CEE Digital Coalition was a partner of the Competitiveness & Security Business Summit in Brussels – a key gathering dedicated to discussing the major shifts shaping Europe’s industrial and policy landscape. The conference created a platform to discuss issues of digital sovereignty and impact of Digital Networks Act on Europe’s innovativeness and competitiveness through the lens of our region.

The event brought together a diverse audience of Member States policy-makers, European Commission representatives, Members of the European Parliament, business leaders, experts, think tanks and NGOs. While discussions covered a wide range of topics, including decarbonisation, financing and defence integration, the event also provided a platform to reflect on the evolving digital regulatory framework in the EU and its impact on Europe’s – and Central and Eastern Europe’s – ability to innovate, scale and compete globally. CEE Digital Coalition was an official partner of the annual event.

Trust and partnership, not isolationism
As part of the Summit, a dedicated fireside chat brought together Members of the European Parliament Michał Kobosko and Ondřej Krutílek, and was moderated by Michał Kanownik, President of the Digital Poland Association, representing CEE Digital Coalition. The discussion focused on digital sovereignty and the impact of the Digital Networks Act on Europe’s competitiveness and innovativeness.

Speakers emphasised that digital sovereignty should not be understood as isolation, but rather as a more strategic approach to dependencies, supporting the European digital ecosystem while avoiding isolationism.

- Digital sovereignty isn’t about isolation – it’s about being less naive about dependencies. Not pushing out trusted partners, but giving European startups & scaleups a real chance to grow – according to speakers of the session

Participants also considered the impact of the proposal of the Digital Networks Act on the ability of Europe to innovate and improve its competitiveness. They noted that the current DNA’s proposal does not seem to strike a balance, accommodating the best interest of businesses and consumers, and that going forward, EU’s competitiveness must be considered during further work on the Act.

Partnership with organisers of the conference: Business & Science Poland, is an element of the CEE Digital Coalition’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation among digital industry organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and to ensure that the region’s perspective is reflected in EU policymaking.