Our region’s unique human capital and stable economic growth allow Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to become a true digital leader for the entire EU. We must however address the new challenges - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland Krzysztof Gawkowski said during the recent CEE Digital Summit Warsaw 2024 conference. Leaders of the digital industry, governmental officials, researchers, and other experts from CEE gathered in Warsaw during the fifth edition of the regional conference to discuss the most pressing challenges related to digital transformation in their countries.

Last week, the fifth edition of the CEE Digital Summit, an international conference dedicated to digital transformation and technological progress in Central and Eastern Europe, took place in Warsaw. Representatives of public administration responsible for digitalization, the ICT sector and researchers from the countries of the region gathered in the capital of Poland. The main theme of this year's conference was strengthening the involvement and influence of Central and Eastern European countries on the digital policy of the European Union. The conference was organized by the CEE Digital Coalition.

Digital potential of Central Eastern Europe
Special guests of the conference drew attention to the opportunities for Central and Eastern Europe, resulting from its dynamically developing digital economy and the need to foster an environment allowing growth of local, innovative enterprises. - Our region’s human potential and stable economic growth are what make CEE able to become a true digital leader for the entire EU. We must however address some brand-new challenges. Growing cyberthreats are among the greatest obstacles we face. Cybersecurity should remain one of the primary goals of CEE. Countries of our region must also strive to create an environment hospitable for talented people, innovative enterprises and investments to grow here. I invite my peers from the region to build a strong partnership in Central and Eastern Europe in order to capture its digital potential - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland Krzysztof Gawkowski said, while opening the conference in Warsaw.

- It is important to underline the huge potential we have in the region. In order to use it, we have to work on the European level and develop regulations allowing this potential to be unleashed. I hope that we will be able to promote policy-making fostering innovation and digital growth. We need to make sure local companies are able to innovate and become globally competitive while growing right here in CEE - Victor Negrescu, Vice-president of the European Parliament commented in a message to participants of CEE Digital Summit Warsaw 2024.

The region needs a unified voice in the EU
Boosting the voice of CEE countries in the EU, especially in regard to the European digital agenda was the main theme of the conference. Governmental representatives from the region discussed that in the context of upcoming Polish presidency at the Council of the European Union. - We must address the need for closer cooperation in the field of cybersecurity in our region and strive to ensure proper funding of cybersecurity efforts. I hope that the EU digital regulatory package will shift towards delivering a coherent legal system. During the Polis presidency at the Council, we wish to start a discussion on responsible policy-making and digital diplomacy with like-minded partners from around the world - Dariusz Standerski, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland said during one of the panel discussions. - We are looking forward to cooperating closely with Poland during its presidency at the Council of the EU. We must harmonize our regulations affecting the tech realm. Our region’s countries acting as close partners is an opportunity we can not miss - Ivan Ivancin, State Secretary at the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development, and Informatization of Slovakia added.

Technological catalysts of the region
Discussions held in Warsaw also revolved around technologies and areas that are considered key to the development of the digital economy in Central and Eastern Europe. AI is one of them. - AI can be a driving force for innovation and technology in Europe, which currently lags behind the global competitors. A significant obstacle to strengthening our competitiveness is the unpredictability of the regulatory framework in the EU. Companies in the region must devote significant resources, time and money to ensure compliance of their activities with regulations. A more stable and transparent legal environment would allow them to allocate these funds to investments in real innovations - panelists argued.

Cybersecurity is another area expected to determine the rate of digital progress in the region. - Ensuring cybersecurity in the region will require educating citizens and improving their skills. Ukraine's experience also shows that global companies are key partners in efforts to achieve digital security - the speakers of CEE Digital Summit noted. Experts from the region also discussed cloud technology, which - alongside AI and cybersecurity - is considered the most promising for the development of the economy in Central Eastern Europe. They emphasized the importance of an appropriate legal environment for cloud implementations, including cloud-first policies, as well as the need to educate entrepreneurs. - A real spike in adoption of public cloud services in Estonia required regulations to pave the way. They are a part of the process. Another part of the cloud puzzle in the region is, of course, infrastructure. Finally, raising awareness and trust in cloud solutions by education among policy-makers and potential adopters in the private sector is a must - experts concluded.

Fostering cooperation in the region
The annual CEE Digital Summit is hosted by CEE Digital Coalition - an informal gathering of digital and advanced technologies industry organisations from Central Eastern Europe. Members of the coalition work together to boost the digital transformation of the region’s economy and informational society. They strive to promote close business and policy-making cooperation between the countries of CEE in the field of digital. The coalition was initiated by Digital Poland Association in 2020 and 20 organisations from 13 CEE countries are currently engaged in the cooperative project. During this year’s CEE Digital Summit, it was announced that the Moldovan Association of ICT Companies (ATIC) joined the Coalition. - To overcome existing obstacles and achieve CEE’s full potential there is a deep need for cooperation between our countries through the development of common priorities and coordination of our activities at the regional level in the field of digital technology. Our region’s growth requires a united voice of CEE to be achieved and heard, based on our common interests at the European and global levels. – The digital economy and the ICT sector in Central and Eastern Europe has witnessed significant growth and transformation in recent years. This region has emerged as a hub for technological advancements, innovation, and digitalisation. To overcome existing obstacles and achieve CEE’s full potential there is a deep need for cooperation between our countries through the development of common priorities and coordination of our activities at the regional level in the field of digital technology. Our region’s growth requires a united voice of CEE to be achieved and heard, based on our common interests at the European and global levels - says Michał Kanownik, president of Digital Poland Association and the leader of CEE Digital Coalition.