The European Movement is the largest pan-European network of pro-European organisations. Eva Maydell is its first female chairman and the first Eastern European. Founded 70 years ago, it is now present in 34 countries and encompasses 38 International Associations, bringing together European civil society, business, trade unions, NGOs, political parties, local authorities and academia. Today, European citizens are at the heart of the European Movement International’s work. By offering thought leadership on the issues that confront them, involving them in the debates on our Union’s future, and influencing policymakers on their behalf, we strive for an open, inclusive, transparent, and united Europe.

“Over the past three years, we have managed to get the European movement back at the center of talks on the future of the EU, on the Green Deal and jobs, on migration and relations with the United States of America and China. Our network is the place where individual citizens, businesses, civil society organizations can be part of and influence discussions on major topics on the European agenda. Structures such as the European Movement support European integration and reinforce a sense of common goals, values ​​and interests between European societies, ”added Eva Maydell , who was elected by an absolute majority by the organization’s members.

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“I have often talked to enterprising Bulgarians who say that they have a business idea, but do not have the finances to implement it, and without a credit history it is difficult to get support from a bank or other institution. Two years ago, a student from Veliko Tarnovo told about an innovative technology for charging an electric bicycle, which he had invented and almost developed. If he has not yet started his business, he will soon be able to register with any of the collective financing platforms in Europe and seek funding from consumers, who may be ordinary citizens looking for a meaningful investment of their savings. Once the amount has been collected and the business has started, investors can receive, depending on the conditions of the platform, a percentage of the business, the funds they have invested plus interest, or a product produced. This model works effectively in the United States, and I hope to unite Europe’s potential for innovative business development. But also to encourage more people to invest directly, even small amounts, in innovative ideas, products and services, “added Maydell, who is a member of the EP’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

In addition to monetary resources, a successful collective financing campaign can highlight the potential and public confidence in the business, which will make it easier to find additional funding from other financial sources that will accept the project as less risky. Businesses often start successfully after such a campaign because they have already garnered popularity and support from potential customers during the fundraising campaign.

There are a number of types of collective financing. The best known are collective financing through partner lending, equity and compensation, most often in the form of a product or service voucher when they are ready.

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The applications for tracking the infected with COVID-19 people are a very good case to test in practice our theoretical statements on data protection and privacy, which often turn into ideological ones. The issue is an important one as it involves a number of important questions for the future of Europe – the balance between personal freedom and the public interest, the balance between personal security and public security, line between the private realm and economic interest, and most importantly: where is the border that Europe it must put before the development and penetration of technology into our lives and how quickly we can afford this transition to happen. The regulations that we construct are tightly related to the answers of those questions.

Many people do not come up with specific expressions of their fears when it comes to data privacy. They simply refuse to share their data, even in cases such as the COVID-19 tracking applications. And for me, this is actually the biggest danger – the general lack of trust, which leads to an absolute refusal to share any data about what you do online.

The COVID-19 is a very good showcase. According to the calculations of experts in order for the tracking applications to work and their use to make sense, at least 60% of the population of a country must share data in them. If we look at the numbers of downloaded applications across Europe, we will see that this percentage is almost nowhere to be found. The reasons for this huge mistrust are clear. Citizens’ fears are obvious – the risk of unauthorized access to their data, the fear that personal information may be misused, and that someone may simply collect information that does not correspond to the purpose. That is why the EU has already come up with the so-called Toolbox, which have a clear purpose – to limit the amount of data that use this type of applications only to the necessary, as well as to give users control over the data they share.

This shows that we as policy makers should start everything we do in data protection with a simple question: will it change the attitude towards sharing personal online data?

Because the lack of trust that leads to a general refusal to share data will mean that we as EU will not be able to collect big data legally. As we know, the big data is foundation of the new model of economic development in the world.

From this point of view, I rather believe that Europe’s cautious approach to data is the main hurdle to economic competitiveness and innovation. Our main problem is the lack of confidence among many Europeans that their data is being used correctly. We also have a serious problem that for many people in Europe, personal privacy is now much more important than the public interest. There are also people who believe that once the state collects information, it will a priori abuse it. For me, this understanding and approach to data privacy is a serious problem for Europe.

