COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Implementation of multi-country projects Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Report on the state of the Digital Decade 2023
Date: 2023-09-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, digital literacy, digital single market, digital transformation, digitisation, information security, innovation, public service, technological change, transmission network

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 27.9.2023  SWD(2023) 573 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Implementation of multi-country projects Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Report on the state of the Digital Decade 2023 {COM(2023) 570 final} - {SWD(2023) 570 final} - {SWD(2023) 571 final} - {SWD(2023) 572 final} - {SWD(2023) 574 final}  
 
 
 
 
Contents 

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 2 

2. Progress report ..................................................................................................................................... 6 

2.1 A digitally skilled population and highly skilled digital professionals ......................................... 6 

2.1.1 High‑tech partnerships for digital skills ................................................................................. 6 

2.1.2. Skills and training in cybersecurity ....................................................................................... 7 

2.2 Secure and performant sustainable digital infrastructures ............................................................. 7 

2.2.2 Developing the pan-European deployment of 5G corridors ................................................... 7 

2.2.3 Endowing the Union with the next generation of low‑power trusted processors ................... 8 

2.2.4 Acquiring supercomputers and quantum computers, connected with the European high-
performance computing (EuroHPC) .............................................................................................. 10 

2.2.5 Developing and deploying an ultra-secure quantum and space-based communication 
infrastructures ................................................................................................................................ 11 

2.2.6 Deploying a network of security operations centres (SOCs) ................................................ 12 

2.3 Digital transformation of businesses ........................................................................................... 12 

2.3.1 European common data infrastructure and services ............................................................. 12 

2.3.2 European digital innovation hubs (EDIHs) .......................................................................... 14 

2.4 Digitalisation of public services .................................................................................................. 15 

2.4.1 Connected public administration .......................................................................................... 15 

2.4.2 European blockchain services infrastructure ........................................................................ 16 

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In line with  the reporting mechanism set  out  in the Articles 6  and 11  of the Digital  Decade 
Policy Programme1, this Commission Staff Working Document aims at presenting the Union’s 
progress towards the implementation of multi-country projects (MCPs).  

1. Introduction 

The  Digital  Decade  Policy  Programme  establishes  a  framework  for  multi-country  projects 
(MCPs),  i.e.,  large-scale  projects  facilitating  the  achievement  of  the  general  objectives  and 
digital targets.  

MCPs aim achieve one or more of the following specific goals: 

• 

• 

improving the cooperation between the Union and the Member States and among the 
Member States in achieving the general objectives; 

reinforcing the Union’s technological excellence, leadership, innovation and industrial 
competitiveness in critical technologies, complementary technology combinations, and 
digital products, infrastructure and services that are essential for economic recovery and 
growth and for the security and safety of individuals; 

•  addressing  strategic  vulnerabilities  and  dependencies  of  the  Union  along  the  digital 

supply chains to enhance their resilience; 

• 

increasing the availability, and promoting the best use, of safe digital solutions in areas 
of public interest and the private sector while observing the principles of technological 
neutrality; 

•  contributing to an inclusive and sustainable digital transformation of the economy and 
society that benefits all citizens and businesses, in particular SMEs, across the Union; 

•  promoting digital skills for citizens through education, training, and life-long learning, 
with  a  focus  on  fostering  gender-balanced  participation  in  education  and  career 
opportunities. 

The Annex to the Digital Decade Policy Programme contains a non-exhaustive list of high-
priority areas of activities for MCPs: 

(a)  European common data infrastructure and services; 

(b) endowing the Union with the next generation of low-power trusted processors; 

(c)  developing the pan-European deployment of 5G corridors; 

(d) acquiring supercomputers and quantum computers, connected with the European high 

performance computing (EuroHPC); 

(e)  developing  and  deploying  an  ultra-secure  quantum  and  space-based  communication 

infrastructures; 

(f)  deploying a network of security operations centres; 

1 Decision (EU) 2022/2481 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 establishing the 
Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (Text with EEA relevance). PE/50/2022/REV/1. OJ L 323, 19.12.2022, 
p. 4–26. 

