CLOUD EVENT 1: The single market meets cloud computing

The potential economic gains from cloud computing are greatest when users and suppliers enjoy a large-scale, borderless market - such as the one envisioned in the Single Market initiative. However, in Europe today some barriers limiting the flow of data in the cloud still persists, thus affecting both the productivity gains for users and the number of commercial opportunities for smaller EU companies looking for wider markets. This stems from the tension between users wanting to hold their data close to home, and others who want to experience the cost savings of friction-free cloud computing across the Single Market. This roundtable will explore some of the barriers to commerce around the Single Market through the eyes of European SMEs, in particular as they impact new and emerging services, such as Cloud Computing.