This was one of the reasons why I organized a series of online discussions in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, where we could think about our options for action. Together with Tomás Pueyo, representatives of the major IT companies and people such as the political scientist Ivan Krastev, we discussed possible reactions. Mr Pueyo and I discussed the need to have a precise definition of the data gathered by the COVID-19 tracing applications. The aim was precisely to improve public confidence in these applications, which have proved very valuable in the much-needed tracing of those infected with the disease. Until a few weeks ago, I sincerely hoped that this would remain just an intellectual exercise, because COVID-19 would disappear soon. Unfortunately, these days we see that we will have a long time to fight this infection. In the various discussions, I personally came up with the idea that in order to make people trust us, we need to offer them a solution that responds to their worries and fears. One possibility is to create a European rule, which can be called a license that defines the main characteristics of the data that COVID-19 tracking applications use. As a basis for this license, which we can call All-Share-Against-COVID, I would include several elements:

First, the collection of information requires the personal consent of everyone. Second, it cannot be used for purposes other than the purely medical tracing of infected people. Third, the data collected cannot be copied, sold or used by other stakeholders – government institutions or private companies. Fourth, it should be deleted the moment the WHO ends the declared COVID-19 pandemic. I was hesitant to include the requirement for the collected data to exclude the possibility of GPS location data, and movements to be detected only through the Bluetooth technology. This looks like a small and unimportant question but it is actually a vital one and is indicative of how we should regulate data privacy. The question is, of course, whether adding such a requirement will not make the existence of the applications themselves useless. I leave this option opened for a more technical discussion with experts. This is the right approach when we need a very specific knowledge. In this case the experts should determine if the COVID-19 tracing applications could actually function properly without GPS tracing.

In conclusion, I believe that our data protection regulations should be aimed at building trust in our citizens. Second, when we talk about these rules, we must look at them through concrete cases, not only through our ideological stances. The situation with COVID-19 has proved to us that our citizens expect Europe to offer fast, feasible and effective solutions.

Eva Maydell, MEP EPP Group in the European Parliament

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“In the next 12 months, we will have the difficult task of proposing measures at European level to increase citizens’ confidence in new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, making them more predictable and safe to use. It will be difficult to create a European Facebook or Amazon, but we have a chance to contribute to the emergence of the next technology giant in a new field. We need to apply uniform EU-wide standards and moral rules in the development of artificial intelligence. Thus, on the one hand, we will ensure the predictability of business, on the other hand, we will ensure that technology works in the service of society and is not a tool for malicious actions, “said Eva Maydell, who is the only Bulgarian representative in the special commission.

Eva Maydell’s responsibilities as coordinator of the EPP MEPs in the committee include coordinating the common position of the group on key issues, organizing the agenda and priorities of the committee together with the coordinators of the other political groups, distribution of work among the EPP members.

“In order to ensure that the widespread use of technology in our daily lives is oriented towards and for the benefit of man, we will draw up a plan of measures to be proposed for European legislation. The difficulty in regulating such a new subject comes from the risk of not stifling innovation with a heavy bureaucracy. Therefore, as the largest political group in Europe, which always works to stimulate entrepreneurs, we will make sure that there are no excessive restrictions, “added Eva Maydell.

The new commission has 33 members and will work 12 months after its first meeting. It should provide an assessment setting out the EU’s overall objectives in the medium and long term, which includes the key steps needed to achieve them, including a roadmap for a “Europe ready for the digital age”.

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“Our admission to the Eurozone is a historic success for Bulgaria and a recognition of the government, because full unanimity was needed from the countries of the Eurozone and Denmark. It is now important to maintain the stability of the economy and to continue to meet the criteria of low government debt and deficit, as well as inflation, so that in a few years’ time we can become a full member of the EU’s core. Given the extraordinary and independent economic turmoil due to Covid-19, it is important for our country that the EC helps with expert assistance for reforms, development of administrative capacity, building digital governance and other areas to help us meet the economic  criteria for  entry  in the Eurozone “, said Eva Maydell to Valdis Dombrovskis and the member of the Board of the European Central Bank Fabio Panetta, who also participated in the hearing before the MEPs.

“One of the EU’s new programs for the next seven years, called the Technical Assistance Instrument, will provide just such expert and financial assistance to countries. The EC has proposed 864m euros, from which countries can request a set amount each year until October 31st to support reforms and modernization in the next calendar year. Such support is needed in order to accelerate the economic catching-up of the countries of Western Europe without negatively affecting our stable macroeconomic indicators. ”This was also commented by the Bulgarian MEP.

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We need to create a framework of ethical and functional rules for the introduction of new technologies so that they contribute to the creation of new jobs and support the work and make life easier for Europeans. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the use of large data sets have the potential to change all sectors and therefore a horizontal view of the rules for their introduction is needed. In the new commission we will try to study the impact and challenges of their entry and to offer a framework of clear rules, “said Eva Maydell, who is the only Bulgarian representative in the special commission.

“Another important aspect of the forthcoming work of the special commission will be the direct meetings and hearings with representatives of business, academia and civil society, which will present both existing applications of innovative technologies and prototypes and their impact on rights and civil liberties. Open dialogue is important for building trust and support for these technologies so that myths and misinformation do not hinder the digitalisation of industry and the development of the digital economy as a whole,” said Eva Maydell. She added that new rules will be provided for digital data generated by the industry, so as to allow their consolidation and processing in favor of solving social and economic challenges, such as climate change, health, sustainable transport and others.

