and beyond:



Photo: BTA

The 10thedition of “Webit. Festival Europe” (25-27 June) was part of the EU Digital and Innovation Week and welcomed over 7000 attendees from 110 countries including 1500 top policy makers from Europe and beyond: heads of state, EU commissioners, cabinet ministers, mayors, MEPs, entrepreneurs, investors, media, innovators, scientists and digital economy shapers plus a top selection of Europe's 200 most promising start-ups.

The forum was organized by Webit.Foundation under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, European Union Commissioner Digital Economy and Society and the Mayor of Sofia, and with the support of the Ministry of the Presidency of the Council of EU and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT.

Photo: BTA

Yesterday and today Sofia Tech Park is hosting the event The Balkan Hackathon with the motto Breaking the Digital Borders. The participants are Balkan innovators with interest in information technologies, programming, design, multimedia and marketing. They have gathered in Sofia to find technological solutions to the challenges and opportunities facing Europe. The key challenge to tackle is the digital divide: what future should be created for Europe so that not a single European citizen would feel excluded.

The Balkan Hackathon is organised by the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, Sofia Municipality (Sofia Development Association), Sofia Tech Park, the State e-Government Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria, and Webit Foundation.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Boryana Murgina: Bulgarian children in Sunday schools abroad also need the help of speech therapists

People are part of a society and it would be difficult to live without communication. Therefore, caring for a good communication with other people begins at an early age, when we learn to speak. Everything starts in the family but the..

published on 3/28/24 4:36 PM

At Sofia Airport before Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen by air and sea

On March 31, Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen area by air and sea. Austria remains the last stumbling block stopping the two countries in their pursuit of full membership in the European area of free movement without border controls at internal..

published on 3/28/24 1:58 PM

Conference on cardiovascular health in the EU to be held in Sofia

The European Commission Representation in Sofia will today host a conference on "Cardiovascular Health in Europe: Challenges and Prospects".  The event will be attended by the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariya..

published on 3/28/24 7:25 AM