Digital technology has become such an integral part of everyday life that it is hard to imagine a world without the internet, smartphones, or GPS navigation.
It has transformed how we live, work, and learn, making it easier to connect with people, boosting productivity, and granting access to vast academic and research resources.
New digital technologies are improving healthcare, public services, education, and productivity, while breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) promise to aid in the global fights against climate change, poverty, and hunger. As the digital world continues to evolve, faster and more reliable networks present exciting possibilities, but vulnerabilities and misuse have also emerged.
Dangerous threats such as fake news on social media, unethical hacking, online harassment, financial scams, and data theft must be curtailed, and children must be protected from inappropriate content.
Misinformation and disinformation have distorted facts around elections, international conflicts, health and financial advice. Meanwhile, experts are warning about the rapid growth of AI and its associated risks if left unchecked.
As digital technologies become ever more deeply embedded in society and the economy, the European Commission is working to ensure that innovation goes hand in hand with strong safeguards, fair competition, and respect for fundamental rights.
Digital Decade
Digital policy is a cross-cutting priority for the EU, integrated across areas such as competition, consumer protection, economic growth, public services and security. It is coordinated through the Digital Decade, which sets clear, ambitious targets for Europe’s digital transformation, while providing a common framework to coordinate and monitor progress across the Union. Built around four key areas, Digital Decade targets for 2030 include:
1. Skills: At least 80% of adults with basic digital skills and 20 million ICT specialists, with more women in ICT roles.
2. Infrastructure: Gigabit connectivity for all EU households and 5G coverage in all populated areas.
3. Business: At least 75% of companies using cloud, big data and AI, and over 90% of SMEs reaching basic digital intensity.
4. Public Services: Secure online access to e‑medical records and all key public services available online.
To help achieve these objectives, EU Member States are committed to dedicating at least 20% of funds from their national Recovery and Resilience Plans to digital priorities. Progress towards the Digital Decade targets is reviewed through annual State of the Digital Decade reports and national strategic roadmaps.
When it comes to digital and clean tech, we have to be faster, smarter and more European.
President Ursula von der Leyen, State of the Union address 2025
Ireland's Path to the Digital Decade
Digital Decade goals are particularly relevant for Ireland as it is home to the European headquarters of many leading technology companies.
Ireland’s national Digital and AI Strategy, Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future, provides the overarching framework for achieving the objectives of the EU’s Digital Decade. It is supported by a range of national initiatives, including:
• National Broadband Plan: Has delivered gigabit broadband to over 450,000 homes, farms and businesses, with rollout expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
• Digital Transition Fund: €85 million in grants and advisory support to help SMEs adopt digital technologies.
• Digital Transformation Scheme: €3 million in support for media organisations to develop sustainable digital business models.
• Charter for Digital Inclusion: A voluntary, cross‑sector commitment to promote digital skills, accessibility and inclusive access to online services.
For Irish households and businesses, these initiatives will mean faster connections, easier access to services, and stronger tools to compete globally.
Digital Decade Policy Programme
Digital Ireland - Connecting our People, Securing our Future
Digital Decade Progress
The 2025 State of the Digital Decade report calls for faster progress towards the EU’s 2030 digital targets and identifies persistent gaps across Member States. It highlights a major digital skills shortfall, with only 55.6% of adults having basic digital skills, and urges quicker uptake of AI, cloud and data technologies, particularly by SMEs, alongside faster deployment of fibre and 5G networks.
The 2025 report finds that Ireland continues to perform strongly in digital infrastructure and the digitalisation of public services. However, it also identifies challenges that need to be addressed to stay on track for 2030. The Commission’s key recommendations for Ireland include:
• A more coherent approach to the digital and green transitions, including improving the energy efficiency of data centres.
• Wider adoption of AI, cloud computing, and big data, particularly among SMEs.
• Increased investment in cybersecurity, reflecting Ireland’s role as a major digital hub.
• Expanded digital skills training, including addressing the gender gap among ICT specialists.
