The EU4Digital Facility aims to extend the benefits of the European Union’s Digital Single Market to the Eastern partner countries, supporting them in reducing roaming tariffs, developing high-speed broadband to boost economies and expand e-services, harmonising digital frameworks across society in areas ranging from logistics to health, building cybersecurity, developing skills, and creating more jobs in the digital industry.
EU4Digital Facility Phase II (2022-2025) builds on the achievements of the EU4Digital Facility Phase I (2019-2022) and is a continuation of the project and the core programme of the EU4Digital Initiative. Six main policy areas are covered in the project: Telecom Rules, eTrust and Cross-Border Digital Services, eTrade, ICT Innovation and Start-up Ecosystems, eHealth, and Digital Skills. These are structured according to the Eastern Partnership (EaP) policy pillars of Digital Infrastructure, eGovernance, and Digital Economy and Innovation.
Objectives
The overall objective of this project is to extend the benefits of the Digital Single Market to Eastern partner countries and promote the development of resilient digital economies and societies.
More specifically, the EU4Digital Facility Phase II has five main objectives:
- Secure and sustainable digital and telecom infrastructure in the region;
- Improve digitalisation of public services and interoperability between governmental services at the national and EaP levels, and between the EaP and the EU;
- Support digitalisation of businesses in the region and support the development of digital skills to empower citizens, businesses and governments;
- Further establish EU4Digital as a recognised and well communicated brand encompassing all EU support to the digital economy and society in the region, and linking to complementary activities by the Eastern partner countries, EU Member States, international financial institutions and other donors;
- Support crisis response and ad-hoc needs of partner countries.
Activities
- Digital Infrastructure
1.1 Telecom Rules
Telecom Rules activities will aim to reduce retail prices of mobile services for citizens while they are roaming in the EaP region, as well as to promote affordable access to high-speed and secure connectivity. EU4Digital will assist in the implementation of agreements on roaming and support access to competitive broadband internet services in the region. The activities will also support the empowerment of National Regulatory Authorities through a market analysis process.
- eGovernance
2.1 eTrust and Cross-Border Digital Services
The eTrust activities will focus on the development of mutually recognised and secure electronic identification and digital trust services across the EaP and with the EU. Support for these processes will be provided through implementation and piloting.
2.2 eTrade (focus on eCustoms and eLogistics)
The eCustoms and eLogistics focuses of eTrade activities aim to increase trade volumes and speed of physical and digital processes and transactions in logistics, as well as to harmonise the use of digital enablers, standards, and work practices for eTrade among the EaP countries and with the EU. Extending piloting of cross-border solutions, and designing a roadmap for a Digital Transport Corridor (eFTI deployment) are activities that will be conducted to support these aims.
2.3 eHealth
The eHealth activities in Phase II aim to build a foundation for harmonised digital health development and cross-border services among the EaP countries and with the EU. This includes providing guidance for developing eHealth strategies and roadmaps in the Eastern partner countries in line with EU best practices, piloting cross-border eHealth services, supporting eHealth collaboration among stakeholders and continuing facilitation activities for the Eastern partner countries’ participation in the IN-4-AHA EU initiative.
- Digital Economy and Innovation
3.1 eTrade (focus on eCommerce)
The eCommerce eTrade activities aim to boost cross-border e-commerce volumes as well as to harmonise the use of digital enablers, standards, and work practices for eTrade among the EaP countries and with the EU. To achieve defined goals, an eCommerce accelerator will be developed, and networking opportunities will be created to promote eTrade alignment.
3.2. ICT Innovation and Start-Up Ecosystems
Towards empowering and boosting EaP innovation and start-ups, these activities will focus on the sharing and application of EU best practices and tools with EaP innovation and start-up ecosystems. This will be achieved through developing common frameworks, recommendations, and networking between key players to stimulate the knowledge exchange and enhance new collaboration initiatives.
3.3. Digital Skills
With the aim to set the basis for digitally empowering one million EaP citizens, the Digital Skills activities will provide digital learning opportunities through a regional digital learning platform, EdTech Hub. Bridging the ICT gender gap, this stream will also support the launch of mentorship programmes. In order to increase the quality of digital transformation monitoring and measurement, the team will support implementation of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI).
- Communication & Monitoring
To promote and raise awareness of the EU4Digital Initiative, communication and monitoring is a horizontal activity that supports the thematic streams. This includes developing and maintaining EU4Digital’s presence on the web, and through media and visibility efforts at a regional and local level.
- Crisis Response & Ad Hoc Support
Crisis response and ad hoc support activities will address short-term and ad hoc support requests from the EU Delegations in partner countries, under specific circumstances.
