COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Digital Europe programme
Date: 2018-06-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, artificial intelligence, data processing, digital literacy, digital single market, digital technology, digitisation, information security, information technology applications, innovation

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 6.6.2018 SWD(2018) 306 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT  Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Digital Europe programme {COM(2018) 434 final} - {SEC(2018) 289 final} - {SWD(2018) 305 final}  
 
 
The European Commission has adopted its proposals for the multiannual financial framework 
for  2021-2027.  In  order  to  bridge  the  current  digital  investment  gap,  the  Commission 
proposed  a  Digital  Europe  Programme  to  shape  and  support  the  digital  transformation  of 
Europe’s society and economy.  

Public intervention at EU level plays a key role as first mover in acquiring "common goods" 
and capacities and in facilitating their use to address societal challenges and drive innovation 
and  competitiveness.  Intervention  is  justified  in  areas  where  the  necessary  funding  is  so 
significant that no Member State can act - in a timely way - alone, in areas where there is a 
need to aggregate resources scattered throughout Europe, and in areas where interoperability 
is key to the deployment of pan-European services.  

In  Europe,  an  upstream  investment  gap  is  evident  from  the  mismatch  between  the  growing 
demand  for  latest  technology  and  the  supply.  Improving  digital  capacities  requires 
investments to acquire the relevant technologies, ensure their best use in an interoperable way 
across the EU, and develop the advanced digital skills necessary for their wide uptake. This 
complements existing EU programmes covering important aspects related to digital notably in 
research and innovation (Horizon Europe) and in physical connectivity (CEF2). 

The  need  to  step  up  investments  in  digital  capacities  and  in  their  broader  use  is  widely 
supported by stakeholders and experts as well as at the highest political level. 

The  general  objective  of  the  programme  is  to  support  the  digital  transformation  of  the 
European  society  and  economy,  and  bring  its  benefits  to  European  citizens  and  businesses. 
The programme will reinforce Europe's capacities in key digital technology areas and widen 
their diffusion and uptake in areas of public interest and the private sector. 

The  programme  will  have  five  Specific  Objectives,  namely  on  (i)  high  performance 
computing, (ii) artificial intelligence, (iii) cybersecurity and trust, (iv) advanced digital skills 
and  (v)  deployment,  best  use  of  digital  capacity  and  interoperability.  These  objectives  are 
mirrored in the programme structure of five interdependent pillars. 

The Programme will be implemented directly as provided for by the Financial Regulation or 
indirectly with the appropriate entities or bodies. A set of indicators will be drawn from the 
existing Digital Economy and Society Index, a reference instrument to measure the progress 
of digitisation in the EU. Moreover, new indicators will be developed in order to have detailed 
feedback on the impact of DEP.  

This  impact  assessment  accompanies  the  proposal  for  a  Regulation  of  the  European 
Parliament and Council on the Digital Europe Programme. 

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