Please Note: This event has been postponed until further notice. We will update this website when a new date is announced.

Digital Services Act Conference 2022

This conference will be held under a Hybrid Format. To ensure the health and safety of our speakers, attendees, sponsors and staff while maximising interaction amongst participants, in-person attendance at this event will be limited to 120 attendees.

There will be a significant in-person component to this event with demand likely to be high. If you are interested in participating in the conference in person we recommend that you apply for your spot as soon as possible. For those not attending on site, sessions will be live streamed to our events platform.

We will continue to monitor developments around the COVID-19 pandemic, follow recommendations regarding masks, social distancing, and sanitation set out by the venue and local authorities and may revise the capacity limit based on the advice received.

Event Overview

On 15 December 2020, the European Commission released its Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposals. The DSA seeks to establish new rules for the digital economy to clarify the liability regime applicable to online intermediaries and to provide additional consumer and citizen protections, while the DMA introduces new obligations for platforms that are designated as gatekeepers, seeking to ensure a fair and open digital single market in Europe.

As significant steps in the legislative process for both proposals have recently been taken at both Parliament and Council level, the 3rd edition of Forum Europe’s DSA / DMA conference will examine the current state of the files, explore the compromises that have been reached, and discuss the best ways to find consensus during the interinstitutional negotiations on the pending issues regarding competition and innovation, the liability regime of platforms for online content, and the online sale of products.

 

Topics of Discussion

The current state of the DSA and DMA files

The latest compromises and consensus around the liability framework for online platforms

The creation of a level playing field in the digital sector

Transatlantic cooperation in regulating the digital sphere

Speakers

Cédric O

Cédric O*

Secretary of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communications

Republic of France

*Pre-recorded intervention

Mona Keijzer

Mona Keijzer

State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy,

Government of the Netherlands

Marek Zagórski*

Minister of Digital Affairs

Government of Poland

*Pre-recorded intervention

Christel Schaldemose

Christel Schaldemose, MEP

Rapporteur for the DSA Initiative, IMCO Committee

European Parliament

Gerard de Graaf

Gerard de Graaf

Director for the Digital Transformation, DG CONNECT

European Commission

Werner Stengg

Werner Stengg

Cabinet Expert for Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager

European Commission

Prabhat Agarwal

Prabhat Agarwal

Head of Unit, Digital Services and Platforms, DG CONNECT

European Commission

Irene Roche Laguna

Deputy Head of Unit, Digital Services and Platforms, DG CONNECT

European Commission

Evelyne Gebhardt

Evelyne Gebhardt, MEP

Shadow Rapporteur for the DMA Initiative, IMCO Committee

European Parliament

Guillaume Loriot

Guillaume Loriot

Director, Markets and Cases II, Information, Communication and Media, DG COMP,

European Commission

Tiemo Woelken

Tiemo Wölken, MEP

Rapporteur for the DSA Initiative, JURI Committee

European Parliament

Albert Liu

Albert Liu

Vice President & Deputy General Counsel

Alibaba Group

Armin Jungbluth

Armin Jungbluth

Head of Division - Legal Framework for Digital Services and Media Industry

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany

Edwin van Houten

Edwin van Houten

Director of Consumer Department

Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets

Siada El Ramly

Siada El Ramly

Director-General

DOT Europe

Claire Fernandez

Executive Director

EDRi

Kyle Andeer

Associate General Counsel and Vice President

Apple

Richard Feasey

Richard Feasey

Senior Adviser

CERRE

Dan Michaels

Brussels Bureau Chief

Wall Street Journal

Professor Sophie Stalla-Bourdillon

Professor in Information Technology and Data Governance, University of Southampton, & Senior Privacy Counsel and Legal Engineer, Immuta

Aoife White

Brussels Legal Reporter

Bloomberg News

Paul Adamson

Paul Adamson

Chairman

Forum Europe

Fabienne Weibel

Fabienne Weibel

Associate General Counsel & Head of Public Affairs​

Chanel

J. Scott Marcus

Senior Fellow

Bruegel

Christophe Roy

Board Chairman

Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT)

Townsend Feehan

CEO

IAB Europe

David Martín

Senior Legal Officer and Digital Rights Team Leader

BEUC

Agenda

*** TIMES ARE IN CET ***

Event Day
2022-03-22
08:30 - 09:00
Platform opening & Networking
09:00 - 09:10
Welcome and Introduction by Forum Europe
09:10 - 10:00
Keynote Speeches
10:00 - 11:15
Session 1: Have the ambitions of the Digital Services Act been met?

The DSA package released in December 2020 was ground-breaking, with the European Commission setting out to deliver significant new guardrails to ensure greater protections against illegal content and the sale of illegal and unsafe products online. By establishing a common set of rules to increase accountability and intermediaries’ obligations, the DSA seeks to create a level-playing field to foster innovation, competitiveness, and growth of the digital single market.

 

While discussions continue in the European Parliament, there is strong political will to reach a final agreement as part of upcoming trialogue negotiations. This session will discuss the extent to which the latest compromises and consensus around the liability framework for online platforms will meet the ambitions laid out in the original file.

