The Digital Economy – Opportunities and Risks

The European Policy Centre, in cooperation with the United States Mission to the EU, is holding a Sixty Minute Briefing on The Digital Economy - Opportunities and Risks, on Wednesday, 10th December, 2014, at 17:00 - 18:00 CET, at the Thon Hotel (Netherlands Room I and II), Rue de la Loi 75, 1040 Brussels.

The guest speaker is Kelly R. Welsh, General Counsel, United States Department of Commerce. The debate will be moderated by Fabian Zuleeg.

There is no doubt that the digital economy is a key driver and transformative force for boosting economic growth and job creation. The rapid development of digital technologies offers huge opportunities for the private and public sector, as well as consumers, and is all the more important in a period of economic downturn. In key sectors such as health, innovation can also improve the quality of life of citizens. Nevertheless, the global economy has yet to seize the full potential of these technologies, including big data. The widespread adoption of the internet and borderless data flows  have also created new challenges such as how to uphold values such as personal privacy and data protection in a digital environment and has given rise to the new phenomenon of cybercrime, amongst other challenges. How can governments strike a balance between realising the full potential of digital technologies while maintaining high levels of protection of consumers and citizens?

Kelly Welsh advises U.S. Commerce Secretary Pritzker on all legal matters related to the Department’s activities, including digital policy and international trade. He will provide his perspective on the challenges and opportunities for the digital economy. The debate will be moderated by Fabian Zuleeg.

To register, send an e-mail to n.news@epc.eu

The event is held under the auspices of the Europe in the World Programme, in strategic partnership with the King Baudouin Foundation.