The digital transformation of Europe's economy and society will be one of the key challenges in the years to come. Europe's economy relies on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): they form 99% of European businesses. Given the enormous importance of SMEs for Europe's economy, they need to be at the heart of Europe's industrial and digital strategies.

The European Union is currently defining Digital Targets for 2030. The respective Roadmap by the European Commission focuses on four digital targets: 1. Digital infrastructures, 2. Digital education and skills, 3. Digital transformation, and 4. Digital government. How can we ensure that SMEs will be in the centre of the digital targets? SMEs are not only users and adopters of technology, but also essentially providers of technology: many innovative SMEs bring the new technologies to the market.

• Programme

  Opening remarks

  Ivan Štefanec MEP and EIF Programming Committee Co-Chair

  Speakers

  Hubert Gambs, Deputy Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission

  Dr. Oliver Grün, Founder and CEO of Grün Software, President of German Federal Association of IT-SMEs (BITMi) and DIGITAL SME

  Ruben Bonet, Co-founder, President and CEO, Fractus

  Fabrizio Morgera, Senior Investment Officer, European Investment Bank

  Sjoerd Hauptmeijer, CEO & Founder, The Young Digitals

  Closing remarks

  Josianne Cutajar MEP and EIF Member

  Moderator

  Maria Rosa Gibellini, Director General, European Internet Forum

  Exchange of views with the participants under the Chatham House rule