Closing 02 2021

30 June 2021 | 17:30-18:00 | Studio Bruges, streamed to all locations | |
Consolidated programme 2021 overview / Day 2

Closing of the day

“Global Economic Recovery – Investing in Digital Transformation” – Keynote (10’’)

• Krzysztof Szubert,
  High Representative of the Prime Minister for European Digital Policy, Republic of Poland Plenipotentiary for UN IGF 2021, President of the Management Board, NCBR Investment Fund

followed by:

• “We all live in digital world” IGF 2021 video (length: 1’13”)

Transcript

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This text, document, or file is based on live transcription. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), captioning, and/or live transcription are provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. This text, document, or file is not to be distributed or used in any way that may violate copyright law.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: I believe everybody is done, only 5 minutes, I know the reporter of the day, let’s call her this way, at the moment, she’s based in Trieste! I will call on Adriana to summarize the day for us. Can you hear me?

>> I’m here! Can you hear me?

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: We can hear you loud and clear! Wonderful! You’re doing a marvelous job! You just wrapped up the session on the network and now you’re wrapping up the entire day!

Without further delay, over to you.

>> Thank you! We summarize the messages from day one yesterday and today we’ll dedicate time to just Day 2, there are two sessions on access and literacy addressing accessing educational content and international access to research content and data.

When it comes to educational content we agree it is of essential importance to have a tool that makes the discovery of educational content easier, for teachers and students regardless of the platform on which the content is hosted.

Another important message is that ensuring cybersecurity trust is not only technical matter but also legal one, in the existing legal framework there are good solid principles which are augmenting access of sharing of data to ensure that the maximum of Human Rights is respected, the interests and welfare of the human beings shall prevail in the interests of society and science.

On the matters of Human Rights, we discussed the impact of COVID-19 related shifts to online activities, participants agreed that even with the GDPR in place compliance of services is often overlooked. In the search of the right balance on the tech advancements and the rights of the users, a good way forward may be to see what the specific goal is and address that particular issue. Data protection will look differently for different users and we may actually need to talk on how the future of the data protection law will look like.

The discussions on innovation, economic issues, tackled 5G user perspective and implementation and competition in the digital ecosystem. On 5G there was agreement that the networks may bring not only benefits for the users but also risks about cybersecurity and privacy.

We need to conduct a thorough assessment of all of the risks, including consequences of future occupation, health, environment and invoke industry and other stakeholders to look at these issues.

European rules and competition in the digital landscape should aim to be simple and efficient, simple clear rules will help smaller companies to understand them and follow them without profound legal expertise. Rules are needed to tackle monopolies before it is too late to break up when they establish themselves fast in a digital environment. The discussions on media content tackled media literacy, best practices for self-and coregulation of platforms A crucial aspect to the media literacy, to educate the audience that in most cases it determines the context of the message by bringing all kinds of prior information, including knowledge, experience and attitudes while determining that context.

On best practices of self-and coregulating of platforms, it was underlined that these governance models are challenged with a need to reconcile different accountability and power structures that exist within them. They should have internal and external legitimacy and that means that externally the model has to be recognized for the quality and time limits of the decisions while internally it has to have robust checks and balances.

When it comes to cybersecurity and crime, there was one focus session dedicated to that today and we discussed cybersecurity agenda and as a community we decided that more clarity is needed on accountability and the roles of different entities under the scope of this tool. It was noted it may be worth further looking into or discussing horizontal versus vertical approaches when defining the scope and seeking alignment between this tool and other instruments.

Finally, we discussed the delayed tolerant network, a session that ended a few minutes ago that I reported from, I was the absolute beginner, the only absolute beginner in the session and also the Rapporteur! It was an interesting contrast! I had a good time!.

The message that we underlined, it is that the solar system Internet effort is a serious attempt to plan for a real network to support man and robotic exploration of the solar system.

Sandra, that’s all from my side.

Back to you.

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you for the concise sum up of the day, you can all watch the whole thing in length and in depth.

