On 9 April, the second “European Convergence Summit” (ECS) took place in Brussels, to identify how a combination of AI, robotics, and big data combined can provide assistance in addressing socio-economic issues of interest to Europe, its citizens and its economy. This was the second summit organized by the ADRA-e CSA. This year’s event focused on resilience in case of crisis.
EXTRACT coordinator, Eduardo Quiñones, participated in the panel on “ADR and Resilience in Civil Security: In the Event of Natural Disasters, Cybersecurity Challenges, and More”. Together with Martin Ubelhor from European Commision DG Home, Bruno Maestracci from SIS meulun and Paul de Nazelle from Shark Robotics they discussed the crucial issue of improving crisis management, especially in light of Europe’s vulnerability to growing concerns such as climate, natural events, disease, external tension and more. These panelists from different realms discussed several key issues that hamper better crisis management, including: lack of interoperability, adoption of new technologies, communication and coordination, regulation and acceptance. The EXTRACT project goals, and the example of the PER were highlighted as potential good practices for using technology to address a crisis situation.
The panelists agreed that improving crisis management in Europe requires better coordination, adoption of new technologies, and adaptable regulatory frameworks to overcome current obstacles. These efforts will enhance resilience and the efficiency of interventions during crises.
This is a one-day in-person event brought together many participants interested in European public policies who could benefit from the discussion between specialists in AI, robotics and big data innovation for Europe.