22 March 2021 | Informal meeting of the Ministers for the Internal Market and Industry of the European Union
The Ministers responsible for Competitiveness (Internal Market and Industry) met on March 22, 2021, by videoconference, to debate the concept of “strategic autonomy in an open European Union”, with a view to promoting greater resilience and competitiveness of the economy European. The concept was analyzed from different perspectives, namely, the strengthening of the single market, the value chains, the diversification of the offer, the identification of strategic areas and vulnerabilities (and what are the relevant measures to deal with them), the promotion of conditions competition and the opening of the European Union to the world.
This meeting was chaired by the Minister of State, Economy and Digital Transition, Pedro Siza Vieira. The European Commission Vice-President, Margrethe Vestager, and Commissioner Thierry Breton, as well as representatives of two companies, one in the pharmaceutical sector (Guy Villax, Hovione) and another in the technology area (Paulo Rosado, OutSystems) participated in this debate.
The European Commission Communication “Guidelines for Digitization to 2030: the European path to the Digital Decade” was also presented, presenting a vision, goals and paths to successfully complete Europe's digital transformation by 2030.
More information can be found here.
19 March 2021 | Digital Day
On March 19, the Digital Day event took place in virtual format. This event, one of the most emblematic of the Portuguese Presidency in the digital area, was jointly organized by the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton and by the PPUE.
In this context, the following Ministerial Declarations are highlighted:
• “European Data Gateways as a key element of the EU's Digital Decade” which aims to explore Europe's potential to become a world-class data hub, focusing on international connectivity through terrestrial and submarine cables, satellite communications and others vital data infrastructures.
• “EU Startup Nations Standard” which expresses the political will and commitment of the EU to act to ensure that all European startups and scaleups benefit from the best practices that sustain the most successful startup ecosystems in Europe and the world.
• “A Green and Digital Transformation of the EU” which sets out a series of actions to mobilize investments in clean and digital technologies to accelerate climate action, help create jobs and growth and enable Europe to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis more stronger, greener and more resilient.
The event's agenda also included an additional Declaration "Green Digital Coalition" addressed to industry and CEOs of companies, in order to commit to specific actions to accelerate the transition of the ICT sector to a decarbonised, circular and pollution-free economy and, at the same time, contribute to an innovative, sustainable and resilient economy.
More information can be found here.
15-16 March 2021 | “Consumers Summit”
On 15 March the European Consumer Summit took place and for the first time it was co-organised with the Member State, Portugal, which was chairing the Council of the EU. 15 March marks World Consumer Rights Day.
In November 2020, the European Commission presented the New Consumer Agenda in which it emphasises the need to empower consumers for the green transition and digital transformation taking into account their vulnerabilities. The New Agenda also highlights the importance of effective enforcement of consumer protection legislation, as well as the relevance of international cooperation in the development of consumer policy.
This Summit discussed the policy priorities and how to operationalize the Consumer Agenda in the coming period.
More information can be found here.
16 March 2021 | High Level Meeting on Consumer Protection
Ministers responsible for consumer protection met in videoconference format with the participation of the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, and discussed the next steps to be taken in the development of the European consumer protection policy, as well as the New Consumer Agenda and the Conclusions approved on February 22, 2021.
More information can be found here.
8 March 2021 | Big Data enabling tourism competitiveness
On March 8, 2021, took place the Big Data enabling tourism competitiveness event, a virtual meeting of experts, open to the general public, to debate the role of data in restoring the competitiveness of the tourism sector, in particular with regard to potential of Big Data resources.
More information about this event is available through the following link: http://www.turismodeportugal.pt/pt/agenda/paginas/big-data-enabling-tourism-competitiveness.aspx/
8 March 2021 | Meeting of Directors-General for Tourism
On March 8, 2021, the Meeting of the European Union's General Directors of Tourism took place, foreseen in the agenda of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, under the coordination of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition.
More information about this event is available through the following link: http://www.turismodeportugal.pt/pt/Agenda/Paginas/reuniao-diretores-gerais-turismo-ue.aspx
1 March 2021 | Extraordinary Meeting of Directors-General for Tourism
An extraordinary meeting of Ministers responsible for Tourism in the European Union took place on 1 March 2021. The agenda of this meeting was marked by the debate around the responses of this sector to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information about this event is available through the following link: https://www.turismodeportugal.pt/pt/Noticias/Paginas/ppue-ministros-mercado-interno-industria-urgente-reposicao-mobilidade-e-apoios-financeiros-empresas.aspx