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In response, Merkel agreed that the problem is very big, pointing out that even between the regions of the former East and West Germany there is competition for medical staff and a tendency for those in the eastern cities to fall short. The German Chancellor added that incentives are needed to retain medical professionals and that any measures at European level should not run counter to the principle of free movement of people.

“Competition is a major driver of economic growth, but when it comes to key social systems such as healthcare, European countries must first and foremost be partners. Measures such as temporary quotas for health professionals per capita or the removal of certain investments in health systems from the government deficit account could be considered in order to stimulate the improvement of the sector and the desire of specialists to develop in their home countries. Easier procedures for attracting medical staff from third countries should also be considered, “said Eva Maydell, who is a member of the European Parliament’s committees on industry, research and energy, as well as on economic and monetary affairs.

Merkel presented to MEPs the program of the German presidency of the Council of the EU, which began in early July. Key priorities are negotiating the EU’s recovery plan with Covid-19, reaching a consensus on the Union’s long-term budget for 2021-2027, combating climate change and strengthening Europe’s global responsibility.

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Eva Maydell emphasized another consequence of the pandemic – the growing dependence on the high-tech sector to preserve the economy. “The most successful businesses today are those that use data generated by users online. In order to have more Bulgarian and European companies of world size, we need to allow them to easily and securely use the data we produce with our activities in the online space. That is why, as the EPP rapporteur on the European Parliament’s opinion on the data strategy, I am working to help us deal with challenges such as epidemics, financial crises, climate change, “the Bulgarian MEP added during the event, which also included Microsoft Vice President in charge of European policies Casper Klinge.

According to her, data sharing must be accompanied by sufficient protection of privacy, trade secrets and patents. Clear rules for data sharing and processing in the EU will allow for greater security for users and clearer responsibility for companies using the information. “There must be guidance on how the GDPR should allow for sharing and use under certain conditions. This will facilitate business and stimulate data sharing between companies,” said Maydell.

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“Europe needs to streamline the conversation about its future. The situation with Covid-19 has shown that citizens expect help from the EU when there is a crisis. A recent study by the European Council on Foreign Relations shows that while most Europeans want more cooperation at EU level, this support is because the benefits of more EU are seen in practice. When we live in good times, our common values ​​and achievements with other European nations alone do not seem to be enough to justify the need for European integration. That is why I hope that the expertise and political experience in initiatives such as Friends of Europe will contribute to a more pragmatic conversation about the future of Europe, helping more citizens to understand the meaning and benefits of the EU. ” This was stated by Eva Maidel during the online event with which the new members of the Board of Directors of the think tank officially took office.

Maydell is the only Bulgarian representative on the board of the organization established in 1999 in Brussels. Friends of Europe aims to provide a supra-party objective platform for discussion and policy-making for the development of the European Union. The organization organizes high-level debates, prepares in-depth analyzes and recommendations for European policies. The Board of Directors adopts strategic decisions for the direction of development of the organization, and its members do not receive remuneration.

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“An important clarification is that EU funds are applied for with programs and plans for investments and reforms. We need to protect the need for investment in certain sectors and show how we will improve certain systems in order to receive a grant. But Bulgaria has proven that it can quickly organize and invest European funds with some of the lowest error rates of all EU countries. That is why I am convinced that if we focus on sustainable modernization of the economy, EU funds will be a springboard for raising living standards, “added Eva Maydell, who was a special guest at the webinar on the effects of Kovid-19.

“We are in intensive talks in the European Parliament on how to improve the recovery plan. We need to ensure that the money invested by countries is clearly marked as European, so that the key role and solidarity of the EU is visible to every citizen, “Maydell said during the discussion.

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“All affected by the crisis will be able to benefit from the ambitious plan – small and medium and large businesses, state and municipal institutions and enterprises, medical and educational institutions, etc. Importantly, the aim is not simply to return to the situation before Covid19, but to focus on recovery through new technologies, digitalisation, sustainable environmental policies and measures, ensuring the sustainability and independence of key sectors of the economy. Ie this is a plan for economic growth, which aims to make the EU more competitive with China and the United States in two years’ time than it was before the pandemic. ”This added Eva Maydell.

The EC’s proposal is for a recovery plan totaling 750 billion euros, of which 250 billion euros will be in the form of loans, providing liquidity to businesses in difficulty and stimulating private investments. In parallel, the EC presented an updated proposal for the next 7-year EU budget – until 2027, worth a total of 1.1 trillion euros. The European Parliament and the Member States are due to discuss the proposal and agree on a final version to be voted on by the two institutions in the coming months.

