To trigger thoughts we need to look at doing more with innovation through technology and less emphasis on 'imposing' regulation.

The problem is that society faces an unprecedented array of big challenges — from countering terrorism to migration, finding ways to grow the economies and get people back to worthwhile work protecting and breaking down the barriers to offer the environment to enabling commerce — and innovation in the public sector is no longer a luxury it is a leading necessity to build the platforms that allows the communities involved to gravitate towards it to offer their solutions and take away what they need to contribute into solving these societal problems .

These challenges are immensely complex in nature; solving them will require innovative approaches that bridge political, economic and cultural differences and therefore become public in ownership, leadership and orchestrating all ‘vested parties’. The current economic crisis is as urgent and provocative a call as any for government innovation to show clearer leadership. The ability to orchestrate, organize and establish platofrms fror all to participate allows for a connecting society.

Although  Governments have had to quickly develop immediate fixes to the crisis but, over the medium and long term, innovation will be required for more sustainable solutions and this switch in focus will determine much of our viable future.

Technology and the organizing power of platform,s offer a real potential where the European Commission can construct, lead and equally participate in the different contributions that are within the wider community