Is Digital Sovereignty Sustainable?

On 30 November, the Brussels School of Governance and UNU-CRIS are thrilled to invite you to an afternoon of discussions that take stock of Digital Sovereignty debates in Europe.

After several years of discussion about Digital Sovereignty in Europe, the time has come to take a step back and review what this strategy has meant for the digital landscape, most particularly in Europe. Over the past two years, a small group of researchers at the Brussels School of Governance and the United Nations University-CRIS has been reflecting on this theme. They have been working under the auspices of the VUB Foundation's Chair in Digital Sovereignty, funded in part by the European Commission (Erasmus/Jean Monnet scheme) and Microsoft.

During the event, we shall dig deep into discussions on critical infrastructure and state policies, the relationship between digital and green transitions, and the identification of (new) actors and their roles. We shall hold a final discussion about the need for skills and awareness of digital strategies in EU policymaking, we aim to address our understanding of the concept of digital sovereignty and its link to education.

It is for this reason that we launch this event. The event starts at 14:30 and comprises a panel discussion and a series of flash sessions on ongoing work in the field of digital sovereignty being carried out at the Centre for Digitalisation, Democracy, and Innovation at the Brussels School of Governance and the United Nations University - CRIS, and ends with a final reception and lecture, led by Profs Jamal Shahin and Trisha Meyer.

14:30: Doors open

14:45: Panel discussion with: 

• Jamal Shahin, Programme Director, BSoG 
• Magnus Franklin, Director, Teneo (moderator)
• Jeremy Rollison, Senior Director, Head of EU Policy, Microsoft Europe.  
• Elena Plexida, Vice-President, ICANN Europe. 

15:45: Break   

16:15: Flash sessions: ‘state of the art’

• Moderator: Florian Pennings, Director Cybersecurity, Microsoft Europe 

3 PhD fellows will present their ongoing research, each presenting a different angle, approach, and/or issue related to digital sovereignty and internet governance:

• Flash session 1: Nadia Tjahja, ‘Who do you think you are?’
• Flash session 2: Orsolya Gulyás, ‘The twinning of digital and sustainability goals: a sovereign moment?‘
• Flash session 3: Sophie Hoogenboom, ‘Whose role is it?’

17:30: Reception

18:30: EuroMaster Digitalisation specialisation inaugural lecture
            “What does digital sovereignty mean for academia?” 

• Trisha Meyer, Director, BSoG and Jamal Shahin, Programme Director, BSoG

19:15: End of meeting