Gérard Pogorel is professor emeritus of Economics, Telecom Paris Graduate School of Engineering, CNRS Interdisciplinary Institute for Innovation and an independent international expert in telecommunications, media and the digital economy. He is an expert with the European Commission, and was chair of the European Union Framework Research & Technology Development Programme Monitoring Panel, and chair of the monitoring committee of the EU Information Society and Technologies Research Programme. He speaks to Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. Your portfolio covers innovation, research, culture, education and youth. How would you describe the synergies between these different areas?  It is true that my portfolio covers a wide range of areas: from research to the promotion of our cultures, from innovation to education and sport for all, and of course to our European youth. Every aspect of my portfolio contributes to making the EU stronger, more resilient and competitive, but also closer to European citizens. It includes many wonderful flagship programmes like Erasmus+, supporting education, training, youth and sport in Europe, as well as Horizon Europe, the EU's most ambitious funding programme for research and innovation.  The areas and programmes under my responsibility embody both the talent and heart of Europe. Taken together, they can have a real positive impact on the daily lives of citizens. Since the beginning of the mandate, with my team, we are working for a true European Education Area, a renewed European Research Area, an innovative and modern digital education that leaves no one behind, and a stimulating environment in which the cultural and creative sectors can thrive. So, our focus is on developing the synergies that exist between them. One major asset of having this portfolio is that it brings the policies of the ‘knowledge triangle’ – education, research and innovation – under one portfolio for the first time, and links them to the services for society and benefits for European citizens. This helps us to foster synergies and to make the best investments in our future: through our young people, our innovators and our researchers. Getting this right is key for our competitiveness to lead in the transition to a climate-neutral economy and new digital age.  It is also important to note that the challenges we face today are so complex and multifaceted that we will only be successful in rethinking our future if we adopt a holistic view across disciplines.  More broadly, we need to equip people with the knowledge, life experience, and skills they need to thrive. Our world-leading science, research, and innovation capacity can help us find European solutions to the most pressing global issues. By cooperating across languages, borders, and disciplines, we can collectively address the societal challenges and skills shortages that currently exist.  How does your experience as European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society (2017-19) enrich the way you approach your current role? The policies of my current portfolio build on experiences gained in my previous mandate as Commissioner responsible for Digital Economy and Society. With the new portfolio, the challenge is to ensure that EU policies on education, research, and innovation respond to the rapidly changing digital landscape and take a leading role in harnessing its opportunities.  In 2018, we put forward a number of proposals. All of them are now part of the ‘added value’ of our EU approach to these issues. Let me give an example with the Digital Education Action Plan. It has already been a success - for 2.5 years, more than 37.5 million of people have benefitted through its actions, for instance the EU Code Week, the Safer Internet Campaign, as well as the Digital Education Hackaton.  Over the past decades, our education and training systems have been increasingly affected by the digital transformation. In 2019, as many as 43% of the EU adult population had low levels of digital education, and 17% were lacking any digital skills, which put them at serious risk of exclusion. Furthermore, the crisis provided an immense learning experience and accelerated the change, but we were not caught completely off guard – we were already preparing to update our education and training systems for the 21st century. Last year, we presented the new Digital Education Action Plan for the years 2021-2017, in response to the challenges of both the COVID-19 crisis and digital transformation. It aims to develop a high-performing digital education ecosystem and boost digital skills and competences.  Integrating and mainstreaming a gender perspective in policies has been, and will remain, a priority of my political action. Women are particularly underrepresented in the digital sectors, making up on average across the EU only 17% of tech-sector jobs. During my previous term, we developed and promoted a ‘Women in digital’ strategy, bringing together actions to combat digi...