site.btaDigital Assembly in Sofia Launches Digital Agenda for Western Balkans

Sofia, June 25 (BTA) - The Digital Assembly in Sofia, an event held within the programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council, launched the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans. Addressing the forum, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that digital technologies is an area where the Western Balkans can prove to be leaders. The region has the powers, the potential and the investment which has already been made, he added.

He went on to speak about the importance of education, as well as about cyber security and technological development.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that the leaders of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia are meeting in Thessaloniki on July 4 and head from there for Sofia for a meeting with China in the 16+1 format. Along with building rail links and motorways, this region also needs to take care of providing the digital infrastructure that is needed, he said.

He said that a lot of efforts are being put into scrapping roaming charges in the region "because it is good for people and businesses". "It is important that the Balkans be united. We have a rare chance to show our potential to the world," he said.

Participating in this panel of the Digital Assembly were also EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel and ministers of communication, infrastructure, innovation and energy or Albania, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.

Mariya Gabriel said that digital transformation is the defining process for our time and it bring challenges for people and businesses. She went on to catalogue the steps that the European Commission has made on the long path of digital transformation, including the scrapping of roaming charges, the construction of an integrated digital market and the adoption of regulation of data protection.

She said that fake news seeks to destroy trust among people and confidence in the democratic model Europe has embraced, which is why the Commission has proposed a code for combatting fake news, supports an independent network for fact-checking and is working for the digitalization of public services.

Bulgarian Transport, IT and Communications Minister Ivaylo Moskovski also participated in the Digital Assembly.