INVITATION: Café Evropa online: Life in the online age - how are we doing in the current digital transformation?

More than a year ago, the covid-19 pandemic began to cause a number of unprecedented changes. Although the primary global concern is to stop the spread of the virus, prevent the collapse of the health system and vaccinate the population as soon as possible, covid-19 has affected almost all areas of life and the economy, and in addition to a number of negatives, at least some positives can be observed. The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we look at the concept of work and is accelerating the digitization process in many sectors. A few years ago, it might have seemed completely unrealistic that a large part of the population would work from their homes, many negotiations would be handled fully virtually, and many processes would begin to move into the online world quickly. The need to tackle things online has also increased the pressure to digitize government, and last but not least, online tools and various applications can help combat the pandemic, vaccinations and other actions needed to bring lives back to normal. However, it is already clear that after a pandemic, ordinary life, the work of many citizens and the functioning of the state administration will not look the same as before. And although the possibilities of living in the online world are generally perceived rather positively, there are a number of challenges.

As a society, are we sufficiently prepared for this radical transformation of ordinary lives, work and processes? Do we have the appropriate skills and equipment to cope with these changes, and what effect can the concept of work and life in the online world have on the human psyche and work performance? Is strong pressure for digitization only a temporary issue, or will it persist after a pandemic? How did the Czech state administration react to the necessary changes and how is the Czech Republic doing in digitization in comparison with other states of the European Union? What steps has the EU taken to accelerate and facilitate transformation in the Member States? What obstacles do companies face in the digital transformation and what will the labor market look like after a pandemic? And how can modern technology help fight the pandemic?

These issues will be discussed by:

• Barbora Bühnová, co-founder and board member, Czechitas
• Vladimír Dzurilla, Government Plenipotentiary for IT and Digitization, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
• Marcel Kolaja, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Czech Pirate Party, Greens / ESA

The debate will be hosted by Martin Vokálek, Deputy Director, Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM

The event is available in Czech on Facebook and YouTube. The debate will be held in the Czech language only.