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(g) connected public administration; 

(h) European blockchain services infrastructure; 

(i)  European digital innovation hubs (EDIHs); 

(j)  high-tech partnerships for digital skills through the ‘Pact for Skills’ initiative, launched 
by the Commission communication of 1 July 2020 entitled the ‘European Skills Agenda 
for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience’; 

(k) skills and training in cybersecurity; 

(l)  other projects which meet all the requirements set out in Article 11 and which become 
necessary  to  the  achievement  of  the  general  objectives  of  the  Digital  Decade  Policy 
Programme  2030  over  time  due  to  emerging  social,  economic,  or  environmental 
developments. 

Several EU funding programmes provide support for the MCPs, including the Recovery and 
Resilience Facility: 20 countries have included measures contributing to multi-country projects 
or cross border initiatives on topics related to the digital transition. More than 60 measures or 
sub-measures in total are relevant to multi-country projects across all approved Recovery and 
Resilience  Plans. The  multi-country  projects  with  the  highest  take-up  in  Recovery  and 
Resilience  Plans  are  the  next  generation  of  low-power  trusted  processors  and  the  European 
Digital Innovation Hubs, supported by twelve and eight Member States. 

Multi-country  projects  (MCPs)  may  be  implemented  by  recourse  to  several  implementation 
mechanisms  such  as  Joint  Undertakings  (JUs),  European  Research  Infrastructure  Consortia 
(ERICs), the Union’s agencies, independently by the Member States concerned, through the 
execution  of  Important  Projects  of  Common  European  Interest  (IPCEIs)  or  through  other 
appropriate implementation mechanisms.  

In addition to the well-established implementation mechanisms listed above, the Digital Decade 
Policy Programme introduces the European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) as a 
new means to facilitate the establishment of MCPs. EDICs combine the advantages of a rapid 
set up, a flexible internal structure and the leading role of Member States in their set up and 
operations.  

To  identify  new  or  existing  MCPs  that  would  benefit  from  being  implemented  through  an 
EDIC, the Commission has launched an initial call for expression of interest in EDICs. The 
results  of  the  call,  which  has  been  open  from  9  December  2022  to  7  February  2023,  have 
demonstrated a strong interest of the Member States in the new instrument, with 38 submitted 
proposals by individual Member States, of which 13 currently in the process of being further 
elaborated in a collaborative manner (cf. Table below). In the cases of particularly mature EDIC 
proposals,  Member  States  have  been  informally  invited  by  the  Commission  to  submit  a 
voluntary  and  non-binding  pre-notification,  including  an  indicative  timeline  for  the 
submission of the formal EDIC application2. 

The Commission is  currently in  the process of assessing the content of the pre-notifications 
with the aim of providing guidance and support to applicant Member States in the identification 

2 To be stressed that the Commission’s invitation to Member States to submit the pre-notifications for prospective 
EDICs is an informal step that has the purpose of gathering information around the interest in specific EDICs and 
it is not intended to bind the Commission nor the Member States. 

3 

 
 
 
of potential legal obstacles to the setup of the EDIC, and to suggest improvements for their 
considerations in view of their formal applications. 

The table below3 demonstrates that the selected EDIC proposals are contributing to at least one 
area of activity listed in the Annex to the Digital Decade Policy Programme and provides an 
update  on  the  progress  of  the  EDIC  proposals.  Participating  Member  States  continue 
working on these proposals, therefore their focus and the scope of work might still evolve and 
be further defined.  

Area of 
activity 

Skills and 
training in 
cybersecurity 

Cardinal Point 

A digitally skilled 
population and 
highly skilled 
digital 
professionals 

Secure and 
performant 
sustainable digital 
infrastructures 

Endowing the 
Union with 
the next 
generation of 
low-power 
trusted 
processors 

European 
Common 
Data 
Infrastructure 
and Services 

EDIC proposal 

Progress 

European Cybersecurity Skills Academy 
EDIC 

This EDIC would develop a Cybersecurity Skills 
Academy, an umbrella organisation under which 
different Member States entities would integrates 
various activities related to cybersecurity education 
and training for SMEs, start-ups, and the European 
public sector, as well as standardisation of 
procedures for cybersecurity competence 
recognition and professional certification. 

