Press release Sopot, 1 October 2015
How to regulate the digital market in the European Union? Are measures implemented on the state level sufficient or should we join forces community-wide? If regulations are to be implemented - how detailed should they be and what issues should be prioritized? These and other dilemmas of the contemporary digital world were discussed by the participants of one of the EFNI panel discussions.
We are witnessing a massive revolution, previously unknown to man, one that could easily be compared to such milestones in the history of mankind as the invention of electricity or the steam engine. Krzysztof Blusz, President of demosEUROPA, opened the debate by saying that the revolution taking place before our very eyes is so profound that our cognitive apparatus is completely unprepared for what is to come.
The only right path to follow seems to be to harmonise activities within the European Union. 'What we need is a comprehensive approach,' said Michał Boni, Member of the European Parliament. 'The only direction for Europe to go in is to conquer fragmentation. This is no easy feat. When we think about the future, e.g. about the Internet of things, it is obvious that unified regulations must be in force,' argued Boni. At the same time, he admitted that the law we establish is bound to be always lagging behind the developments on the market. 'Strict regulations will not work in our reality. I recommend that soft rules be adopted since these would be more universal in nature. Yes, such a course of action carries a risk, but it is a risk that must be taken,' Boni concluded.
Cornelia Kutterer, Director of Digital Policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Microsoft, believes that only the digitalisation of the European Union offers it an opportunity to showcase its competitiveness. In the context of the soft regulations proposed by Boni, Kutterer pointed out that it is necessary to build the trust of citizens in companies. Trust can be built via the observance of regulations, transparent actions and certification procedures.
Maciej Witucki, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Orange Polska, argued that it is necessary to adopt common regulations within the EU, since all the member states are faced with the same challenges. Moreover, he spoke in favour of harmonising regulations between the EU and the
United States as well. He agreed with the other debate participants who said that is is necessary to implement more flexible legislation with respect to a number of areas of interest.
'I do not mean to say that we can do away with regulations completely but the debate does not account for the reality of persons who are most keen on using new technologies. Of course, particularly sensitive data must be strictly protected but guidelines and not legal provisions could be applied with respect to all other data,' concluded Witucki.

'The question is who wants to maintain the current state of affairs? Which industries and whose interests are blocking the adoption of regulations pertaining to new technologies that could contribute to the restriction of the operation of certain markets?' was a point made by Luciano
Floridi, Director of Research, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at the Oxford Internet Institute.
Floridi continued to say that he finds it necessary to adopt determined and prompt actions. 'It might sometimes be necessary to take risks. Now is the time to take risks. Even if we do make mistakes, there will still be time to eliminate them,' Floridi said.
The panellists taking part in the debate agreed that it was necessary to cooperate within the EU and to adopt regulations that would respond to the problems that all of the member states are dealing with. It was stressed that implementing efficient legislation in the circumstances of such dynamic changes is a challenging task. Detailed regulations pertaining to this field are bound to be reactive in nature. To anticipate the threats, flexible and universal guidelines need to be developed while companies have to assume full responsibility for their actions.
Orange Polska was the event partner, and demosEUROPA was the knowledge partner.
***
THE EUROPEAN FORUM FOR NEW IDEAS is an international business congress attended by prominent representatives of politics, culture, science, and media. It has been organised since 2011 by the Polish Confederation Lewiatan in cooperation with BUSINESSEUROPE, the city of Sopot, and Polish and foreign companies and organizations. The Forum is aimed at creating ideas for a strong Europe and a competitive economy, a Europe open to trends of social growth and technology. This year's EFNI will be held on 30 September – 2 October 2015 in Sopot, and its theme is: Europe and the
World in the Face of Growing Inequality, Radicalism, and Geopolitical Threats
More information: www.efni.pl
Honorary patronage
Institutional partners
Strategic partners
Opening Gala partner
Main partners
Supporting partners
Knowledge partners
Logistics partner
Official carrier
Executive Producer
President of the Republic of Poland, European Parliament
Polish Industrial Development Agency S.A., European Commission, National Centre for Research and Development
MetLife, PKN ORLEN, PZU, Totalizator Sportowy, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Grupa
Onet.pl, TVP SA
Bank Pekao S.A.
Biznes.pl, BMW, Citi Handlowy, Discovery NETWORKS CEEMEA, Forbes, France 24,
Intel, Microsoft, Newsweek, Orange Polska, Parkiet, PKP S.A., Silvermedia
AMS, Bloomberg Businessweek Polska, Gazeta Wyborcza, Havas Worldwide,
Liberté!, McCANN Worldgroup, PAP Polish Press Agency, PGNiG SA, Polish
Association of Employers in Mining Industry, Pomeranian Special Economic Zone,
Puls Biznesu, Starcom MediaVest Group, Polish Association of Employers in
Transport and Logistics, Warsaw Business Journal Observer, Association of Private
Employers in Energy Industry, Digital Technology Employers Lewiatan
Ashoka, Aspen Institute Prague, Centre for International Relations, demosEUROPA
– Centre for European Strategy, ECFR, Institute of Public Affairs, POLITYKA
INSIGHT, Res Publica Nowa, THINKTANK, Global Compact in Poland – an Initiative of the UN Secretary General, World Academy of Art and Science
Lech Wałęsa Airport in Gdańsk
PLL LOT
IDFX

MEDIA CONTACT:
Zbigniew Maciąg, zmaciag@konfederacjalewiatan.pl
, phone number: +48 604 589 080