Making Europe the New Silicon Valley of the World

Summer is over and the policy calendar is starting to move again. With the Irish presidency putting competitiveness at the centre of its agenda through the One Europe, One Market roadmap, September is the moment to set priorities before the autumn dossiers pile up.
Join EPICENTER, in media partnership with Euractiv, for an evening of drinks and discussion on what it would actually take for Europe to become a genuine hub for investment, innovation and talent. We're bringing together policymakers from the European Commission and Parliament, Brussels based think tanks and industry representatives who all have a stake in getting this right.

Our research keeps landing on the same conclusion. Europe has the raw material to compete, world class universities, high living standards and a single market of nearly 450 million people, but it isn't using them.

Trillions of euros sit in a financial system too fragmented to put that capital to productive use. None of this is inevitable. It's the result of choices, and choices can be reversed. With a presidency in place that has said competitiveness is its priority, there's a real opening to push for the reforms that would let Europe's investment and talent stay here instead of leaving for elsewhere.

This event is an opportunity to make that case directly to the people who can act on it, and to start the fourth quarter with a clear sense of what's worth pushing for.

We're delighted to welcome Mr Taavi Rõivas, former Prime Minister of Estonia, to open the event. As Prime Minister from 2014 to 2016, Roivas was a driving force behind Estonia's digitalisation agenda and the international launch of e-Residency, and he will offer a first hand account of what it takes to turn digital ambition into delivery.

Drinks will be provided throughout the evening.

This event is held in media partnership with Euractiv.