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Perhaps in the past two weeks, some of you have come across the images of the Russian airplanes loaded with aid landing in Italy; or, we’ve read about the assistance that China is giving to doctors and the million masks that they have donated. At the same time, in TV studios across Europe, we often hear that Europe is not united, that Europe did not react, or that Europe was simply not there in this extraordinary situation.

To be fair, in times of crisis, what is also in great deficit is trustworthy information. We see some false-prophets, fake news and twisted interpretations of facts. I am not trying to victimise Europe. What I am saying is that the true victims are we, the citizens. In the last few days, we have witnessed a serious campaign, on behalf of China and other global players, to portray a distorted image of the responsibility for the outbreak. The narrative has changed from one in which China was suspected of hiding crucial information about the virus – and continuing to do so now – to one in which China is there to lend a helping hand in the most affected European regions at a time where Europe is not present there.

The truth of the matter is that while those few images of the Chinese doctors are making their rounds on the Internet, the European Commission has done a great amount of work. The Commission is trying to gather masks and medical equipment, as well as the indispensable ventilators, which are of paramount importance, for all Member States. There is an ongoing procedure for an EU-wide delivery of testing kits.

While looking into the petrifying statistics of new cases and deaths, we simply omit that not all helping hands are honest and without ulterior motives. We have already seen the first signals of the attempts of Chinese investors to buy out Italian companies. This is the reason why the Commission removed the fiscal and state aid restrictions. This way, in practice, Member States have the possibility to save their economies and to offer support to the most affected companies, as well as to stop the attempts of abusing the crisis with buy outs by Chinese or other investors with questionable interests and aspirations.

We cannot ignore the fake news about medicine and vaccines that have supposedly already been created. Given the initial lack of acknowledgment by the U.S., Russia and the U.K. about how serious the situation is, it is logically difficult to deduce that the first vaccine or medicine would have been invented there. In fact, what we saw was that the U.S. administration tried to attract a European company with advanced studies on the Covid-19 vaccine. In response, the EU and Germany reacted with no delay and made available additional financial help to the project. Furthermore, as early as late January, the Commission gave 47,5 billion euros to projects, which look into treatment or prevention from the virus. This was followed by many more initiatives with financial help to companies or researchers working on medicine or new methods for Covid-19 diagnostics.

Week after week, we hear that Europe has lost its solidarity, which inevitably will lead to the break-up of the European project. Strangely, this same solidarity-lacking Europe, permitted my country, Bulgaria, to spend 546 million euros from the EU funds to support our health system and our businesses. It is about advance payment of money, which if not spent, must be returned back to the EU budget, but in this case they will stay for the Member States to operate with.

This same Europe, extended the scope of The Solidarity Fund to the most affected Member States; a Fund that has up until now only been used to address natural disaster damages. The extended scope, confirmed by the vote of the European Parliament, adds 800 million more euros to the fund which is at the disposal of Member States. Furthermore, 1 billion euros of EU money have been redirected as guarantee of the European Investment Fund, to stimulate banks to offer low-interest loans to businesses. We must take into account that all this money is out of the pockets of the so-called non-solidary European citizens who at this very moment also tackle crisis in their own countries.

I cannot help but wonder when seeing all sorts of experts and politicians talk in TV studios questioning where Europe has been during this crisis – the same experts and politicians who just weeks ago stood by the opinion that the EU is unnecessary and Member States must be left to their own resources to deal with whatever comes. It is true, however, that most of the reactions in times of crisis are in the hands of the national governments, and that the EU’s competence is limited precisely by those same national competences.

Hence, next time when someone tries to explain why Europe cannot do anything, it must be mentioned that EU integration in some areas is very limited and often labelled as unnecessary or even counterproductive.

We all hope that with common efforts, we will win the fight against Covid-19, but as with every challenge in human history, we must know who was there for us in the time of crisis.

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“Innovation enabling regulation may sound oxymoronic yet not so much. If we do it right, if we think ahead when drafting legislation, it can be a driver for change. This is why dialogue between the institutions and the innovation-makers is key.” asserted MEP Maydell of the EPP Group during the opening remarks. Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation and Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo headed the panel “Europe on its way to a global hub for digital innovation”.

Carlos Moedas pointed that Europe is going back to science and engineering. “Artificial intelligence, block chain, robotics is not anymore part of the science fiction but part of our everyday life”, he added. Alexander de Croo, asserted that less regulation is not necessarily leading to more innovation, yet regulation is important to provide a stable environment for innovators.

Overall, all panellists agreed that creating the right ecosystem, and especially developing skills and understanding in the society about new technologies is essential. “Some 1.6 million students have been trained for IT skills in network academy led by Cisco”, stressed Pastora Valero, a Vice-President Public Policy and Government Affairs. Reinventing education that delivers digitally skilled people is indispensable. “Let’s have universal learning rights”, appealed Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister De Croo.

