Opening Keynote by Paul Twomey

As part of its EU Council Presidency, Germany has set itself the goal of actively shaping current social and economic transformation processes. Digital transformation and its design for the common good and consumer-oriention in accordance with the sustainability goals of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 is an essential focus topic. In the area of justice and consumer protection, digitization and access to law, consumer policy and data economy as well as AI and intellectual property are among the main focuses. The public debate surrounding the protection of personal data during digitization was also reignited by the Corona crisis, making clear the extent to which consumers are concerned about the use of their personal data. In this context, the Global Solutions Initiative together with the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection has initiated the Solution Sessions on Revisiting Digital Governance. In this online event series, decision-makers from politics, business, research and civil society discuss innovative concepts for pressing issues in the field of digital consumer protection, necessary consumer policies, new legal regulations and education initiatives to strengthen the protection of personal data.