20% of all the financing from the EU's Recovery and Resilience facility is earmarked for EU members to digitise their economies. Europe's digital transition is part of the common goal to 'build back better' after the pandemic.
What is the digital transition?
The European Commission has set out its vision for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030.
Digital technology is changing the way we live and work but there is a gap between the digital 'haves' and 'have nots'.
To ensure that everyone benefits, the EU wants to see more training in digital skills, helping start-ups and small businesses innovate and grow and using technology to become climate-neutral.
At the moment 42% of Europeans don’t have basic digital skills. By 2030, the goal is that at least 80% of all adults should have basic digital skills. There should also be 20 million employed ICT (Information and Communications Technology) specialists, with a higher percentage of women taking up these roles.
The EU wants to see investment in ultra-fast broadband, and that all populated areas should be covered by 5G.
Currently, 83% of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in the EU don’t use internet cloud services. By 2030, the aim is that three out of four companies will use cloud computing services, big data and Artificial Intelligence.
In addition, all key public services are intended to go online, with Europeans having access to their e-medical records and 80% using e-ID.
How will the EU’s Recovery Plan help?
The transition to a digital world is a key element in the EU’s pandemic recovery plan.
At the heart of the plan is the Recovery and Resilience facility - worth €672.5 billion euros to be spent on public investments and reforms.
To access the money, member states have submitted national recovery plans earmarking 20% of the money on initiatives to digitise their economies.
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