The fourth report on the state of the ‘Digital Decade’, which was published on Wednesday 17 June by the European Commission, highlights progress in achieving the European Union’s digital targets. However, additional efforts will be needed to meet these targets, in particular to deliver results at scale, and more quickly and in a coordinated manner across the Union.
Progress has been recorded, particularly in the deployment of basic connectivity infrastructure. This means that 96.8% of European households now benefit from basic 5G coverage. However, progress remains insufficient in certain key areas, notably high-capacity networks, the rollout of fibre-to-the-premises, as well as other high-capacity networks.
The European Union is also lagging behind in the global semiconductor market, with a 9% global market share, which is below the target of 20% by 2030. By contrast, the deployment of edge nodes is progressing in line with the ‘Digital Decade’ targets and could even reach targets before the planned deadline. Computing capacity, however, remains well below projected needs. More broadly, the report underlines that dependencies on non-European suppliers remain significant in cloud services, cybersecurity and other strategic technologies.
While digital technologies are increasingly being integrated within European businesses, the targets that have been set still remain some way off. Today, 46.7% of businesses in the European Union use cloud computing services, 39.9% use data analytics and nearly 20% deploy artificial intelligence solutions.
In terms of digital skills, more than 60% of Europeans now have at least basic digital skills. However, information and communication technology (ICT) specialists account for only 5% of total employment in 2025, just half the 10% target that was set for 2030.
Member States have committed to mobilising €289.3 billion to implement their national roadmaps for the Digital Decade, of which €205.9 billion will come from public budgets (around 1.09% of the European Union’s GDP).
However, the European Commission warns that “funding continuity is critical” and stresses that “almost half of the public funding included in national digital decade roadmaps is expected to be phased out by the end of 2026, creating risks for the sustainability of digital transformation efforts”.
In order to close the remaining gaps, the European Commission has identified the priority reforms and investments to be implemented at both European and national level. These guidelines should help guide the allocation of digital funding in the next European budget in order to ensure “sustainable progress beyond 2030”.
According to the European Commission, 64% of the country-specific recommendations issued for 2025 have already been addressed or are in the process of being implemented.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/meg (Original version in French by Ana Pisonero Hernández)