• Improved accessibility and functionality of e‑health services, including online access to medical records.
• Progress on implementing a national electronic identity (eID) to enable secure access to online services.
Ireland's February 2026 Digital and AI Strategy directly addresses many of these recommendations through its 90 specific actions.
State of the Digital Decade Report 2025
Digital Services Package
Within the Digital Services Package the EU has introduced two landmark pieces of legislation to create safer and more competitive digital spaces. The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) These acts set clear rules for online platforms and digital markets, which are being actively enforced across the EU.
The DSA aims to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. The act regulates services like social media and marketplaces, requiring them to remove illegal or harmful content quickly, protect minors, and be transparent in how they moderate content.
The DMA regulates large online platforms designated as ‘gatekeepers’ to ensure fair competition. In practice, this means tech giants can no longer unfairly prioritise their own services or lock consumers into their ecosystems.
The Commission has designated seven gatekeepers to date and is actively investigating non-compliance, which can lead to fines of up to 10% of total global turnover.
The Commission has taken significant enforcement action under the DMA and the DSA, with fines for non‑compliance already running to hundreds of millions of euro. As of early 2026, online platforms have reversed almost 50 million decisions affecting users’ content or accounts since the DSA began to apply.
Benefits of the DMA and DSA
• Stronger protection and accountability online, making digital platforms safer, fairer, and more transparent.
• More competitive digital markets leading to better prices and a wider variety of choices for consumers.
• Greater user control over personal data and stronger protections against unwanted tracking and profiling.
• Better safeguards for minors, including clear restrictions on targeted advertising to children.
• More effective and user-friendly systems for reporting illegal or harmful content online.
• Improved market access for SMEs and start‑ups, supporting innovation and growth.
• Increased trust in digital services through clearer rules and fairer practices.
The EU Data Act provides additional protection for consumers and businesses in the digital realm. It empowers users to control data generated by their connected devices, including cars, smart TVs, and industrial machinery. The Commission has also announced plans for a Digital Fairness Act to further strengthen consumer protection online.
The EU Data Act, effective from September 2025, provides additional protection for consumers and businesses in the digital realm. It empowers users to control data generated by their connected devices, including cars, smart TVs, and industrial machinery.
Ireland’s Digital Regulators
Ireland plays a crucial role in enforcing DSA, DMA and GDPR rules as many of the world's largest tech companies have their European headquarters here. A network of Irish regulators work together to oversee the digital sector:
• Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission): As Ireland's Digital Services Coordinator, it is the lead authority for enforcing the DSA. It is also responsible for implementing the EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), which governs content on traditional TV, on-demand services, and video-sharing platforms. In October 2024, the commission introduced a new Online Safety Code to better protect children online.
• The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC): The CCPC enforces rules in areas like online marketplaces, protecting consumer rights and ensuring fair competition.
• Data Protection Commission (DPC): The DPC is the lead authority for enforcing the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring that the privacy rights of users are upheld by all online platforms.
Artificial Intelligence
The EU aims to establish a global hub for trustworthy and human-centric AI. The cornerstone of this approach is the landmark AI Act, the world's first comprehensive law on AI, which sets a global standard for its regulation.
The AI Act took effect in August 2024 and it is being implemented in phases. It uses a risk-based approach to ensure AI systems are safe and respect fundamental rights, so the higher the risk an AI system poses to society, the stricter the rules.
• Unacceptable Risk: AI practices that pose a clear threat to people’s rights or safety, such as social scoring by public authorities, are prohibited.
• High-Risk AI: Systems used in sensitive areas such as healthcare, critical infrastructure or recruitment are subject to strict requirements, including risk management, data governance and human oversight.
• Transparency obligations: Certain AI systems, such as chatbots or AI‑generated content, must clearly inform users that they are interacting with or viewing AI‑generated material.
The European AI Office within the European Commission oversees the implementation of the AI Act and supports its consistent application across the EU.