Casper Klynge from Denmark, the first tech Ambassador, opened the second panel of the conference, dedicated to “Data-fuelled economy for Europe in the Age of AI”. The Danish diplomat shed light on what ‘techplomacy’ means. “Bringing back knowledge to government on what the new tech trends are, what will technology bring us. Technology may cause inequalities on a geopolitical level.” stressed Klynge.

The discussion proceeded into looking at AI from the perspective of fundamental rights and the opportunities it gives to ease the lives of people with disabilities. “From legal viewpoint the one thing that is new about AI are the unforeseeable causalities it could create”, warned Paul Nemitz, Principal advisor at DG Justice, European Commission,. Google’s Kiran Kaja and Antoine Bordes, lead of Facebook’s AI Research Paris Lab, exemplified the variety of possibilities AI brings in our everyday life. “Artificial Intelligence has a positive net value for society, we need to develop trust in customers, tackle the misperceptions”, concluded  Nick Goode, Executive Vice President of Sage.

 Jim Brunsden, the leading financial services reporter for the Financial Times Brussels moderated the conference, which took place on 29 November 2017 at the European Parliament in Brussels.

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This is a part of a speech EPP/GERB MEP Eva Maydell gave on the 29th June 2017 at a high-level business forum in Brussels organised by Facebook and the Lisbon Council brains trust.

‘Technological development and the digitisation of trade and commerce transcend national boundaries and legislatures’ she continued ‘It is a question of helping the process along and making things easier, smoother and safer for both entrepreneurs and consumers by introducing a unified, Europe-wide legislative framework. Having only one set of laws to deal with instead of 28 will make doing business easier, while all European citizens will have equal access to digital content and services, and be less vulnerable to breaches of their personal data and cybersecurity.’

The forum, on the DSM and the opportunities it presents, was attended by the founders and CEOs of some of Europe’s most notable small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), as well as a number of high-ranking European officials.

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The two day event, which also included an appearance by Belgium’s deputy PM Alexander De Croo, saw Ms Maydell set up a working group on the subject of strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Europe and providing the tools and resources it requires to thrive.

‘It is of utmost importance that we connect start-up cultures, from Sofia to Lisbon and from Valetta to Helsinki, to encourage the exchange of ideas and experience. Finalising and implementing the Digital Single Market (DSM) is the best chance we can give European entrepreneurs to take their successes global.’

‘Net Futures 2017’ brought together professionals from across the digital field, industry leaders such as Google and Ericsson, as well as senior politicians. Bulgarian start-ups were represented by Sasha Bezuhanova from EDIT.bg (a network of over 300 digital entrepreneurs) and the Bulgarian Business Forum. The conference was aimed at getting stakeholders to think strategically about the digital economy and allow businesses to build upon the opportunities of a newly interconnected world. In the long term, it is to serve as a precursor to a EU-wide start-up knowledge exchange.

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Ms Maydell spoke about the wealth of funding opportunities for innovative business ideas provided by the EU, and urged Bulgarian entrepreneurs to make use of them.

‘It is encouraging to see more and more Bulgarian companies exhibit at prestigious events such as Makerstown. It is even more impressive for someone like Lubomir Yanchev, a young Bulgarian entrepreneur, to be specifically invited by the organisers alongside leading global innovators. It comes to show that if you have an original business idea, the support is there to make it a reality and create a really high-quality product’

‘There are two ways to increase business investment – pour more public money in, and ease the flow of capital across the European market. The better we are at the latter, the less of the former we would need. This is why the Juncker plan offers banks various loan guarantees if they lend to SMEs, while simultaneously working towards abolishing inter-state barriers to financial transactions such as credit and exchange fees. This should hopefully result in better online access to potential investment and make the job of finding funding a lot smoother and easier.’

Ms Maydell is the former EPP rapporteur to the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, focusing on the future of financial technologies (FinTech) and the progress of the Juncker investment plan.

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‘I am a strong believer in social entrepreneurship and couldn’t be more pleased that brilliant and capable young people focus their business acumen on ameliorating social issues instead of simply chasing profit. Our Romanian winners are further proof, if any was needed, that technology can help bring good ideas to fruition, regardless of where in Europe (or, in fact, the world) they originate. I am convinced that they’ll be successful and am looking forward to seeing the Mitra eyewear brand improve people’s lives in Bulgaria too.’ said the MEP, who celebrates her third year on the panel of the prestigious award organised by AmCham and Junior Achievement Europe. Apart from Ms Maydell, other judges included the acting US Chief of Mission to the EU Adam Shub and the UPS President for Europe Nando Cesarone.

The 3D printed glasses help the visually impaired move about safely by utilising numerous integrated sensors and object recognition algorithms to provide real-time navigation. At the award ceremony, the Oculus team was presented with a cheque for £10,000 and the opportunity to be mentored by some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.