Now without losing time, let’s go to our final important guest that we’re very happy to introduce, Mr. Krzysztof Szubert, he is the high representative of the Prime Minister for European digital policy from Poland. Poland will be the host of the global IGF this year, hopefully with a physical component and he will give us thoughts on global economy recovery, investing in Digital Transformation. Happy to have you here.

>> KRZYSZTOF SZUBERT: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I have heard you have had a busy, interesting time during the day. A lot of interesting topics. Now I would like to turn and angle a little bit and be more focused on the financial side and the business perspective of Digital Transformation and spend a couple of minutes on this.

Ladies and gentlemen, again I’m truly honored to be here today at the EuroDIG 2021. I would like to share with you some views and ideas regarding the global economic recovery and the investment in Digital Transformation, the key to really move forward.

Let me start with a few words on the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy. First of all, it is good to mention that the global economic growth was pretty weak even prepandemic and now outright depressed with thousands of people having closed their jobs, being forced to shut up businesses. However, as vaccinations go out and long-lasting recovery instruments take effect, the world is hopefully on the way to emerge from the devastating lockdowns to a new normal. Against this background, it is time to revisit the established patterns of growth to move forward more with Digital Transformation which is from my perspective a great moment to be in and to look at.

Welcome out stronger from the crisis depends on how effective and comprehensive we’ll address the digital challenge. The fact remains, today’s world, it is defined by speed and we see that each and every day and the economic environment, it is as dynamic, as competitive as ever. The digital footprint, it is over reaching in production, the communication, transport, energy, healthcare, it is bound to grow even stronger in the future with digital technologies moving fast to whatever sector of the economy.

To keep up pace, businesses must think forward and innovate.

It is impossible to gain and maintain that competitive edge without investing in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, age computing, quantum computing, HPC, big data, robotics, 5G, 6G networks. This is a new world in which multiple devices talk and learn from each other in realtime. This brings us to the challenges of a data-driven economy.

It is no accident that data is often the oil of the 21st Century as it is a commodity and can be seen as a factor of production along with length, capital and labor. As such, data is the engine of growth in the future.

In my opinion as a former business person from the ICT space, special consideration should be given to start-ups since they will pay an extremely important role in the Europe’s Digital Transformation ecosystem. I strongly believe this market deserves our strong support taken we should find ways to stimulate its development.

The recent collaboration between the European innovation council and start-up Europe to post digital start-ups, it seems like a good way to go. Start-ups are the baselines of the success of European SMEs which in turn may become tech unicorns. This is the only way that the E.U. may strive to compete in longer-term with technological giants from the U.S. and China.

The key here, it is funding. Yet despite the incredible potential, the start-ups find it difficult to rise, scale up capital, to fully capture the growing demand for the products and services. Here comes venture capital and private equity who stimulate the innovations, they cannot be overstated.

If you look at the research and development and innovation spending in the U.S. and China you will see that it far exceeds the E.U. funding. That’s why we have to ensure that start-ups have more access to capital and they have a chance to benefit from private investment. For that to happen, we should stimulate the interest of private investors and convince them to engage in the start-up projects.

Moreover, it is very important to provide support to start ups not only on their entry to the market, but also at the later stages of development. In other words, after the start-up has passed initial market verification entering the growth and expansion stage, this is the time to help them obtain bigger investment.

There is a need for the E.U. as a whole to get involved in the development of the European venture capital market. This can be done by creating new funds, equipping them with financial resources coming from either the European investment fund or other European funds or states directly or by building models bringing investment.

One option is the coinvestment model which calls for full cooperation with the domestic and experienced market and offers the necessary support.

The solution could optimize the risk, greater portfolio diversification, more synergies and have access to so-called smart money.

We went to the same conclusions during the last European digital minute stir’s meeting two weeks ago on the margin of one of the biggest start-up and tech event.

As an example, we have established a year ago in Poland the first republic commercially oriented coinvestment fund for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and growth and expansion stage. Maybe the network of European coinvestment comes from different states, it could be a different idea to work on and develop.

At the end, I would like to take this opportunity to mention that United Nations Internet Governance Forum 2021 Poland will host from 6 to 10 December. An after party will follow on the 11th and 12th.

