The Covid-19 crisis and its social and economic consequences have pushed our societies to accelerate the digital transformation: businesses, workers and citizens have been experiencing the potential of digital in everyday life like never before. In her first SOTEU address, Ursula von der Leyen stated her intention to «make the next ten years the European digital decade», setting for the EU the goal of leading the way to the Digital Age «based on our values, our strength, our global ambitions», while EU Leaders have committed to devoting to the digital transition at least 20% of the funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

As the European Commission is preparing to present two of the main legislative packages of the current institutional cycle – the Digital Services Act and the AI legislation – and the debate on those topics has been intensifying within the European Institutions and in the Member States, the Digital Symposium will be, on the one hand, the occasion to assess the role of AI-driven solutions in multiple aspects of the response to COVID-19 crisis, and, on the other hand, it will offer a forum for a first round of comments on the Commission’s DSA proposal.

Overall, the Symposium will provide an open forum for high-level representatives from EU and national decision makers, research, business and consumer organisations, and other relevant stakeholders, in order to take stock of the EU Digital Strategy one year after the von der Leyen Commission took office.

The event will also be the occasion to present a study developed by I-Com, which will contribute to shaping the

This symposium is a milestone of our 2020 Brussels initiative “PEOPLE, PLANET, PROGRESS”, which aims at monitoring the political priorities of the new European Commission and influencing the EU public debate in line with the recommendations outlined in the I-Com Blueprint “Innovative Europe: The Way Forward. Taking Stock and Thinking Ahead” (February 2020).