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A former EPP rapporteur to the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Ms Maydell argued that the lack of digital competencies in the workforce should be a main priority for the administration. ‘Digital skills are the main driver for progress in the 21st century and I am relieved to see that the Parliament’s conclusions reflect that. Along with added-value investment in digital infrastructure, the modernisation of industry needs qualified personnel to actually carry out the process. 40% of EU workers do not currently have the skills to do that’

‘It is important to have a serious conversation about digitisation. Over a third of industrial production growth is down to digital technologies being slowly but surely embedded into its DNA.The future is already happening – according to research by the European Commission, if we do this right, we can expect an increase in annual revenue of almost €100 billion!’

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The comment was made by EPP/GERB MEP Eva Maydell in a debate on Europe’s role in a globalised world during a regular session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 16th May 2017.

The continent’s openness to global trade has been hugely advantageous to its citizens. Research by the European Commission shows that every billion euros-worth of exports is responsible for keeping 14,000 Europeans in their jobs. ‘Whether we will remain a global leader depends on whether the Union manages to ride the wave of digital and technological innovation’ warned Ms Maydell after the debate.

She presented a broad outline of the factors necessary for that to happen, including enhancing the workforce’s digital competency, advancing a favourable regulatory framework, stimulating the exchange of data across the EU and acting as an incubator for innovation. ‘Finalising the Digital Single Market (DSM) is something we have to do, now, before we lose our competitive edge’.

The Parliamentary debate provided an opportunity for European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen to present the conclusions of a report on the subject prepared by the EC and introducing a number of considerations, including the redistribution of profits from global trade, easing the pressure on employment in Europe and facilitating economic growth in the developing world. The report is part of a broader debate on the future of the Union that started in March.

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‘The Grand Horo has already become an annual tradition for both the city of Brussels and the Balkan communities that live here. It is a dynamic reflection of European values and demonstrates the beauty of our continent’s different faces. Dancing a horo in the European capital is a way to show that the Bulgarian people are still very much in touch with their history and culture, while remaining open to the world beyond.’ said Eva Paunova in a speech to participants, audience members and tourists in the square.

Ms Maydell carries on the tradition founded by the former vice-president of the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva in 2014, this being the first year that the horo also enjoys the patronage of Mr Tajani. Also in attendance were the deputy mayor of Brussels Karine Lalieux, several Belgian politicians and the ambassadors to Belgium of Bulgaria and other Balkan countries.

Said Ms Maydell ‘I am happy that the citizens and guests of Brussels had the opportunity to enjoy the performances of the talented Bulgarian ‘Golden Thrace’ ensemble and the National Orchestra of the Bulgarian town of Haskovo.

The Grand Horo is part of the 11th annual Balkan Trafik festival, headlined by the legendary Goran Bregović.

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Free movement, the challenge of populist parties and the rise of identity politics, as well as the result of the British referendum on EU membership featured in the conversation, which also touched upon the 2019 European elections.

The EPP and EMI leadership explored the wide and fertile common ground between them and discussed ways to work together in developing the answers European citizens need for their pressing problems. Emphasis was given on the future direction the European Union needs to take, safeguarding the principle of free movement and making the next European elections as inclusive and visible as possible.

Ms Paunova MEP said: “The European Movement International has for decades advocated the advancement of the European project and has provided a platform for civil society, political parties, trade unions, local authorities and business to come together. The EPP as a long standing member is a natural and like-minded pro-European ally in the pursuit of our common European future and today’s meeting has been further proof of our strong and lasting partnership, needed now more than ever.”

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Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, headed the panel ‘Innovation-driven Europe’. He presented the Commission´s instruments supporting innovation – the innovation tool and the innovation deals, which provide guidance on introducing new technologies within the flexibility of existing legislation. „Innovation needs to be seen in a dynamic way – in 60/70% of cases no change of laws is needed for it to be accommodated“. Attila Narin, Head of Business Development at Amazon Web Services, presented the consumer´s perspective on the issue, emphasising the necessity of understanding how innovation can be used in practice.  The panel was concluded by Alessandro Curioni, Head of IBM Research in Europe, who pointed out that „the real value of innovation is realized when real economic and societal needs and challenges are being met.“

The second panel of the conference, dedicated to ‘Competitiveness through smart regulation’, began with a statement by Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition. The Commissioner asserted that „you need both competition and a reward for innovators“, underlying the importance of rules protecting the freedom of innovators. Martin Lorentzon, Co-founder and Chairman of Spotify, expressed his strong support for the EU’s Digital Single Market initiative: „Spotify spent almost seven years to get the licences for music. The DSM and its on-going copyright project will make things so much easier to close those licences with 29 countries, levelling the playing field.“

