The role of SMEs in Europe's digital transformation

On 15 April 2021, the EIF organised a virtual debate to discuss the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for the European economy and society and the need for them to be at the heart of Europe's industrial and digital strategies.
The debate, co-hosted by MEP and EIF Programming Committee Co-Chair Ivan Štefanec and MEP Josianne Cutajar, was moderated by EIF Director General Maria Rosa Gibellini and featured the following speakers:

• Hubert Gambs, Deputy Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission
• Oliver Grün, Founder and CEO of Grün Software, President of German Federal Association of IT-SMEs (BITMi) and European DIGITAL SME Alliance
• Ruben Bonet, Co-founder, President and CEO, Fractus
• Fabrizio Morgera, Senior Investment Officer, European Investment Bank
• Sjoerd Hauptmeijer, CEO & Founder, The Young Digitals

Virtual debate with ICANN CEO Göran Marby

As part of EIF's ‘Meet the CEO’ series, on 25 March 2021, Members of the European Parliament, EIF Members and guests had the opportunity to virtually meet Göran Marby, President and CEO of ICANN.
The virtual debate was hosted by MEP and EIF Steering Committee member Marina Kaljurand and moderated by EIF Director General Maria Rosa Gibellini.

Data governance: How to ensure a fair & competitive data economy?

On 16 March 2021, EIF hosted a virtual debate on data governance to discuss the Data Governance Act. The debate, hosted by MEP and EIF Chair Pilar del Castillo and moderated by EIF Director General Maria Rosa Gibellini, focused on this important set of measures. The following policymakers, experts and stakeholders shared their views:

• Angelika Niebler MEP, EIF Steering Committee Member, Rapporteur on the Data Governance Act
• Yvo Volman, acting Director for Data, DG CNECT, European Commission
• Jonathan Selbie, CEO of Univrses (a 3D Computer Vision and Machine Learning company)
• Prof. Stelian Brad, Professor & President of the Cluj IT Cluster, Romania

Virtual Debate with European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager

On 17 March 2021, EIF hosted an exchange of views with Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age Margrethe Vestager on Competition Policy in the Digital Era and future initiatives.

EVP Vestager shared her views of the interplay between the upcoming Digital Markets Act and competition enforcement going forward. The virtual debate was hosted and moderated by MEP and EIF Chair Pilar del Castillo.

Digital identity: Digital citizenship and e-Government

On 24 February 2021, the EIF organised a virtual debate on ‘Digital Identity: Digital Citizenship and e-Government’. The event, hosted by MEP and former Commissioner for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip, was moderated by EIF Director General Maria Rosa Gibellini and discussed the European Commission’s ambition to create a secure and interoperable European Digital Identity and its upcoming review of the 2014 eIDAS Regulation with the following policymakers and industry representatives:

- Lorena Boix Alonso, Director for Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity, DG CNECT, European Commission
- Oliver Väärtnõu, CEO of Cybernetica
- Philippe Lucas, Executive VP Customer Equipment & Partnership, Orange
- Patrick von Braunmühl, Senior Director Public Affairs, Bundesdruckerei
- Coty de Monteverde, Director, Blockchain Centre of Excellence, Santander

EU Industrial Policy for Digital leadership

On 23 February 2021, EIF organised the virtual debate “EU Industrial Policy for Digital leadership” aimed at discussing the new updated European Commission proposal on the EU industrial strategy expected to be launched in mid-March. As a consequence of Covid crisis and the considerable investment package foreseen, investments into ‘digital’ have the opportunity to relaunch and transform the European economy. The debate, hosted by MEP and EIF Chair Pilar del Castillo, was moderated by EIF Director General Maria Rosa Gibellini and featured the following speakers:

• Maria Teresa Fabregas, Director of the Recovery & Resilience Task Force at the European Commission
• Christoph Steck, Director of Public Policy & Internet at Telefonica
• Alain Dedieu, President of Water Waste Water segment at Schneider-Electric and Chair of DIGITALEUROPE’s Digital Manufacturing Executive Council
• Vera Demary, Head of the Competence Area, Digitalisation, Structural Change and Competition at the German Institute for Economic Research