![[Event] Slovenia and Latvia: Spacebound](https://www.cep.si/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/647f1d08e6c9d_2359187526.jpeg)
6. 6. 2023 | PR, Transformative Power of Digital
The Centre for European Perspective (CEP) and the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) invite you to a high-level international discussion
Slovenia and Latvia: Spacebound
12 June 2023 at 13:00 (CET)
ALTUM hall, Domas laukums 4 & online
Europe and the world are going through a profound geopolitical realignment. Our digital future has thus become not only a question of economic growth and prosperity but also a geopolitical one. The war in Ukraine has shown, once again, how important it is for the EU and the US to take the lead in promoting certain shared values, which are based on human rights, democratic accountability, and respect for the rule of law.
The two-panel event will feature a discussion with the Former Presidents of Slovenia and Latvia and their reflections on current geopolitical developments, opportunities for strategic partnership – military cooperation, and the future role of the East and the United States in shaping security dynamics. The second panel will explore the digital dimension of the strategic partnership within the European Union and address the potential for collaboration in areas such as digital innovation and the development of emerging technologies and future digital transformation.
Please register to attend event in-person here.
Presidential Reflections: Future Geopolitical Realities
Speakers:
- H.E. Borut Pahor, Former President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia
- H.E. Vladis Zatlers, Former President of the Republic of Latvia
Moderator: Dr Karlis Bukovskis, Director, Latvian Institute of International Affairs
Charting Prospects of the Digital Economy
Speakers:
- Matevž Frangež, State Secretary, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of Slovenia.
- Juris Pūce, Chairperson of the Latvian Development, Former Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia
- Ieva Siliņa, Advisor to the Minister of Economy on issues of innovation and digitization
Moderator: Morten Hansen, Head of Economics Department of Stockholm School of Economics
The entire agenda of the event can be found here.
The event will be streamed on CEP and LIIA Facebook profiles.
4. 5. 2023 | Danube, PR
The green and digital transition has profoundly affected societies worldwide, moving them towards an ever-changing environment. The digital revolution and the move towards green transition have opened up new opportunities for individuals, organisations and countries, heavily impacting the labour market and transforming societies in the Danube region and broader.
But just what will be the role of knowledge in these societies of the future, how will the changes affect the cooperation in the Danube region, and how can our societies adapt?
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia is organising a two-day hybrid international conference titled “Towards Knowledge-driven Society and Professions of the Future”, which will take place at the Congress Centre Brdo at Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, on 17 and 18 May 2023.
This event, held within the scope of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube region (EUSDR) and organised with the support of the Priority Area 7 of the EUSDR, will bring together experts, educational institutions, youth and policymakers from across Europe to explore the role of knowledge in society in our rapidly changing world.
The conference will focus on the expected transformation of the knowledge-driven society, the implications for the current and future needs of the labour market, and the effect of digital transformation. It will provide a platform for sharing ideas and experiences and identifying emerging trends while engaging strategic foresight perspectives. The event will also aim to foster international collaboration and policy synergies and significantly contribute to the 2023 Slovenian Presidency of the EUSDR.
The event is planned in a hybrid format, with some 100 participants attending in person and a broad audience of registered online participants.
You can register here until 12 May.
More information about the event can be found on the EUSDR website: https://danube-region.eu/danube-events/conference-on-knowledge-driven-society/.
28. 3. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Transformative Power of Digital
The debate on “Digital Partnerships: How to Forge an Advanced European Future” has, in spite of some last-minute changes of the panellists, successfully taken place in Warsaw last week.
The debate touched upon the consequences of the Russian aggression on Ukraine for the CEE region and the rise of cyber threats since then, the steps taken towards transatlantic strategic digital partnership (such as TTC, transparency, cybersecurity, etc.), enhancing European sovereignty in the digital sphere and more.
Stay tuned for more debates on similar topics in the coming months. Until then, you are again welcome to watch the recording of the debate below.
We would like to thank our partners, Atlantic Council and Kosciuszko institute, for their organisational support. At the same time, our special thanks go to Ambassador Tadeusz Chomicki, Ambassador for Cyber & Tech Affairs, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Ewelina Kasprzyk, Program Director at the Kościuszko Institute, and Jagoda Zakrzewska, Public Policy CEE Manager at Google Poland, who joined the debate on stage. Last but not least, a big thanks to Aaron Korewa, Director of the Atlantic Council Warsaw Office, for moderating the debate in such extraordinary circumstances.
20. 3. 2023 | PR, Transformative Power of Digital
CEP, Atlantic Council and the Kosciuszko Institute are delighted to invite you to a panel discussion
Digital Partnerships: How to Forge an Advanced European Future
Wednesday, March 22 | 11.30 CET
Register here to join via Zoom
While Covid exposed the EU’s vulnerabilities, the war in Ukraine heightened the urge to solve them – from infrastructure, cybersecurity, disinformation, and defence shortcomings. This especially holds true for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), which bear the brunt of Russian cyberattacks and other malicious digital intents.