Vehicle of the Future EDIC 

This EDIC would support the proliferation of open-
source hardware/software model for semiconductor 
production, reduce risk of failures by coordinating 
the investment priorities among different industry 
sector, and support upskilling and reskilling 
actions.   

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification. 

An informal Member 
States Working Group 
has been launched 

European Federation for Cancer Images 
(EUCAIM) EDIC 

This proposal is under 
examination 

This EDIC would contribute to the European 
policies and strategies aimed to promote the 
secondary use of health data for research and 
innovation activities, with a focus on patients with 
cancer. It would take important steps towards the 
European Health Data Space (EHDS), aligning 
with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. EUCAIM will 
deliver a union-wide data platform accessible to all 
Member States, with advanced solutions, giving the 
opportunity to unlock innovation in health, and 
improving efficiency by sharing resources and thus 
optimizing the use of financial resources. 

Alliance for Language Technologies EDIC 
(ALT-EDIC) 

This EDIC seeks to establish an European-wide 
technology centre to develop a common 
infrastructure in the field of natural language 
processing and to develop large multi-language 
model (LLM) that will address the shortage of data 
training in European languages 

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification. 

3 This table contains updates on progress until 31 July 2023.  

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Cardinal Point 

Area of 
activity 

Multiple areas 
of activity 

EDIC proposal 

Progress 

AgriFood EDIC 

This scope of this EDIC is still to be defined. . 

An informal Member 
States Working Group 
has been launched 

Digital 
transformation of 
public services 

Connected 
public 
administration 

Innovative Massive Public Administration 
interconnected Transformation Services 
(IMPACTS) EDIC 

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification.  

European 
Blockchain 
services 
infrastructure 

European 
Common 
Data 
Infrastructure 
and Services 

European 
Common 
Data 
Infrastructure 
and Services 

Digital 
transformation of 
businesses 

This EDIC proposals aims to develop a new 
generation of advanced cross-border services 
provision for European citizens though advanced 
ICTs and open principles ad standards 

Networked Local Digital Twins Towards 
CitiVerse EDIC 

This EDIC proposals integrates future city related 
projects using disruptive and immersive 
technologies such as Ai, VR/RA (i.e.: a 
“CitiVerse” to allow citizens and other 
stakeholders to “navigate and interact” virtually.   

EDIC for European Blockchain Partnership 
and European Blockchain Service 
Infrastructure (EBSIC-EDIC) 

This EDIC would establish, operate, and enhance 
an infrastructure for delivering EU-wide cross-
border public services, serving citizens and 
businesses, and facilitating the implementation of 
EU Policies 

Genome EDIC 

An EDIC for the 1+ Million Genomes initiative 
and its European Genomic Data Infrastructure 
seeks to establish a trust framework to enable the 
effective and secure cross-border access to 
repositories of personal genomic datasets among 
participating countries. 

Mobility and Logistics Data EDIC 

This EDIC seeks to facilitate the establishment of a 
common European mobility data infrastructure. 
The aim is to help bridge the gap between project-
based experimentation and development and 
longer-term availability and sustainability of a 
common data infrastructure. 

EDIC for Digital Commons  

This EDIC would create a strong PPP for the 
development of sustainable open data and open-
source ecosystems to both improve the 
competitiveness of digital commons to enable 
large-scale adoption and enhance the public 
contribution to strategic commons. 

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification. 

Formal application 
submitted 

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification 

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification. 

An informal Member 
States Working Group 
has been launched 

Copyright Infrastructure EDIC  

This EDIC would develop open and integrated 
rights data framework to release the potential of 

Interested Member 
States have submitted 
the pre-notification 

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Cardinal Point 

Area of 
activity 

EDIC proposal 

Progress 

EU’s creative sectors, promote interoperability, 
provide trustworthy rights information, and restore 
level-playing field between major market players 
and EU’s creative SMEs, inclusive approach 
catering for interests of right holders, stakeholders, 
incumbents, and intermediaries. 

