On the 3rd of September, EIF will host a debate on the Europe needs to get a reliable and resilient connectivity for the citizens and business. We want to debate on the EU approach for reliable and resilient connectivity that also take into account current and emerging technologies. 

To prevent incidents that could compromise the EU’s security and resilience, the European Union needs to set out dedicated actions and to improve the investment in security of the connectivity networks. 

A reliable and resilient network infrastructure is essential for addressing new challenges related to more frequent natural disasters, damaging incidents, cyber-attacks and geopolitical related threats. 

As it’s indicated in the reports of Letta, Draghi and Niinistö, EU’s strategic approach to the communications network development considering the critical dependence of our society and economy on electronic communications and digital infrastructure, to safeguard the EU’s digital sovereignty. 

According with the last Eurobarometer, building efficient and secure digital infrastructures, including connectivity and data processing facilities, is seen as important by more than eight in ten respondents (86%). More than four in ten (41%) think that this is very important. 

As geopolitical and economic tensions grow, Europe is facing to vulnerabilities of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. The EU's connectivity infrastructure faces new and unprecedented challenges arising from an increasingly complex geopolitical situation, as well as from the growing number of physical, cyber and hybrid attacks and occurrences of natural disasters due to global climate change. 

The threats to connectivity infrastructure have far reaching geopolitical implications on the EU economy competitiveness, foreign policy as well as on the overall security environment of the EU.is event will bring together policymakers from the European Parliament and European Commission, as well as experts from research and industry, to discuss the most pertinent challenges related to this topic.

• Programme

  Opening remarks

  Michal Kobosko MEP and EIF Steering Committee Member

  Speakers

  Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General, DG CNECT, European Commission - invited

  Caroline Stage, Minister for Digital Affairs, Denmark - invited

  Malgorzata Krajewska, Director of Public Policy and European Affairs at Orange Poland S.A.

  Gonzalo Lopez Barajas, Head of Corporate Regulation Unit, Telefonica

  Exchange of views with the participants under the Chatham House rule