Aithernal at a Private, High-Level Industry Roundtable with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy and Lucilla Sioli, Director of the EU AI Office, DG Connect, European Commission!

During the Digital Summit in Gdansk, part of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union, Aithernal, represented by its CEO, Liliana Mucha, had the great honour of being part of a small, exclusive group of leading Polish, European and American tech companies at a private, high-level industry roundtable with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy and Lucilla Sioli, Director of the EU AI Office, DG Connect, European Commission.

The meeting, led by Michal Kanownik, President of Związek Cyfrowa Polska / Digital Poland Association, underscored the significance of inclusive policymaking, enhanced EU-US cooperation and the imperative of positioning CEE countries at the forefront of shaping Europe’s digital future.

The discussion covered:

• The need for a more coherent, innovation-friendly regulatory environment.
• The importance of removing administrative barriers and improving access to EU programs for SMEs in Central and Eastern Europe.
• A call for clear, predictable guidance to help SMEs and startups navigate the new AI regulations.
• The importance of combining regulatory simplification with increased investment in digitalization and R&D to build a globally competitive tech ecosystem.