Fabasoft : NZZ.at Club evening “Can digitisation save Europe?”

How can the currently faltering European team spirit be strengthened? For Helmut Fallmann, the digital Single Market is the answer. At the fully booked nzz.at Club evening on November 23, 2016, he discussed his bold visions for a borderless, digital Europe with editor-in-chief Michael Fleischhacker.

In his new book 'Tackling the decline. How digitisation must save Europe'(link is external), the internationally successful Austrian IT entrepreneur Helmut Fallmann illustrates how the measures required for the digital Single Market need to be linked with the political challenges facing a European Union that is shaken by the trend towards renationalisation.

'A single key could open so many doors for Europe: The electronic identity,' says Fallmann. 'The eldentity would ensure the implementation of the Union's ambitious targets: A 415 billion euro increase in economic performance per year, more jobs - a true Europe without barriers. However, the digital infrastructure as well as relevant education and training programmes are not up to these targets yet. In order to make room for digital European identities, technological patchwork such as geoblocking needs to be abolished, while standardised technical norms have to be set up.

In the discussion that followed the presentation, questions dealt with privacy, data protection and IT security - and continued well into the subsequent networking. Helmut Fallmann signed copies of his book and was also available for questions after the discussion.

Follow this LINK(link is external) for the full audio recording of the discussion (in German).