Rachel Whetstone, Senior Vice President at Uber, voiced her company’s support for well-tailored regulation of safety and consumer protection issues and gave a number of examples of how Uber is increasingly serving underprivileged groups in Europe. “In the digital sector, any new legislation risks being outdated by the time it is implemented.  Possible platform regulation is a prime example for that“, observed Niklas Maydell of Cleary Gottlieb, the law firm. The panel was concluded by David Roy Lidington, the longest-serving Minister for Europe in the UK. „Europe will only be competitive if we uphold and support innovation. For instance, we should seeplatforms and robotic changes as an opportunity not as a treat.“

Commissioner Vestager and MEP Paunova agreed that the conference should just be the first in a series of joint, high-level events to come that will be committed to continuing the dialogue between policy-makers and stakeholders in search for better and well-fitted regulation in support of innovation.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”23″ gal_title=”EU and leading digital companies unite on a common view on regulation for innovation”]

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The Forum was under the high patronage of the European Parliament and has the support of Parliament President Martin Schulz. MEP Eva Paunova moderated and participated in the panel featuring Mr. Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group.

Other topics discussed during the forum included research, innovation, digital technologies and youth employment. Nick Jennett, Director of the new products and special transactions department at the European Investment Bank, made a presentation on EFSI. He elaborated on how investment can be through into the European economy. According to Paunova, “these topics are important for Europe as a whole, but also for enabling each member state to fulfil its potential and face the challenges of our time.”

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American IT giant Google, in partnership with GERB Entrepreneurs, GERB Youth and EPP MEP Eva Paunova,   gave its first conference in Bulgaria on the subject of ‘Young Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age’, launching the #GenerationD campaign. The session was chaired by Ms Paunova, GERB’s Mayoral candidate for Sofia Yordanka Fandakova and Google’s Public Policy Manager Georgios Mavros.

Ms Fandakova expressed her commitment to making Sofia a regional centre of Europe’s digital single market, citing advancements in e-governance, smart traffic control and public transportation as examples of the capital’s potential. She also re-stated the Municipality’s intention to make its data publically available as soon as possible.

Mr Mavros congratulated Bulgaria on having some of the most capable and talented IT specialists in the world and confirmed that Sofia could become the start-up hub of the Balkans. He also introduced some of the initiatives that Google has in store to encourage digital entrepreneurship across the continent, including plans to organise IT courses for up to 1 million Europeans by the end of 2016.

Ms Paunova spoke about the impending changes in the technology sector, which will require all stakeholders in the market economy to be well-informed and computer literate. She pointed out that Bulgaria is the first country in the world to introduce coding in its primary school curriculum and that this should be widely publicised as part of the country’s international ‘brand’.

Opening the event, together with GERB Youth’s Georg Georgiev, GERB Entrepreneurs head Valya Chilova said ‘We live in a very different era, a brand new economic model is being created. We can no longer afford to talk about entrepreneurship without thinking about its digital aspect, about cloud computing and digital manufacturing’.

The conference was attended by over 180 members of the public and business representatives, as well as Google’s Public Policy and Government Relations Manager for Central and Eastern Europe Marcin Olender.

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The aim of the event was to present the results of a research study into the state of business in the Veliko Tarnovo area, commissioned by Ms Paunova. The city’s Mayor Daniel Panov and Milena Damyanova, chairwoman of the Parliamentary commission for Science and Education were also in attendance, together with the vice-president of the GERB parliamentary group Krasimir Velchev and Kalin Kamenov, deputy minister for Youth and Sport and GERB’s mayoral candidate for Vratsa.

According to the study, 70% of companies in the area do not benefit from any international co-operation and only 26% have successfully bid for EU funding. Mayor Panov acknowledged that there is room for improvement and pledged that his administration is working hard to improve the situation. One way to do so, according to Ms Paunova, is to ensure businesses are represented online and embrace e-commerce, which only about 13% have done so far. The MEP announced that the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) will soon be opening an office in Veliko Tarnovo to offer support.

Another notable finding discussed at the conference was the small percentage (only 2.3%) of enterprises which report having taken young people on as interns. ‘This is a trend we need to address promptly, because internships have every potential to serve as a great first step in a young person’s career development’ commented Mr Kamenov. Despite most employers agreeing, in principle at least, that young people should be afforded more opportunities to engage and learn, only a third (32%) of managers prefer hiring applicants with little or no experience.

Ms Paunova remained positive: ‘It’s encouraging to see that over a quarter of employers we surveyed are happy to facilitate professional exchanges with universities and other educational establishments – seeing that 37% of businesses complain of not being able to hire the professionals they need, this is the only way for us to identify the skills that are actually in demand on the labour market, and cultivate them in students’.

According to Krasimir Velchev and Milena Damyanova new legal guidelines that allow for a narrower specialisation in further and higher education should serve to address current challenges.

