Henna Virkkunen, EVP of European Commission joins the Marseille lineup

Today, we are pleased to announce that Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, will be speaking at the opening plenary in Marseille.

In her role, Virkkunen oversees EU technology and media policies that concern some of the most important issues facing news publishers right now:
AI and compensation for publishers. The Copyright Directive review she is overseeing this year will determine whether and how publishers are compensated when AI companies train on their content – possibly the single most consequential policy question in media right now.
Media freedom and sustainability. Virkkunen has called enforcement of the European Media Freedom Act “a top priority,” and she strongly believes that an independent and sustainable free press is a matter of European security and vital for its democracy.

Platform regulation. She oversees the enforcement of the Digital Services Act, set up to create a digital space that respects citizens fundamental rights. The DSA is Europe’s most significant regulatory lever over the big platforms.

Overseeing his first Congress as WAN-IFRA CEO, Stig Ørskov says, “This is exactly what the World News Media Congress is about: Bringing together publishers, technology leaders, and policymakers to engage in meaningful discussions about the most urgent challenges facing our industry and society.”

Henna Virkkunen joins an impressive line-up of European and international speakers, including Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI), A.G. Sulzberger (The New York Times), Katharine Viner (The Guardian), Jonathan Levy (Sky News UK), Sophie Gourmelen (EBRA Group), Jean-Nicolas Baylet (Groupe La Dépêche du Midi), Coralie Vrancken (Le Soir), Almar Latour (Dow Jones & The Wall Street Journal) and Line Gasparini (366).