DIGITALEUROPE Director General visits Kyiv to demonstrate support from the digital industry

DIGITALEUROPE Director General Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl will be in Kyiv on 19^th and 20^th September to meet with Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, deputy ministers, key ambassadors and business leaders. It is the first visit by an EU association leader since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The primary objective of this trip is to demonstrate unwavering support from the European digital industry towards Ukraine’s digital resilience in the battle against the Russian aggression. Ever since the start of the invasion, digital technology has been at the heart of defence and security policy and has immensely contributed to the resilience of Ukrainians.  

Bonefeld-Dahl is also scheduled to meet with deputy minister for cyber Georhii Dubynskyi, deputy minister for digital transformation Alex Bornyakov, deputy minister for EU-integration Valerya Ionan as well as a number of  Ukrainian business leaders and key European Ambassadors.

Whilst there, DIGITALEUROPE will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ukrainian Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to strengthen collaboration in areas like cyber and AI skills, and digital infrastructure. It also actively supports Ukraine in its journey towards EU membership.

Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, DG DIGITALEUROPE

“Despite the deliberate targeting of  15% of its internet infrastructure in the early stages of the war, Ukraine’s digital resilience stands as an inspiring example. Leveraging cloud solutions, the Ukrainian government safeguarded critical citizen services and data, ensuring their citizens’ safe access to the internet.

Tech innovation and skills reside mainly in the private sector and an intensified collaboration will be crucial to protect societies in the future. I am meeting with members of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian digital industry representatives to bolster our collaboration in the coming weeks and months, and clearly affirm our continued and unwavering support.”

In addition, the delegation plans to visit the town of Bucha, which has been severely affected by the ongoing war. This visit aims to witness firsthand the impact of the conflict on local communities and make a clear statement of support towards Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the “Laptops for Ukraine” campaign initiated by DIGITALEUROPE has gained remarkable momentum with the delivery of the first batch of 1000 ICT devices to Ukraine on critical times. In March 2023, Bonefeld-Dahl and the DIGITALEUROPE team was awarded Zelensky’s Peace Prize as a recognition of the support made through the Laptops for Ukraine campaign and other initiatives since the very early days of the invasion.

DIGITALEUROPE’s previous actions to support Ukraine

• Laptops for Ukraine: Launched on December 1st, 2022, the Laptops for Ukraine campaign aims to collect over 50,000 laptops, tablets, and smartphones to help schools, hospitals and governmental administrations maintain essential services and ensure that Ukrainian citizens stay connected to the internet.
• DIGITALEUROPE and eight national associations called on the Commission to support the delivery of vital ICT infrastructure to Ukraine
• DIGITALEUROPE and national associations to EU Council: Ukraine war must be a wake-up call to step up Europe’s action on cybersecurity
• DIGITALEUROPE urges leaders to bolster their cooperation with the private sector, and invest in a strong and resilient security policy with digital technologies at its heart: