To strengthen digital development and innovation in Moldova, representatives of the EU4Digital Facility and the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) visited the country on 14-16 June 2023. The visit provided an invaluable opportunity to engage with key stakeholders and explore initiatives that are advancing the Republic of Moldova’s digital landscape.

Looking for news, resources and other information about digital transformation in the Eastern Partnership (EaP)? EU4Digital invites you to explore its newly relaunched website: https://eufordigital.eu/! With the relaunch, the EU4Digital Facility offers its large digital community updated content and an improved user experience.

A new innovation hub has opened in Cahul, Moldova, for anyone wishing to develop their digital skills and start a career in ICT. The Inotek Innovation Centre was launched on 17 May 2023, as part of the EU-funded ‘EU4Moldova: Startup City Cahul’ project. It has been established in partnership with Bogdan Petriceicu Hașdeu State University in Cahul.

EU4Digital Facility launched its Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) acceleration activities at the end of May 2023. The DESI Accelerator one-day kick-off event raised awareness about the activity, its benefits, and plans for DESI implementation in the Eastern Partnership (EaP).

A workshop on the digitalisation of the Armenian film industry with professional support from Amazon Web Services (AWS) will help boost the country’s creative industry and cultural heritage. The event on 22 March 2023 is part of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) EU-funded ‘Katapult’ programme and its goal to transform the creative economy into a key strategic sector for national and economic development.

The European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) Network is excited to announce its upcoming Annual Summit, taking place on 31 May – 1 June at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels. Supported by the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA), this event will further strengthen the network’s core mission of assisting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in driving digital transformation throughout Europe.

The European Commission adopted a comprehensive digital skills and education package on 18 April 2023. Relating to a digital skills certificate and a digital education action plan, the proposals fit in the context of the European Year of Skills. The aim is to support European Union Member States and the education and training sector in providing high-quality, inclusive and accessible digital education and training to develop the digital skills of European citizens.

Regulators in the field of electronic communications met in Chisinau, Moldova, on 5-7 April 2023. In a thematic workshop on ‘Guidelines regarding the institutional and methodological requirements for the accession of Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) they prepared for the collection of DESI data. EU4Digital and the Expert Group on the Independence of Regulatory Authorities and the Development of Broadband Services (IRB EWG) within the Eastern Partnership Electronic Communications Regulators Network, EaPeReg, organised the event within the EU-funded TAIEX assistance programme.

Every year, EU Code Week celebrates and promotes the importance of digital literacy and coding skills among people of all ages and backgrounds. Activities are ongoing throughout the year, but two weeks are set aside that are specifically designated as Code Week – this year, 7-22 October.

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 2023 EU4Digital ICT Innovation Forum raised important questions about the future of education for businesses to better prepare them for our post-industrial, digital society. Stressing the importance of digital upskilling of start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region, the online event on 9 March was the second in an annual Innovation Forum series and attracted more than 100 participants. They learned about diverse EU and EaP policy and support initiatives including the EU4Digital Academy activity, which was announced during the event.

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.