Call for strengthened collective action to achieve EU’s digital transformation

The European Commission has published the second report on the State of the Digital Decade, providing a comprehensive overview of the progress made towards the objectives and targets set in the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (DDPP).

Both the EU and Member States have an important role to play in achieving the Digital Decade goals, which is why the report is accompanied by an analysis of the national Digital Decade strategic roadmaps detailing Member States’ planned measures, actions and funding to contribute to the EU’s digital transformation.  

The identified gaps include the need for additional investments, both at EU and national levels, in particular in the areas of digital skills, high-quality connectivity, uptake of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics by enterprises, semiconductor production and start-up ecosystems.

Another major challenge faced in the EU’s digital transformation remains the limited spread of digital technologies beyond large cities. To tackle this digital divide, it is fundamental to foster cooperation between European actors at cross-border and local level, for example through Multi-Country Projects, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) and European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs)¹.

In this context, the Commission calls for strengthened action in country-specific and cross-cutting recommendations for every EU Member State to take action to foster the dissemination of digital technologies and ensure its citizens are equipped with adequate digital skills to fully benefit from the digital transformation.

Source: The press release was published here

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¹ A series of successes have been achieved since last year in this regard, with three EDICs established by the end of May 2024.