We decided that this year’s edition will be Internet united, the Internet where users can exercise their rights without having their privacy violated which is something that Poland strongly supports. We want the IGF2021 to remain an open global meeting covering all aspects of Digital Transformation, pick with people from all over the world. Let’s meet physically in December and you are you will invited.

That’s all from my side, thank you again for inviting me to this important event.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: Thank you very much, Krzysztof Szubert.

I wish you wholeheartedly that not only the Internet will be united in December but also the interns governance community will find their way and many can meet physically. That’s really something I wish you very much not for yourself, but also for myself! I think we are all done with virtual meetings! Thank you very much!.

I know you have brought us a little movie that we would like to show now. We all live in a digital world, a promotion video for the IGF2021.

(Video playing).

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: There we are again!.

So now it is almost the last part of our conference. You see we have brought to the stage the people that worked hard in the background, in particular all of the technical issues on the program, on the mailing lists, on getting the Zoom Zooms into shape and so on, so forth. Elisabeth Schauermann, who was everywhere, in particular also responsible for organizing the YouthDIG, Thomas and I, we were basically just moderating today and drinking coffee!

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: True.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: We should thank the focal points and the org teams because they’re responsible for shaping of the session, it is the European community that delivers the content for the EuroDIG. Our sponsors, our partners, the host, Trieste, I come back to you in a minute!.

Our technical team, the people from the captioning that were in the background and, of course, the Geneva Internet Platform reporters that will deliver the messages. Am I forgetting anyone?

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: You have forgot everyone! The participants, the weather, the football players, the balls!

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: Exactly! Feel free hugged from a distance! We are trying now to find our way to Trieste. You realize that we ended up in an area not far from Trieste. Let’s see if we can find our way to Trieste, to the right place where we actually want to be next year. Thomas, can you guide the way.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: Nadia, are you there? Can you hear us.

Nadia? Can you hear us?

>> NADIA TJAHJA: I can hear you. Where are you? I can’t find you anywhere?

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: There you are! Okay!

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Here we are!.

We have been in Belgium already in 2016. This was not the plan. I even hear an echo! It was not the plan to come back to Belgium again!

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: We’re wrong!

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: You’re wrong! Let’s go to the next place.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: Let’s go to Belgrade! Belgrade, can you hear me.

Belgrade?

>> Hello, Sandra?

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: Hey! That looks like Desiree!

>> Welcome! What a surprise!

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Wait! We have been to Belgrade already! It is not –

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: Yeah. True. We have been in Belgrade in 2011, some time ago, but we have never been in Italy so far. Desiree, don’t be sad, we’re leaving you as well. We want to really go to Trieste!.

Marco! I see him already! Let’s get over there!

>> Where are you coming from?

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: From Belgrade! Hey! Good to see you!.

>> Nice to see you! You’re walking on the water!

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: So good to see you.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: This is where we want to be. Just let me summarize a little bit, the dart didn’t work, you remember we played the dart in Berlin, at the IGF, where we hit the target Trieste, didn’t work.

Last year, we moved the ball from one place to another. The ball didn’t make it. I hope with our little exercise, walking through Europe we will definitely make it to Trieste and I would like to thank you very much for being with us for such a long time. It will be the third year in a row and there is a saying, you remember, the German saying, all good things are –

>> ELISABETH SCHAUERMANN: Third time is a charm they say in English.

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: In German and in English as said. Let’s hope that the third time will work out and we’ll be meeting.

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: And we’ll take the flag somehow to Trieste! There it is! Not the flag!.

Enjoy!

>> ELISABETH SCHAUERMANN: See you.

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Enjoy the rest of the day everybody all around Europe! We’ll hopefully meet again in the EuroDIG framework in Trieste next year! Before that, we’ll meet in Poland!.

Don’t go there yet! We’ll catch up! Don’t go too fast! Here you are again!.

>> SANDRA HOFERICHTER: To all participants, to give you an Outlook on what you can expect in Trieste, I ask our studio technical people to ping the video on the big screen.

>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: With this, we say good-bye! See you in Poland and then in Trieste! Bye-bye all of you! Thank you!