Multiple areas 
of activity 

European Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA) 
EDIC 

This proposal is under 
examination 

ESNA vision is to contribute to bring Europe to the 
lead of global start-up ecosystem, building up and 
linking with national entrepreneurial ecosystems 
across Europe. 

2. Progress report 

The following sections provide information about the progress made in each of the MCP areas 
of activity listed in the Annex to the Digital Decade Policy Programme. 

2.1 A digitally skilled population and highly skilled digital professionals 

2.1.1 High‑tech partnerships for digital skills  

Making Europe fit for the digital age and realising the digital transformation requires a digitally 
skilled European population. In the area of digital skills, the Digital Decade Policy Programme 
has set out that by 2030 at least 80 % of those aged 16-74 should have at least basic digital skills 
and  that  at  least  20  million  ICT  specialists  should  be  employed  within  the  Union,  while 
promoting the access of women to this field and increasing the number of ICT graduates.  

Joint action maximises the impact of skills investment; concerted efforts can bring clarity to 
individuals  and  companies  throughout  the  value  chain,  reduce  costs  and  focus  on  priorities. 
Therefore, several initiatives are being developed by the Commission in coordination with the 
Member States and relevant public and private stakeholders. In particular,  

•  The Pact for Skills, one of the twelve flagship actions of the ‘European Skills Agenda for 
sustainable  competitiveness,  social  fairness  and  resilience’  of  1  July  2020,  aiming  to 
support public and private organisations with upskilling and reskilling, so they can thrive 
through the green and digital transitions.  

Under the Pact for Skills, the New Skills Partnership for the Digital Ecosystem supports 
the upskilling and reskilling of workers and attract more people to the digital industry. This 
partnership will work closely with other existing partnerships in other sectors, where digital 
skills  play  a  crucial  role.  It  will  seek  synergies  and  collaboration  with  other  existing 
initiatives (such as Digital Skills & Jobs Coalition or the network of European Digital 
Innovation  Hubs)  to  use  existing  best  practices  and  guidance  as  an  inspiration  for  the 
partnership.  

The  Skills  Partnership  for  the  Digital  Ecosystem  was  launched  in  July  2022  and  is 
currently  finalising  a  work  plan,  as  well  as  reaching  out  to  extend  the  number  of 

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participating stakeholders. Existing members of the partnership are already progressing on 
the  implementation  of  their  concrete  commitments  to  reduce  the  digital  skills  gap  in 
Europe. 

•  The Digital  Skills  and Job Coalition  and the connected Digital Skills Jobs  Platform, 
supported  by  DIGITAL,  reunite  Member  States,  companies,  social  partners,  non-profit 
organisations, and education providers under the common goal of addressing the skill gap. 

•  DIGITAL  supports  bachelor’s  and  master’s  programmes  as  well  as  short-term 
training  in  key  capacity  areas,  such  as  artificial  intelligence,  data,  High-Performance 
Computing  (HPC),  cybersecurity,  semiconductor  technologies,  virtual  worlds,  cloud 
computing and other emerging technologies, targeted at businesses and in particular SMEs.  

2.1.2. Skills and training in cybersecurity 

The cybersecurity  dimension of digital skills is  gaining importance by the day, not  only  for 
large enterprises but also for SMEs and public services.  In this respect, the Cyber Security 
Skills Academy EDIC is being set up in the context of an informal Working Group chaired by 
Greece  and  in  close  cooperation  with  the  Commission.  This  EDIC  would  develop  the 
Cybersecurity  Skills  Academy  as  an  umbrella  organisation  under  which  different  Member 
States entities would integrate various activities related to cybersecurity education and training 
for SMEs, start-ups, and the European public sector, as well as standardisation of procedures 
for cybersecurity competence recognition and professional certification. The pre-notification 
for  this  EDIC  was  submitted  in  June  2023.  Further  actions  to  support  skills  and  training  in 
cybersecurity are financed under DIGITAL. 