Hyper‑realistic deepfakes and automated, personalised disinformation campaigns can now be deployed at an unprecedented pace and scale. This is exactly why we are raising the guardrails of digital governance. Governance is not there to stifle innovation, but to steer it.” Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection
Alongside regulation, the Commission is working to accelerate AI adoption. In April 2025, it launched the AI Continent Action Plan to strengthen Europe’s AI capacity. Despite a growing AI start‑up ecosystem, only around 13.5% of EU companies currently use AI. The plan focuses on expanding computing infrastructure, improving access to data and developing AI skills to support responsible AI deployment.
The EU is also building an ecosystem to support AI innovation and adoption. Key initiatives include:
• The AI Innovation Package provides European startups and SMEs with access to EU supercomputers for model training.
• Investment in AI talent, skills and education helps to build the workforce needed for responsible AI development and deployment.
• Modernised product liability rules to ensure that people can seek redress if they are harmed by AI‑enabled products.
In Ireland, CeADAR, the national centre for applied AI and a European Digital Innovation Hub, supports businesses adopting AI technologies. Ireland’s National Digital and AI Strategy complements this effort in line with EU objectives. Irish AI initiatives include the establishment of an AI Advisory Council, the planned launch of a National AI Fellowship and new measures to boost cyber security.
Digital actions
The European Commission delivers practical actions that turn digital policies into tangible benefits for people, businesses and public services across the EU. Examples include:
• Roam-like-at-home: Since 2017, people can use their mobile phones for calls, texts and data anywhere in the EU at no extra cost, making travel and cross‑border communication easier.
• No geoblocking: EU rules prevent unjustified discrimination based on location when shopping online, helping consumers and businesses benefit from a more integrated digital single market.
• Stronger data protection: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives individuals greater control over their personal data and ensures consistent privacy standards across the EU.
• EU Digital Identity Wallet: The EU Digital Identity Wallet will allow people to securely identify themselves and access public and private services across the EU, such as public administration, banking, education and healthcare, while remaining in control of their personal data.
• Age verification: A European age verification app will allow users to prove their age when accessing online platforms. The app is set to be integrated into Ireland’s forthcoming Digital Identity Wallet.
• Digital Omnibus rules: The Commission is working to simplify and streamline the EU’s digital rulebook, reduce overlaps between legislation and support smoother implementation, particularly for businesses and SMEs.
• Digital Networks Act: The Commission has proposed new rules to support investment in next‑generation connectivity, improve network deployment and reinforce Europe’s digital infrastructure in line with the Digital Decade’s connectivity targets.
• The European Chips Act: Supporting investment in semiconductor manufacturing and research, strengthening Europe’s resilience in critical technologies used in products such as cars, medical devices and consumer electronics.
• Digital Europe Programme: Investing in advanced digital technologies, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and digital skills, and supporting the deployment of digital capacity and innovation across Member States.
• Cyber Resilience Act: Introducing EU‑wide cybersecurity requirements for digital products to help protect users from cyber threats throughout a product’s lifecycle.
• Child protection: The Commission has launched an EU Action Plan against Cyberbullying and is supporting measures to improve online safety, promote age‑appropriate access to digital services and strengthen protections for minors.
• Universal charging: USB‑C is becoming the standard charging port for many electronic devices, reducing electronic waste and making life simpler for consumers.
• WiFi4EU: More than 90,000 free WiFi4EU hotspots have been installed in public spaces throughout Europe. You can find hotspots via an app available on the iOS and Google Plan stores.
Related links
A Europe fit for the digital age
Ireland’s Digital Public Services Plan 2030
Digital Agenda news
The European Commission has presented an EU action plan aimed at bolstering the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers.
The European Commission has launched a package of measures to support European startups and SMEs in the development of trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) that respects EU values and rules.
The European Commission has welcomed the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), proposed by the Commission in April 2021.
The European Commission services have signed administrative arrangements with the media regulators of France and Ireland to support its supervisory and enforcement powers under the Digital Services Act.