What will Eastern Partnership priorities on Digital look like beyond 2020?

Digital is a vital component of modern business and society, at a time when an increasing number of interactions take place in the digital space. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for further investment in Digital, to facilitate growth and innovation despite restrictions on physical gatherings.

The year 2020 marks a transition in the EU’s long-term agenda for supporting Digital in the Eastern Partnership. The current policy agenda of 20 Deliverables for 2020 will be completed by the end of the year, with a new set of objectives beyond 2020 taking the core stage. The EU’s Joint Communication on ‘Reinforcing Resilience – an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all’, adopted in March 2020, sets out the main elements of EU support to the EaP, including strengthening the digital sector as one of the EaP’s five main policy objectives.

Dialogue on future digital priorities of the Eastern Partnership During the meeting, the Eastern partner country representatives shared their views on future digital priorities. These included eGovernance services for citizens and businesses, expanding broadband infrastructure to facilitate affordable roaming Source: https://eufordigital.eu/what-will-eastern-partnership-prioritiesprices within the EaP, and developing the digital economy. Enabling the development of digital skills for more people to access digital technology, creating opportunities for on-digital-beyond-2020-look-like-eu-and-eap-stakeholders-discusscross-border eCommerce and eTrade, and facilitating eSignature systems for remote future-areas-for-action-during-virtual-eu4digital-steering-committeeauthentications were seen as further drivers for digital acceleration. Participants also meeting/noted the importance of cybersecurity and cyber resilience practices, of developing an innovative ecosystem for businesses, and of data management systems, as ways to further digital harmonization and interoperability.

The discussion around these priorities will help to set the actions for the coming years under the new EU objectives beyond 2020, framing the support for digital transformation in the Eastern partner countries. If you would like to find out more about EU4Digital and its thematic areas, please visit the EU4Digital website.