2.2 Secure and performant sustainable digital infrastructures 

2.2.2 Developing the pan-European deployment of 5G corridors 

The  5G  Corridors  initiative  is  another  MCP  area  of  activity  where  the  Commission  is 
collaborating with the Member States and Industry. The objective of this initiative is to cover 
26 000 km along the TEN-T networks4 with Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM)-
enabling 5G infrastructure by 2030. 5G-based Connected and Automated Mobility services 
along roads comprise a broad range of digital services in and around vehicles including safety-
related,  transport  efficiency-related  and  other  commercial  services  provided,  enabled,  or 
supported by 5G multi-service networks. In addition, this MCP would address market failure 
areas with public investment and stimulate further private investment in commercially viable 
areas.  

The  development  of  this  MCP  is  connected  to  the  coordination  activities  of  the  Smart 
Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU), co-led by Commission and Industry 
with the close involvement of the Member States. In particular, the SNS JU coordinates the 
development  of  project  pipelines,  common  solutions,  and  best  practices.  The  projects  are 
funded through CEF Digital. The involvement of Member States towards the implementation 

4 The corridors alignment is based on the Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 7 July 2021. 

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of the 5G Corridors initiative is linked to the drafting of the Work Programme through the CEF 
Digital Committee and to their contribution to the strategic orientations under the SNS JU.  

5 

2.2.3 Endowing the Union with the next generation of low‑power trusted processors 

Semiconductors are at the heart of innovation and the current industrial revolution. The recent 
chip  shortages  have  exposed  structural  vulnerabilities  across  highly  interdependent  supply 
chains and have furthermore served to highlight Europe’s dependency on supply from a limited 
number of companies and geographies with severe consequences for many of its key industrial 
sectors. In terms of role in the various stages of the value chain, Europe has core strengths in 
R&D as well as in the supply of advanced material and especially of manufacturing equipment. 
However, in some key stages of the supply chain from design and IP to front-end and back-end 
manufacturing, the EU needs to address gaps and dependencies on other regions. In terms 
of manufacturing, Europe has observed in the last 20 years a gradually declining share of global 
capacity. Considering this  background, the overall  aim of the activities under this area is  to 
endow the EU with capabilities in design and industrial deployment of the next generation 
of trusted processors and other electronic components needed to power EU’s critical digital 

5 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cross-border-corridors  

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infrastructures,  artificial  intelligence-enabled  systems,  electric  mobility,  and  communication 
networks. 

The  MCP  on  Processors  and  semiconductor  technologies  is  being  developed  mainly  in 
connection  with  a  new  Important  Project  of  Common  European  Interest on 
Microelectronics  and  Communication  Technologies  (IPCEI  ME/CT)  approved  by  the 
Commission on 8 June 2023. The project was jointly prepared and notified by fourteen Member 
States and involves 68 projects from 56 companies, that form part of the wider IPCEI ME/CT 
ecosystem involving over 30 associated participants. The project's overall objective is to enable 
the  digital  and  green  transformation  by:  (i)  creating  innovative  microelectronics  and 
communication solutions, and (ii) developing energy-efficient and resource-saving electronics 
systems  and  manufacturing  methods.  The  project  will  contribute  to  the  technological 
advancement of many sectors, including communications (5G and 6G), autonomous driving, 
artificial  intelligence,  and  quantum  computing.  It  will  also  support  companies  active  in  the 
energy generation, distribution and use in their green transition. The fourteen Member States 
will provide up to EUR 8.1 billion in funding in the coming years, which is expected to unlock 
additional EUR 13.7 billion in private investments. 

