Mapping the European Digital Space: A Romanian Blueprint for Governance and Business

Aspen Institute Romania organized on September 20, 2011, in Bucharest, the "Mapping the European Digital Space - a Romanian blueprint for governance and business development in the digital world" policy roundtable. On this occasion, Aspen Institute Romania launched its Technology, Information and Society (TI&S) policy program. The key aim of the program is to create a local project community for consultation and constructive dialogue on the IT&C sector in Romania. Based on its activities, TI&S intends to provide recommendations for decision-makers from the public and the private sector, regarding the regulatory framework, financing and strategic developments of the digital sector. Among the program's priorities are the position of the Romanian IT&C sector in the digital single market, free access to information and technology and the utilization of the latter in economic, social, educational and administrative activities. Overall, the program builds upon the work of Aspen Institute Romania aimed at increasing Romania's economic competitiveness. 

Participants to the roundtable included, apart from Aspen Institute Romania members, heads of multinational corporations and local IT companies, as well as representatives of national and European public institutions, and civil society organizations from the IT&C field. Panelists for the event were Mr. Florin Lupescu, Principal Adviser, DG INFSO European Commission, Emil Zahan, Head of cabinet, Ministry of Communications and Information Society, Cătălin Marinescu, President, National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), Relu Fenechiu, President, Committee on Information Technology and Communications, Chamber of Deputies, Vasile Baltac, President, ATIC - IT&C Association of Romania, Sorin Mîndruţescu, Country Leader,  Oracle Romania, Irina Anghel, Secretary General, South Eastern European Private Equity and VC Association, Ronald Binkofski, General Manager, Microsoft Romania, Iosif Moldovan, Secretary of State, Ministry of Communications and Information Society, Jean-François Fallacher, CEO, Orange Romania, Bogdan Balaci, CEO, IBM Romania. Mircea Geoană, President of the Romanian Senate and President of Aspen Institute Romania held an introductory speech in the opening of the policy roundtable.

Discussions have covered the state of the art of the regulatory system of the IT sector and Romania's position on the pathways established by the European Commission through its Digital Agenda, on the one hand, and the investment environment for a digital future for Romania, on the other hand.  

Aspen Institute Romania has announced today the three main components of its TI&S policy program: 1. Aspen Romania Digital Economy Project (ARDE), which aims to create a local IT&C project community that would define and offer a coherent Romanian perspective in the European, as well as global dialogue on the governance of the digital sector; 2. The Aspen Committee for Digital Entrepreneurship in Romania; 3. The Consultative Committee for Democracy and Communications. Each of these three sub-programs intends to bring together representatives of the information and communication technologies business field, policymakers and decision makers, members of the academia and of research institutions, regulators, as well as investors and provide  a set of concrete, non-partisan and inclusive policy recommendations.

The results of this first meeting will be included in the document to be presented at the Aspen Institute Romania annual economic conference on November 8, 2011.

For more information on the Technology, Information and Society program and other activities of Aspen Institute Romania, please access the institute's website or contact Miss Ina Chirita, Program Officer, by e-mail at ina.chirita@aspeninstitute.ro, or by phone at 0040 754073252 or 0040 213164279.