Xnet presents in the European Parliament: Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe

Presentation of the report coordinated by Simona Levi on behalf of the President of the European Parliament

Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe

https://digitalitzacio-democratica.xnet-x.net/

Framework for a coalition’s action
#DemocraticDigitalisation
https://digitalitzacio-democratica.xnet-x.net/

Wednesday May 31st, from 13:00- 15:00PM European Parliament, Brussels
Room: Spinelli 5E1

Host
MEP Stelios Kouloglou

Organiser
Xnet – Digital Rights and Democracy
 

Schedule
Introduction by Stelios Kouloglou, The Left Group in the European Parliament, and Patrick Breyer, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance in the European Parliament.

Simona Levi, Director of Xnet, Digital Rights and Democracy and lead author of “Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe” – report petitioned by the former President of the European Parliament David Sassoli – Publication Office of the European Union.

Bram Vranken, Researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory presenting “The lobby network: Big Tech’s web of influence in the EU” and “The lobbying ghost in the machine“.

Pina Picierno, Vice President of the European Parliament, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats: Sassoli’s legacy on the field of digital rights.

Floor to authorities and organisations in the first row, such as European Parents’ Association and Transnational Institute author of the Report “Digital Power – State of Power 2023“.
 

Framework for a Coalition’s Action in the EU

For a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalization of Europe

On Wednesday, May 31, at 1:00 p.m., in room Spinelli 5E1 of the European Parliament (Brussels), the event “Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe. Framework for a coalition’s action” will take place. Several reports will be presented and the foundations on which the digital transition in the EU is being planned will be discussed, as well as the risks it faces in its design, implementation, and regulation if it is to be democratic and sovereign.

Hosted by MEP Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL), in collaboration with MEP Patrick Breyer (Greens/European Free Alliance), the event will feature:

Simona Levi, founder of the Institute for Democratic Digitalization/Xnet, who will present as lead author the report “Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe,” commissioned by the late President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli.

Bram Vranken, researcher at the Corporate Europe Observatory, who will present the reports “The lobby network: Big Tech’s web of influence in the EU,” which provides a complete map of Big Tech lobbies and their influence on European institutions, and “The lobbying ghost in the machine. Big Tech’s covert defanging of Europe’s AI Act,” which reveals the pressures of Big Tech on the European regulation of AI.

In addition, Vice-President of the European Parliament Giuseppina Picierno (S&D) will intervene to remind how the report “Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe” is part of David Sassoli’s important legacy on democratic digital transformation.

After the presentation, there will be a debate with the authors of the reports, the MEPs and authorities, as well as civil society actors such as the Transnational Institute, authors of the report “Digital Power. State of Power 2023” and the European Parents’ Association (EPA), a group particularly active in defending digital rights of minors in the educational environment, etc.

The Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe originates from the pilot experience of digitalisation of twelve schools that Xnet has been implementing in Barcelona together with the City Council for the past two years. As a result, a pioneering digital educational platform has been created that respects the digital rights of the educational community and provides a concrete response to problems of data and content sovereignty in this field. The pilot project is now beginning to expand to other European territories.

Taking as its starting point the aforementioned report (“Proposal for a Sovereign and Democratic Digitalisation of Europe“), the event is aimed at articulating a framework for a coalition that promotes concrete actions and policies to redefine the foundations of the EU’s digital transformation from a solid focus on digital rights, in line with the European Declaration of Rights and Principles for Digital Rights, recently approved and signed by the European Commission, Council, and Parliament.

A brunch will be offered to attendees of the event.
Please RSVP to confirm attendance.

Xnet / Institute for Democratic Digitalisation is a platform based in Barcelona that works at the European level in the field of digital rights since 2008. In 2017, its founder and current executive director, Simona Levi, was chosen by the US edition of Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 25 people who were shaping the future.