 

    • What needs to be done to address the remaining points of contention, including issues around, but not limited to, the overall scope of the DSA, the recommender systems, interoperability measures, targeted advertising, content moderation and freedom of expression, and media exemption, as well as the role of Digital Services Coordinators and their cooperation with the European Commission in the area of enforcement?
    • Will the file provide a rulebook for the digital economy which can be adapted as technology and society evolves? What additional sectoral legislation, if any, should be considered to complement its provisions?
    • What further issues need to be considered to guarantee that the new rules won’t deter the growth of small businesses but promote the scaling up of smaller platforms, start-ups and SMEs?
    • How will a coherent approach to compliance and enforcement of the rules across the EU be ensured and are the proposed sanctions for non-compliance considered proportionate?

 

11:15 - 11:35
Morning break
11:35 - 12:50
Session 2: The Digital Markets Act: Will a fairer and more competitive digital market emerge?

The aim of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is to ensure the proper functioning of the digital single market by addressing market imbalances in the EU and to support an open and fair digital sector by creating a level playing field with clear prohibitions and obligations for companies defined as ‘gatekeepers’.

 

With the DMA currently being discussed through trialogue negotiations, this session will examine the final considerations so that the new framework ensures openness and fairness of markets by promoting innovation, as well as strengthening consumer choice and access to high-quality digital products and services. It will explore the criteria for the designation of gatekeepers, the scope of the obligations, and the expected impact that these ex-ante rules will have on European and global businesses, on innovators, as well as on the experiences of the end-users. Finally it will address issues relating to the enforcement of the rules by the European Commission and to its cooperation with national competition authorities who will contribute to investigations.

 

    • To what extent do the latest proposals on the table create a level playing field in the digital sector?
    • What can businesses do now to prepare for the implementation of the new rules?
    • What opportunities will the new framework bring to smaller players and has enough consideration been given to possible risks brought by the new legislation?
    • How will the collaboration between the EU Commission and the national competition authorities in enforcing the DMA and undertaking investigations concretely work?
12:50 - 14:00
Lunch Break & Networking
14:00 - 15:20
Session 3: Tech Policy and the Transatlantic Relationship: How can cooperation for the regulation of the digital sphere be promoted?

Given the global nature of the digital economy, there is no doubt that the EU’s ambitions to reform the digital space with both the DSA and DMA will inform future discussions on digital regulation around the world. From a transatlantic perspective, many major US tech companies fall within the scope of both files. As the Biden Administration and the US Congress are also working on platform governance issues, notably the reform of Section 230 and platform liability through various initiatives such as the Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, in addition to the work undertaken by U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, is there is an opportunity for greater collaboration between the EU and the US to define a common approach to digital regulation based on shared values?

 

With both regions looking to address similar concerns around the algorithmic amplification of illegal and harmful content online, disinformation, platform transparency and liability, product safety, antitrust issues and the market power of so-called Big Tech, this session will explore what can be done to foster cooperation between the EU and US to ensure compatibility between their respective frameworks, which will be key for digital trade in the future.

 

    • Where do the similarities and differences currently lie between the EU and the US approaches to regulating digital services markets
    • What effects will the DSA and the DMA legislation have on US companies, and by extension, on European businesses relying on their services? How can it be ensured that the provisions of both files don’t create or deepen transatlantic divides over digital commerce?
    • With non-EU platforms that provide services in the region having to appoint a EU-based legal representative, what will this mean for smaller players who may not have the resources to engage legal representation?
    • How crucial will the work undertaken under the Trade and Technology Council and the Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue be to bolster sustainable digital business models based on transparency, accountability and fairness?
15:20 - 16:00
Conference Close & Networking
Select date to see events.

Sponsorship Opportunities

To discuss sponsorship and visibility opportunities at the 3rd Digital Services Act Conference, please contact Luke Pearson on [email protected] / +44 (0) 2920 783 078

Exclusive speaking positions | Your organisation can contribute to the discussion, either in person or remotely.

Engaging and Interactive format | Engage in a fully immersive and interactive debate with decisionmakers, businesses and policymakers, either onsite or online.

European and global outreach | Convey your message to a broad and international audience

Networking opportunities | Socially distanced and safe networking opportunities will be available to all in person attendees throughout the day. Both in person and virtual attendees will be able to connect using our App’s virtual networking feature. Virtual private meeting rooms can also be booked

Visibility Opportunities | Ensure maximum visibility through branding on the event website and marketing activities

Exhibition and demos area | Showcase your products and solutions or share a position paper with the audience at both onsite & digital exhibition booths

Past Sponsors

Untitled design - 2022-08-15T154204.388
Untitled design - 2022-08-16T121852.255
Untitled design - 2022-08-16T122044.716
Untitled design - 2022-08-15T164607.118

Resources

Press Release on the DSA and the DMA

Published by the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT)

ACT Perspectives on the Digital Services Act

Position Paper, Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT)

ACT Perspectives on the New Competition Tool

Position Paper, Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT)

ACT: A blueprint for EU Media Policy

Published by the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT).

Venue

Details about the venue for this event will be available shortly.

Event Platform

This event will be taking place using Forum Europe’s virtual solution. For more details, please visit forum-europe.com.

Contact:

For more information on any aspect of this event, please contact Luke Pearson using any of the details below.

Luke Pearson
Forum Europe

[email protected]

Tel: +44 (0) 2920 783 078

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