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.

The Armenian national research and education network (NREN) ASNET-AM has become a 6-month ‘twin’ with its Malawian counterpart MAREN. As part of a pilot programme to exchange knowledge with and foster the development of emerging NRENs such as MAREN, the ‘EU4Digital: Connecting Research and Education Communities (EaPConnect)’ project partner ASNET-AM is providing knowledge and technical support in High Performance Computing and cyber-emergency response among other topics.

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!

On 8 November 2023, the European Commission recommended that the Council of the European Union opens EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, and grants candidate country status to Georgia on the understanding that a number of steps are taken. The Commission also adopted the 2023 Enlargement Package, in which the progress of these countries was assessed for the first time.

Women in the Republic of Moldova will experience enhanced cervical cancer screening and prevention services thanks to the National Colposcopy Network, launched on 2 November 2023. The network uses videoconferencing services provided by RENAM, the country’s research and education network and partner in the ‘EU4Digital: Connecting Research and Education Communities (EaPConnect)’ project to help the new system to run smoothly.

The National Science Library in Tbilisi, Georgia will host a workshop on 27-28 April 2023 emphasising the role and function of libraries in the development of science. Co-organised with the EU4Digital: Connecting Research and Education Communities (EaPConnect) project and its partner GRENA, the Georgian Research and Educational Networking Association, the event will explore how open e-infrastructures have become an important aspect of libraries.

The EU4Digital Academy activity is seeking potential partners. This programme will provide a digital learning platform with user-friendly, web-based courses tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region. Launched during the 2023 EU4Digital ICT Innovation Forum on 9 March, the EU4Digital Academy will help achieve the EU-EaP policy agenda to digitally empower 1 million EaP citizens and support 500,000 SMEs in the Eastern partner countries.

The European Union’s commitment to Ukraine’s digital transformation was reaffirmed as part of a joint statement following the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, met in Kyiv on 3 February and issued the statement about EU-Ukraine relations in view of the EU candidate status of Ukraine, the status of the Association Agreement and Ukraine’s EU accession.

The EC is inviting feedback on a draft act regarding key performance indicators (KPIs) of progress towards the Digital Decade policy programme 2030. These KPIs are to be used to measure underlying trends at the national as well as European level. Anyone wishing to participate is welcome to login via the EC information page and share their views before the deadline: midnight, Brussels time on 13 March 2023.

Any digital infrastructure is at risk if subjected to bombardment or power outages. Cloud services are a reliable option for securing data and information. Ukraine’s research and education institutions can access leading cloud platforms with the help of EaPConnect partner URAN Association, participants in an online event on 31 January 2023 heard.

After multiple rounds of public consultations, the 2023-2027 Strategy for Digital Transformation of the Republic of Moldova is ready for approval. EU4Digital experts alongside a wide range of stakeholders, international donors, associations, public and private institutions, engaged in consultations regarding the Moldovan government's vision for the next 7 years