Invitation

– 4 March 2021 | 14:00 to 15:00 (CET) –

High-level Webinar – round-table

Rural Areas & Smart Villages 2040: Bridging Europe’s Digital Divide through Mobile Connectivity

The European Parliament Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas & Smart Villages, in partnership with Vantage Towers, invites you to attend a webinar round-table on Rural Areas & Smart Villages 2040: Bridging Europe’s Digital Divide through Mobile Connectivity.

Mobile connectivity in rural areas remains a challenge in many EU Member States, with more than 3 million Europeans in sparsely populated areas lacking high-speed mobile coverage. The ability to access digital services during the COVID-19 crisis has aggravated this issue, with the urban-rural digital divide expected to widen in the future. At the same time changes in consumption and production patterns caused by the pandemic provide new opportunities for growth in remote regions, highlighting the urgent need for developing digital infrastructure in rural and remote areas as part of Europe’s recovery.

As a member of the RUMRA & Smart Villages Intergroup you have the exclusive opportunity to become an active part of this round-table debate, where representatives from the European Commission, Member States, Think Tanks, and industry will discuss the significance of mobile connectivity to the economic and social development of Europe’s rural and most remote areas and how NextGenerationEU can help supporting the Union’s rural development ambitions.

Programme:

• Opening Remarks: MEP Franc Bogovič, Chair of the RUMRA & Smart Villages Intergroup
• Keynote speech: Vivek Badrinath, CEO of Vantage Towers
• Structured stakeholder round-table discussion with:

• • Dr. Tobias Miethaner, Director-General, Digital Society, German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI)

• Jean-Luc Lemmens, Research Director, Head of Media & Telecom Business Unit at IDATE DigiWorld
• European Commission:

• • Rita Wezenbeek, Director for Connectivity, DG CONNECT, European Commission
  • Jorge Pinto Antunes, Member of Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski’s Cabinet

• MEPs: Franc Bogovič (EPP, SI), Tsvetelina Penkova (S&D, BG), Niklas Nienaß (Greens/EFA, DE), Juozas Olekas (S&D, LT) and others

Full programme details to follow soon. To save your seat and speaking slot, please register here.

We look forward to seeing you there!