The complementing vehicle for R&D in this sector is the Key Digital Technologies (KDT) 
Joint Undertaking, which started in 2021. Following the foreseen adoption of the Chips Act in 
September  2023,  the  KDT  JU  would  be  renamed  as  Chips  Joint  Undertaking.  This  Joint 
Undertaking  would  reinforce  the  Union’s  strategic  autonomy  in  electronic  components  and 
systems to support future needs of vertical industries and the economy at large; establish Union 
scientific  excellence  and  innovation  leadership  in  emerging  components  and  systems 
technologies; ensure that components and systems technologies address Europe’s societal and 
environmental challenges.  After the adoption of the Chips  Act, the Chips  Joint Undertaking 
would  also  achieve  large-scale  technological  capacity  building  (including  pilot  lines  and  a 
design platform) and support related research and innovation activities throughout the Union’s 
semiconductor value chain to enable development and deployment of cutting-edge and next-
generation  semiconductor  and  quantum  technologies.  The  27  EU  Member  States,  Iceland, 
Norway, Israel, and Türkiye contribute financially to participants from their countries that come 
together in multi-country R&D and capacity building projects. The same countries, together 
with the Commission, decide on the projects to be supported following open calls for proposals.  

Other supporting activities under this area include: 

•  Sectorial AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) supported by DIGITAL; 

•  The European Processor Initiative (EPI) project, supported by the EuroHPC JU, will 

develop processors technology targeting HPC applications. 

Finally, due to the relevance of the automotive industry for the Union’s economy and the impact 
that  the  chip  shortage  has  had  on  this,  some  Member  States  led  by  Italy  are  exploring  the 
possibility  to  establish  an  EDIC  that  would  target  semiconductor  industry  needs  in  the 
automotive industry (Vehicle of the Future EDIC). 

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2.2.4 Acquiring supercomputers and quantum computers, connected with the European high-

performance computing (EuroHPC) 

The  MCPs  and  supporting  activities  under  this  area  are  set  to  develop,  deploy,  extend,  and 
maintain in the EU a world-leading federated, secure, and hyper-connected supercomputing, 
quantum computing, service, and data infrastructure.  

The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU) is the mechanism allowing for the realisation of MCP 
initiatives in the area of supercomputing and quantum computing. The EuroHPC will enable 
Member  States  to  coordinate  their  supercomputing  strategies  and  to  pool  their  investments 
together  towards  acquiring  supercomputers  and/or  quantum  computers  as  well  as  to  deliver 
concrete services across Europe to a wide range of academic, industrial, SME and public users 
with  applications  that  impact  both  our  everyday  life  and  the  global  challenges  affecting  the 
planet as a whole. 

The acquisition and ownership of supercomputers and quantum computers will require high 
levels of investments from both the public and the private sector. The list below provides 
an estimation of the identified costs:  

-  Petascale Supercomputer – level of investment per machine: EUR 30 - 50 million.  

-  Pre-exascale and/or Exascale supercomputers – level of investment per machine: EUR 

150 - 500 million.  

-  Quantum computers (as standalone machines or as accelerators of supercomputers) – 

level of investment per machine: EUR 50 - 250 million.  

Further investments will be needed to ensure secure and reliable connectivity with the EuroHPC 
extreme-bandwidth  communication  network,  in  addition  to  those  needed  to  support  HPC 
national  competence  centres  and  skills  and  those  required  for  the  development  of  the  large 
application platforms that require supercomputing specifically in health applications (cancer, 
new  drugs,  etc.),  disaster  prediction  and  management,  or  in  developing  digital  twins  of  the 
human and its organs, of the Earth, etc. 

The EuroHPC JU has already procured eight supercomputers, located across Europe. Six 
supercomputers  are  now  operational:  LUMI  in  Finland,  LEONARDO  in  Italy,  Vega  in 
Slovenia,  MeluXina  in  Luxembourg,  Discoverer  in  Bulgaria,  and  Karolina  in  the  Czech 
Republic. Two more supercomputers are also underway: MareNostrum in Spain and Deucalion 
in Portugal.  

These projects count on high a level of multi-country participation: LUMI in Finland with ten 
countries and total investment exceeding EUR 200 million; Leonardo in Italy with six countries 
and a total cost of EUR 240 million; and the Mare Nostrum 5 in Spain with three countries and 
a total cost of EUR 223 million.  

Further to this, five additional sites for supercomputers - Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, 
and Poland - have already been announced by the EuroHPC JU in June 2022, with one of them 
to become Europe’s first exascale supercomputer: JUPITER, which will be hosted in the Julich 
Supercomputing Centre in Germany.  