The research study surveyed 350 SMEs in the Veliko Tarnovo region about their attitudes towards what is currently on offer on the labour market and how it relates to their needs. It is aimed at improving communication between businesses and educational establishments in Ms Paunova’s priority Veliko Tarnovo area.

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The project, worth more than 32 million levs, has been completed in accordance with the ‘Information Systems for the Management of Maritime Traffic’ initiative, with 28 million levs provided through an operational programme for transport development. According to Ivaylo Ivanov, director of Port Infrastructure, the newly-installed system is not only much more effective at managing traffic, but also makes smuggling harder, improves communication between vessels and the coastal service, and allows for the electronic exchange of documents.

An observation tower, also part of the improvements, is in constant communication with other states along the Black sea coast, as well as with a similar set-up in the nearby sea port of Varna, to control and guide the movement of ships in Bulgarian waters, to collect information and to co-ordinate interventions where required.

Ms Paunova’s visit was part of the European Mobility Week (16-22 September), which is celebrated in Burgas with a series of events under the strapline ‘Your Turn, Clean Air!’.

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Howard Gardner Intelligence Academy on the 17^th of September 2015. Christiana Lazarova, who runs the Academy was happy to elaborate: ‘The world we live in encourages, demands even, that we explore and develop our diverse talents. We can no longer afford to waste our potential. According to psychologist Howard Gardner, our ability to communicate, to sense and learn through word, picture or sound, to express emotion and ideas through our body language and movement – all of these are different types of intelligence that we all possess to some extent. Our work here is to find the specific area (there are 9, according to Gardner) that each child excels in and nurture it. Every lesson here is an experience for all senses and the impact that this has on students’ educational achievement is tremendous.’

The Howard Gardner academy, whose motto is ‘I create!’ offers a half-day course package for primary- and middle-school aged children. It comprises a team of highly motivated, professional teachers who help students with their lessons, as well as guiding them to explore their extracurricular talents, including sport, art, and music. The academy also offers individual lessons to pupils of all ages. Find more information at www.hgacademy.bg

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During the debate Ms Paunova pointed out that, over the next three years, more than 200,000 people are expected to move to Bulgaria’s bigger cities, intensifying the need for new, sustainable solutions for managing the urban environment. ‘What we are looking at here is a whole new economic model based on technology. Bulgaria , as a country, has the unique potential to lead in the digital revolution already underway’ added the Bulgarian MEP.

Ms Paunova spoke at length about two of the main characteristics of a ‘smart city’ – the development of a digital infrastructure and the intelligent mining and implementation of ‘big data’.

Ivelina Strateva, speaking on behalf of the Burgas municipality, introduced some of the innovative solutions for modernising the urban environment that are already being implemented in the city, including smart video surveillance, electronic public transport notice boards and ‘smart’ education apps.

The meeting concluded with the agreement that new technologies should be used to their full potential to create a single optimised urban management system. Ms Paunova expressed her support for Burgas’ demonstrable embrace of the ‘smart city’ philosophy and efforts to integrate it into its infrastructure: ‘This will allow ordinary citizens access to a number of new services, while making local government more effective and helping it better utilise its resources’.

Ms Paunova and Mr Nikolov then attended the opening of the BusinessEgg solar bench – a project by the city’s Business incubator that uses green energy to charge electronic devices.

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The young Bulgarians had the opportunity to present their projects at the European Parliament. According to Ms Radulj the mobile application “Banitsa finder”, invented by the Team Spirelex from Varna, has potential to gain popularity in the whole Balkan region. The app helps the user to find the best bakeries in their city. The second group consisted of students from Sofia University, who have invented an innovative online platform for matching companies seeking employees and jobseekers, named “Job Wars”. The app filters relevant qualifications of jobseekers according to current job offers. This group discussed with EYIF EU funding opportunities for the completion of their project.

Support for digital entrepreneurship is among the main priorities of MEP Eva Paunova. In November she organised a round table in the context of the initiative “Disrupt Europe 2015”, together with the EYIF and the Association for young entrepreneurs “Euromentors”. One of their main topics of interest is to spark a debate on new ways of European development through digital technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Ms Paunova, who is also a co-founder of EP’s Digital Agenda Intergroup said ‘It is important to understand and implement the new digital economic model throughout Europe, as it levels the playing field for everyone – start-ups and big corporations, established member-states and smaller countries trying to make their mark. It will also facilitate e-commerce on the European and international levels, stimulating job creation for the future’.

The meeting also welcomed a special presentation by Aura Salla, Cabinet member and Communications Advisor to EC vice-president Jyrki Katainen. Ms Salla outlined the Commission’s priorities for its Digital Single Market Strategy, as well as opportunities for digital entrepreneurs presented by the Juncker investment plan.

European Movement International (EMI) is the biggest umbrella body for NGOs in Europe.

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