On 3rd May, BDF and “Top of Digital Europe” organised the seminar “The Swedish way to a Digital Single Market in the Baltic Sea Region” in Stockholm. The event was co-organised and hosted by Stockholm Business Region, and gathered national policy makers, ICT industry, academia and experts to discuss the digital strengths and challenges of the Baltic Sea Region with a special focus on Sweden’s digital performance. The two latest reports from “Top of Digital Europe” were presented by the authors Martin Andersson, Lund University and Blekinge Tekniska Högskola and Joakim Lundblad, Lund University, and were followed by a discussion on how Sweden can fuel growth and competitiveness through stronger regional cooperation and innovative cross-border digital initiatives.
Among the conclusions were:
- Trust and confidence – among actors, sectors, and countries – is key for taking digitalisation to the next step. We need meeting places, not least cross-border.
- Sweden is moving down the international ranking and could benefit from inspiration and policy inputs as well as ICT experts from neighboring countries in the Baltic Sea Region.
The discussion was moderated by Pär Nygårds, Swedish IT & Telecom Industries and member of “Top of Digital Europe” Advisory Board.
AGENDA
How is Sweden’s development in digitisation and its ability to leverage digitisation associated with cross-border potential? What are the digital strengths and potentials of the Baltic Sea Region? How can the Region be a platform to fast track a Digital Single Market?
09:00 Welcome and introduction
09:15 The Baltic Sea Region: A complementary cross-border bottom-up approach to a Digital Single Market?
Key messages from the reports ”State of the Digital Region 2015” and ”A Digital Single Market – Growing the Baltic Sea Region”, with emphasis on Sweden’s digital performance and potential in a regional DSM context. Martin Andersson, Lund University and Blekinge Tekniska Högskola and Joakim Lundblad, Lund University
09:45 Two comments
10:00 Discussion
11:00 Conclusions and lunch
11:30 End of session
Moderator: Pär Nygårds, IT & Telekomföretagen
About Top of Digital Europe
Top of Digital Europe is an independent, non-profit think tank that promotes the Baltic Sea Region as a leader in the ICT sector. Top of Digital Europe facilitates cross-border dialogue and public-private initiatives with the ambition to strengthen the digital economy in the Baltic Sea Region. Top of Digital Europe is a joint initiative of Baltic Development Forum (BDF) and Microsoft. We are welcoming new partners. www.topofdigital.eu