Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, The Representation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt to the European Union, together with the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digitalisation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt cordially invites you to attend the conference Shaping the Digital Single Market: smart solutions from Europe's regions in the Representation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt to the EU on Tuesday, May 15 2018, from 18:30 Increasing digitization is causing disruptive changes to our lives and work. Mobile phones are becoming smartphones, factories are turning into "smart factories". The digital shift is far from complete – it has only just begun. It is essential for Europe's regions to be proactive and to shape this transformation strategically. How do these digitization approaches fit together and how can the EU support their development, close to the needs of the people in the regions? What impetus can experience on the ground provide to inform the political discussions and decisions made in Brussels and Strasbourg? We would like to discuss these and other questions with you and representatives of the EU institutions, the business community and the partner regions of Saxony-Anhalt, Centre-Val de Loire and Valencia. Time   18:30 Welcome and registration     19:00   Welcome address by Thomas Wünsch, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digitalisation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt     19:15 Keynote by Maximilian Strotmann, Cabinet of Andrus Ansip, Vice-President of the European Commission for the Digital Single Market     19:30 The Digital Strategy of the region Centre-Val de Loire Pierre Commandeur, Regional Councilor for Digital Economy, Region of Centre-Val de Loire     19:45 The Region of Valencia: towards an innovative and inclusive economy and society, Pedro Pernías Peco, Director General of Information and Communications Technology, Regional Government of Valencia     20:00 Panel discussion with Maximilian Strotmann, Cabinet of  Andrus Ansip, Vice-President of the European Commission for the Digital Single Market Thomas Myrup Kristensen, Director for EU Affairs and Head of Brussels office, Facebook Thomas Wünsch, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digitalisation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt Pierre Commandeur, Regional Councilor for Digital Economy, Region of Centre-Val de Loire Pedro Pernías Peco, Director General of Information and Communications Technology, Regional Government of Valencia       Moderation: Pirita Lindholm, Director of the ERRIN Network     20:45 Networking Reception     The event will be simultaneously translated (DE-EN, EN-DE).   Venue Representation of the State of  Saxony-Anhalt to the EU Centre of the Regions Boulevard Saint Michel 80 B-1040 Brussels           Please register your interest by May 9 2018: by replying to the following email address: sekretariat@lv-bruessel.stk.sachsen-anhalt.de or by phoning +32 (0) 2 741.09.31. Only a limited number of places are available. We operate a first come first served policy. By attending this event, you are consenting to the use by the Representation for publicity purposes of any images created of you during the event, without any geographical, temporal or content-related limits.