Speakers

Gerard de Graaf is Director for the Digital Single Market in Directorate-General "Communications Networks, Content & Technology" (DG CONNECT). In this capacity, he is responsible for a number of policies and instruments which are key to the development of the digital economy in Europe. He also leads on coordination of the EU's R&D&I programme (Horizon 2020) for ICT in support of the Digital Single Market. His directorate is inter alia responsible for e-commerce, digital platforms, standardisation, innovation policies, start-up policy, access to finance, ICT reforms as part of the European Semester, competition aspects and economic analysis of the digital economy (through the Digital Economy and Society Index - DESI).