The SummerNight saw around 500 guests from politics, business, media and society head to the terraces of Kwint restaurant. CEO Paul-Bernhard Kallen and Andreas Rittstieg (Board Member, Legal) welcomed attendees such as EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger, Bavarian State Minister Beate Merk and numerous Members of the European Parliament including Herbert Reul, Petra Kammerevert, Viviane Reding, Andreas Schwab and Axel Voss. 

The event was also attended by notable representatives of the Belgian art and culture scene such as Didier Vervaeren, a professor at Belgium’s leading art and design school La Cambre, who joined the guests from the European institutions to enjoy the impressive view of the Grand Place.

Setting priorities

The discussions focused on the first DLDeurope: “Over the years, we have had many meetings with the political decision makers in Brussels”, said CEO Kallen. “We are continuing this with DLDeurope and elevating it to a new level.” Group spokesperson Philipp Wolff added: “With the Burda SummerNight, the company has established one of Brussels’ most popular summer festivals. Our intensive dedication to various areas has allowed us to set political priorities and tackle current topics in a range of formats. Burda has therefore positioned itself as a reliable political discussion partner and an agenda setter for the European capital.”

Keeping markets open

Europe’s digital agenda was also discussed. Paul-Bernhard Kallen emphasised that: “Europe has done a lot to ensure fair competition in the digital world. In future, the same data protection and tax laws will apply to all. The political view of digital monopolies has also changed significantly compared with a few years ago. It is vital that digital markets are open to new companies and monopolies cannot be cemented.”

More images from the Burda...SummerNight 2016 can be found in the Flickr album.