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Manuel Langendorf is an analyst and editor at Middle East Minds, a MENA-focused consulting and analysis company. His work focuses on digital transformation in the MENA region. Most recently, he co-authored a study for the Wilson Center think-tank in Washington, DC, on the digital integration of SMEs in the MENA region. Prior to that, he coordinated a policy study on the digital transition in the European Union’s Southern Neighborhood. He previously worked as a researcher with the Wilson Center as the co-author of a report on COVID-19 and internet accessibility in the MENA region. Manuel also served as an independent advisor to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Between 2019 and 2020, Manuel was a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The EU needs to expand its support for the MENA region’s digital transformation
Digital transformation will play a key role in shaping relations between Europe and the MENA region, but despite these high-level announcements, EU strategy and programming on the ground would need to expand to meet the region’s requirements and serve the EU’s strategic interests.
Enhancing US-EU collaboration in MENA's digital development
Both the U.S. and the EU are increasingly focusing on digital development in the Middle East and North Africa as part of their efforts to support economic growth and tackle the region’s youth unemployment crisis. Deeper transatlantic cooperation in this field would greatly benefit both sides and drive forward digital development in the region.
