Communications Commission member Ekaterine Imedadze made a speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. During the session devoted to global cooperation in the field of security, telecommunications and technologies, Ms Imedadze focused on the possibility of establishing Georgia as a digital hub: “Georgia is situated at the junction of Europe and Asia. Historically, it has had to deal with various geopolitical challenges and difficulties. Today, we have the ambition and vision to turn this situation into an opportunity and make our country a regional hub for safe and sustainable digital services.” 

During the session, Ekaterine Imadedze also talked about the importance of cooperation between the parties involved in the digital ecosystem, and emphasised the role of regulatory bodies in this process: “As you know, Georgia received the status of a candidate for EU membership a few months ago, which imposes new wider obligations on us in terms of harmonising our legislation, standards and practices with EU policies. At the same time, it gives us even more opportunities. Cooperation with European organisations and international platforms offers a guiding framework to help build a flexible, sustainable and secure digital ecosystem,” Ms Imedadze stated, adding that it is important to consider the country’s context and market size during the harmonisation process. 

Representatives of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), Interpol, Google and Etisalat (E&) took part in the thematic session and discussed issues such as the unprecedented opportunities and challenges of cybersecurity in the era of technology, as well as the cooperation of different regional and sectoral organisations to create a secure ecosystem, avoid fragmentation and maintain openness and interoperability. 

The congress will also include bilateral meetings, where ComCom representatives will take part together with Ekaterine Imadedze, discussing joint initiatives and opportunities for deepening cooperation with the participating organisations. 

The Mobile World Congress is organised annually by the Global System Mobile Association (GSMA), and serves to introduce trends, news and innovations on the mobile market and share best practices.