The European Commission (EC) will bring together ministers and representatives of EU countries, along with industry, academia and civil society representatives to cooperate in innovative areas including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and eHealth.

Digital Day 2018 will take place in Brussels today, 10th April 2018. The EC said that since last year’s Digital Day in Rome, major progress has made towards a Digital Single Market. However, it added:

“Many proposals still need to be agreed. Europe should move forward, and building on the Digital Single Market, increase investments and foster cooperation in a series of key areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, eHealth and innovation.”

According to the official release, the one-day event will include, among other things, a declaration aimed at building a European partnership in blockchain technologies. The EC will lay the groundwork for establishing a European Blockchain Partnership to promote interoperable infrastructures that will enhance trusted digital services.

“This year's Digital Day is the perfect moment to recognise what we have achieved but to also encourage EU Member States to move forward quickly with the legislative proposals still on the table. We need to prepare our digital future together; we need to do more, joining forces and resources to grasp the opportunities offered by technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain,” Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said.

Earlier this year, the EC launched the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum and plans to invest around €300 million in projects supporting the use of blockchain. Member States have also been very active in supporting blockchain ecosystems, launching experiments and announcing actions at the government level.