The European Union is raising the digital agenda and pinpointed the digital single market as a top priority.
The present online differences cut opportunities for European citizens to fully take advantage of goods and services offered in other member states. Today only 7% of SMEs sell cross-border and neither business nor governments fully benefit from today’s digital solutions. The ambition is to create one single digital market instead of 28 different digital markets. According to the European Commission a well-functioning Digital Single Market could contribute €415 billion per year to our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. A key factor, beside harmonization and investments in infrastructure, will be innovation and the possibility for companies to develop within the European Union.
Discussion points
- Today the difference between the 28 member states are considerable when it comes to digital development. How can the EU legislation solve this discrepancy?
- What is needed to create a level playing filed for digital networks and innovation services? How can we maximize the potential innovation and growth of the digital economy?
- There are many successful online businesses in the US but very few European success stories. What role has innovation and why is Europe lagging behind?
- How can the Digital Market Strategy increase the access for citizens and business when it comes to goods and services? What could we expect form future innovations?
- What role does the European Union have when it comes to creating an environment that encourages innovations in the ICT sector?
- What is needed to achieve investments in physical infrastructure and connectivity, especially in the countries furthest behind on the matter?
- How could cross-border e-commerce become easier?
- How can the Commission reduce the administrative burden businesses face due to different VAT regimes?
- Within which sectors do we need to define standards and interoperability to achieve the Digital Single Market?
- What is needed from the review of the Regulation on Consumer Protection Cooperation to ensure that it will be enough to stimulate increased online trade?
- 62% of companies that are trying to sell online say that too-high parcel delivery costs are a barrier. What could be done at EU-level?
Speaker line-up
Josef Weidenholzer Member of the European Parliament
Peter Stuckmann Executive Assistant to the Director General, DG CONNECT,European Commission
Cornelia Kutterer Digital Policy Director, EMEA, Microsoft Legal & Corporate Affairs
Noémie Papp Policy Advisor, European Banking Federation
Dr Colin Blackman Director of the CEPS Digital Forum
Per-Olof Gustafsson Deputy CEO, Stokab
Moderator: Prof Dr Jamal Shahin Assistant Professor in European Studies, University of Amsterdam
