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.

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.

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.

Students in Ukraine will experience more seamless information technology (IT) learning thanks to the ‘Updated Informatics – IT Studios’ project. The project is implemented within the EU4DigitalUA programme, financed by the European Union. On 26 September 2023, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine presented the project’s materials. These and updated educational resources are available to Ukraine’s educational institutions, professionals and all participants of the educational process via the Diia.Education platform. This systematised approach to IT learning is highly relevant for the Digital Skills thematic network of the EU4Digital Facility.

The Cabinet of Ministers in the Republic of Moldova has approved the Digital Transformation Strategy for 2023-2030. The approval, in early September 2023, is a significant step as the strategy sets out a comprehensive vision for the country’s digital development. The strategy centres on alignment with the European integration agenda and focuses on citizens' needs.

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!

Want to find out more about digital developments, future priorities and the policy agenda for Eastern partner countries? The EU4Digital Initiative is organising two events dedicated to the topic of digital transformation in the Eastern Partnership. On 14 November 2023, the Digital Conference for the Eastern Partnership will provide a space for wider discussion and anyone who is interested in participating will be welcome. On 15 November 2023, invited members of the EU4Digital Phase II Steering Committee will meet to discuss the flagship regional EU4Digital Initiative and projects.

Ukraine’s older citizens are improving their digital skills thanks to a new educational series. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the series on the Osvita.diia platform in June 2023. Covering the fundamentals of computer literacy, the ‘Basic digital skills for the elegant age’ training is helping to reduce the digital divide within the country, making the results and benefits of digitalisation available to all citizens.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine are invited to apply for supported participation in the EU4Digital eCommerce consultations centre programme. Following the success of an initial collaboration between EU4Digital Facility and the International Trade Centre (ITC) to support these activities, the organisations are delighted to announce renewed cooperation. As a result, there is a new opportunity for 11 more Ukrainian companies to benefit from eCommerce training and consultations.