Digital has become central to everyday life in the Eastern Partnership (EaP), so a coordinated approach to strategic planning, policy and legislation alignment and investment are now crucial. This was the key message that emerged from the 5th annual meeting of the EU4Digital Steering Committee held online on 15 November 2023.

Human-centred needs and benefits must be kept in mind as we aim for digital transformation, agreed participants in the EU4Digital Digital Conference for the Eastern Partnership (EaP) on 14 November 2023. The event theme, ‘Digital strategic autonomy: leveraging digital technologies to empower societies and economies’, provided scope to explore how digital connectivity and newer technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can unlock innovation in working towards resilient government, economy and society.

Representatives of institutions that collect Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) related indicators in Eastern partner countries are invited to participate in an EU4Digital Facility event online on 24 November 2023. In the event, experts from the EU4Digital Digital Skills thematic area will present analysis of DESI implementation, discuss regional and national recommendations around the adoption of full DESI measurement, and reflect on insights and milestones from the DESI Accelerator activity.

With the growth of online provision of health, educational, financial, business and governance services, digital connectivity has become increasingly crucial to everyday life. Following a pathway to digital connectivity improvement in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region, EU4Digital Facility has been closely cooperating with the Eastern partner countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine since 2019. Together, they promote and facilitate access to high-speed, secure and sustainable digital connectivity at affordable prices for citizens and businesses. So, what has been achieved and how does this support wider policy goals for EaP digital transformation?

Registration is open for the 2023 Digital Conference for the Eastern Partnership. EU4Digital Facility is organising this online event at 10:00-12:00 CET on 14 November to highlight and support digital transformation in the Eastern partner countries. This year, the conference’s central theme is ‘Digital strategic autonomy: leveraging digital technologies to empower societies and economies’. Anyone interested in participating will be welcome: please sign up!

The activities of the EU4Digital Facility are driven by the needs of countries in the Eastern Partnership region—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine. These activities are carried out in close cooperation with bilateral activities managed by EU Delegations as part of the EU-Eastern Partnership joint agenda. To maximise results during the EU4Digital Facility’s current, second phase, EU4Digital hosted a workshop in Brussels with key EU and Eastern partner country stakeholders on 18 October 2023. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to review the project results, give feedback and explore how to accelerate the adoption of EU4Digital activities at national level.

Concrete next steps in Eastern Partnership broadband development were agreed in a meeting of the Independence of Regulators and Broadband Expert Working Group (IRB EWG) in Yerevan, Armenia on 25-26 October 2023. The main focus was wholesale broadband access market analysis and monitoring of broadband access.

This year's European Cybersecurity Month – October – will dive deep into the world of social engineering, where cybercriminals use clever tactics such as phishing and impersonation to breach our security defenses. The 2023 theme ‘Be Smarter than a Hacker’ refers to the knowledge and tools needed to protect ourselves from cybercriminals.

Twelve Armenian start-ups got the chance to showcase their products during 'DigiTec23' on 13-15 October 2023. The Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia provided an exhibition pavilion where these startups displayed and met with event participants. All twelve start-ups are actively engaged in the Ministry's grant and state support initiatives.

High-tech and engineering companies are invited to apply for resident status in ‘Engineering City’, Armenia. Resident companies are encouraged to nurture and implement groundbreaking ideas, catering to both local and international markets, within a state-of-the-art infrastructure. The Engineering City initiative aims to foster the innovation ecosystem as part of the Government of Armenia’s Trade Promotion and Quality Infrastructure (TPQI) project to support sustainable growth, competitiveness and job creation.

EU4Digital Facility has published a report on EU best practices in promoting competitive broadband. The report analyses case studies from five EU Member States, sharing experiences that Eastern partner countries may apply when monitoring broadband market developments and implementing broadband policies. This work will enable EU4Digital and Eastern partner countries to realise digital connectivity targets that support key European Union policy regarding connectivity.

The team that curates news, announcements, stories and other publications about EU4Digital and Eastern Partnership digital activities invites you to take stock of the growing number of ways you can access this content – in particular, a brand-new Twitter account : come and join the conversation!