Simplify to amplify: unleashing innovation through a stronger Digital Single Market

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Digital & Data Governance

24Feb2026

starts 19:15

ends 21:30

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Everyday Europeans increasingly see connectivity as essential infrastructure, determining their access to work, education and public services, as well as vital to national security.

It is in this context that Europe faces an immense opportunity. Bold political choices made today can finally unlock the potential of the Digital Single Market and support investment in high-capacity, secure infrastructure essential to Europe’s growth, resilience and relevance.

To unlock the strategic potential of the Digital Single Market, advance competitiveness, and support sustainable investment in high-capacity connectivity, policymakers and industry actors must find smart regulatory solutions that are fair, simple and future-ready. Europe faces a high cost of inaction: without harmonised, proportionate rules and the same regulatory standards for the same services, innovation, competition and consumer protection risk being undermined — slowing rollout of next-generation networks and weakening Europe’s digital sovereignty.

This policymakers’ dinner will convene senior decision-makers, regulatory experts, industry leaders and civil society representatives for a focused dialogue on how to simplify the digital regulatory framework, level the playing field across services, and unleash both investment and competition within the single market.

In addition, Friends of Europe’s citizen engagement unit, Debating Europe will present a new survey which examines what citizens think about Europe’s connectivity, how they value securing digital infrastructure, and what they expect from public authorities at the EU and national levels.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock|MyCreative

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Speakers

Enrico Letta is Dean of the IE School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs, and President of the Jacques Delors Institute and AREL. He served as Prime Minister of Italy and has held multiple ministerial roles, including Minister for EU Affairs and Minister for Industry and Foreign Trade. Letta previously led the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po and chaired the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs. He was tasked by European institutions to draft a Report on the Future of the Single Market, reflecting his expertise in European policy and governance.

As Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, Joakim Reiter is responsible for Vodafone’s public relations and corporate affairs, including policy and regulation, communications, security, sustainability and charitable activities. He is an Advisory Board Member of the World Trade Institute and sits on the Board of the Swedish Space Corporation and the EU’s Horizon Mission Board for climate-neutral and smart cities. Previously, Reiter served as the assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Prior to this, he spent over 15 years in Sweden’s foreign service, including as deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassador to the World Trade Organization and at the Permanent Representation to the European Union. Reiter has also served as an EU negotiator at the European Commission Directorate General for Trade (DG TRADE).

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