As outlined in two recent reports from the Atlantic Council and the Centre for European Perspective – “Strategic Partnership for a Secure and Digital Europe” and “Digital Sovereignty in Practice” – to address these issues and ensure European values are respected in the digital world, a like-minded and values-based partnership is a priority, and strong and stable transatlantic exchanges are indispensable. It is paramount that the countries of CEE deepen their cooperation within the region while at the same time strengthening their voice within the EU and with the US.
The panel will address the following questions:
What are the main digital challenges that CEE and the EU are facing now? What mechanisms for cooperation exist within the CEE, and how can such cooperation on digital issues be enhanced? Do any best practices exist? How do we shape a specific, action-oriented agenda for transatlantic digital cooperation to ensure a tangible strategic partnership around digital policy?
Joining us to address these questions are speakers:
- Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh, Minister for Digital Transformation of the Republic of Slovenia
- Mr Janusz Cieszyński, Secretary of State and Government Plenipotentiary for Cyber Security of the Republic of Poland
- Marta Poslad, Director of Public Policy, Central and Eastern Europe at Google
- Ewelina Kasprzyk, Program Director at the Kościuszko Institute
You can join us live over Zoom by registering here or following our social media accounts as the video of the session will be published after the discussion.
13. 12. 2022 | Danube, PR
The TalentMagnet consortium is happy to present the last eNewsletter of the project!
Two years of the project have already gone by in a flash, and the consortium has created important outputs, completed their pilot actions, tried out the tools prepared in the scope of the project, and more. Presentation of local plans for talent attraction and retention, all project activities, and a chat with TalentMagnet stakeholders were all a part of the final conference in Ptuj, Slovenia.
But we won’t spoil more about the content of the eNewsletter – you can read it here.
For more information about the TalentMagnet project, check out the Danube Transnational Programme website or TalentMagnet Facebook page.
2. 12. 2022 | Danube, PR
With the Opening event held on 1 December 2022 at Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia begins its year of the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). The event’s participants were welcomed by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marko Štucin, who, in his opening address, emphasised Slovenia’s support for Ukraine – the country that presided over the Danube Strategy before Slovenia.
In his address, Mr Štucin encouraged further cooperation in macro-regions. He emphasised the unique role of EU macro-regions, which offer the possibility for all countries, both EU members and non-members, to participate equally.
Sławomir Tokarski, Director of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), focused on the importance of continuing to facilitate the enlargement process in his address, commending the decision that Slovenia puts facilitation of enlargement as one of its focuses during the Presidency. Nataša Goršek Mencin, Deputy Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovenia, emphasised the importance of quick action and support of the EUSDR for Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and welcomed Slovenia’s decision to continue supporting Ukraine in its Presidency programme and support the empowerment of all actors in the Danube Strategy. The first part was concluded by Ms Nadija Afanasieva, representative of the Ukrainian National Coordination of the Danube Strategy. She thanked the TRIO Presidencies for their support and expressed her satisfaction that Slovenia will include the topics addressed by Ukraine during its EUSDR Presidency in its programme.
In the second part, Ms Petra Česen Čatar, Slovenian National Coordinator for the Macroregional Strategies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, presented the programme of the Slovenian Presidency and its institutional priorities. The thematic priorities of the Presidency were touched upon by Mr Jernej Grahor, representative of the Centre for European Perspective and coordinator of Priority Area 10, Mr Peter Volasko, representative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Slovenia and Mr Franc Žepič, representative of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Republic of Slovenia and coordinator of Priority Area 1b.
The Slovenian EUSDR Presidency will focus on the future development of the Danube Region and on the empowered cooperation of all EUSDR participating countries. Given that the Danube Region is one of the most heterogeneous and diverse regions in Europe, with nine EU and five non-EU countries, the Slovenian Presidency will prioritise the involvement and capacity-building of key stakeholders participating in the EUSDR.
To act as a promoter and facilitator of macro-regional cooperation between all countries and all macro-regional strategies, the Slovenian EUSDR Presidency has the following institutional priorities:
- Empowering involvement in the EUSDR
- Improving the strategic governance of EUSDR and macro-regional strategies
- Youth involvement and its role in the EUSDR
- Embedding process – evaluation and further steps
Taking into account the acceleration of the green and digital transition that will steer the transformation of societies and affect cooperation and connectivity, and recognising the challenges to transport and energy security in the region, the thematic priorities of the Presidency will focus on the expected transformation of societies and the role of knowledge in such societies and professions of the future, as well as transport and energy challenges in the region.
The Opening event of the Slovenian Presidency of the EUSDR continued with an informal discussion among EUSDR National Coordinators and Priority Area Coordinators, focusing on empowering involvement, strengthening the ownership of countries in the EUSDR and unlocking the potential of macroregional cooperation for non-EU countries.
Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023, with the conclusion at the 12th EUSDR Annual Forum, which Slovenia will hold on 24 and 25 October 2023 in Brdo pri Kranju.