In  October  2022  the  EuroHPC  JU  also  announced  six  sites  to  host  quantum  computers 
(Czechia,  Germany,  Spain,  France,  and  Poland  and  in  Italy),  which  will  be  integrated  with 
existing supercomputers with at total co-investment of EUR 100 million, 50% of which to be 

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pooled by 17 participating states. The LUMI-Q Consortium in Czechia is the largest, bringing 
together 14 partners from nine participating states. 

These systems will increase by at least a factor of four the available computing power of the 
EU that will be available to users from academia, industry, and the European public sector. The 
EuroHPC JU will deploy a fully hyperconnected and federated infrastructure, providing end-
to-end connectivity, performance, security, and resilience which will underpin the development 
of a federated ecosystem. 

The  success  of  these  multi-country  projects  relies  on  a  strong  long-term  political  and 
financial commitment of public and private partners towards a clear and ambitious pan-
European strategy driven by the Union, defining concrete goals and impact in key European 
policies under one single governance and legal instrument that has the capacity to mobilise and 
pool  the  necessary  critical  mass  of  investments  (national,  EU  and  private)  on  the  whole 
spectrum of the HPC ecosystem.  

2.2.5  Developing  and  deploying  an  ultra-secure  quantum  and  space-based  communication 

infrastructures 

Since  the  signature  of  the  Euro  Quantum  Communication  Infrastructure  (EuroQCI) 
Declaration in June 2019, the Commission has been working with Member States and with the 
European Space Agency (ESA) towards the deployment of a secure quantum communication 
infrastructure  -  the  European  Quantum  Communication  Infrastructure  (EuroQCI) 
Initiative - spanning the whole EU, including its overseas territories.  

The  EuroQCI  will  consist  of  a  terrestrial  component  building  on  new  and/or  existing  fibre 
communication  networks 
level, 
complemented by a space component to cross-link and cover the whole EU. As of March 2023, 
EuroQCI is part of IRIS², the new Union’s Secure Space-based Connectivity Programme6. 

linking  strategic  sites  at  national  and  cross-border 

For  the  terrestrial  segment,  the  Commission  has  funded  two  industry  consortia  to  conduct 
system  design  studies  defining  the  EuroQCI’s  architecture  and  paving  the  way  for  its 
deployment, which concluded in 2022. In parallel, ESA has funded studies under its SAGA 
(Security And cryptoGrAphic mission) programme to design the first generation of satellites 
and related ground segments that will make up the EuroQCI’s space segment. 

In January 2023, 26 national projects, supported by DIGITAL, have begun, with the aim of 
delivering the design and deployment of the national quantum communication networks that 
will  form  the  basis  of  the  EuroQCI’s  terrestrial  segment.DIGITAL  is  also  funding  a 
coordination and support action, and a set of industrial projects to develop and mature the key 
technological building blocks that the EuroQCI will need, with the broader goal of expanding 
Europe’s quantum communication ecosystem.  

Later in 2023, a testing and certification facility for technologies necessary for quantum key 
distribution, the first service to be offered by the EuroQCI, is set tobe procured under DIGITAL.  

A total of EUR 170 million from DIGITAL will fund all these projects collectively. 

6 Regulation (EU) 2023/588 establishing the European Union’s secure connectivity programme for the 2023–
2027 period  

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Going forward, in 2024, a CEF Digital call, with a total budget of EUR 90 million, is planned 
to  open  for  projects  working  on  cross-border  links  between  national  networks  and  on 
interconnections with the EuroQCI’s space component. 

For the space segment, the Commission is currently working with ESA on the specification of 
a  first-generation  constellation  of  EuroQCI  satellites.  This  will  build  on  the  first  prototype 
satellite Eagle1, developed by ESA and an industrial consortium and planned to be launched in 
2025. 

Additional funding for the EuroQCI is provided by Horizon Europe, as well as ESA and 
national  sources,  including  via  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility.  In  the  future, 
Commission funding for the EuroQCI is planned come from the IRIS² budget and be covered 
by its work programmes.  

With the integration of EuroQCI into the structures of IRIS2 in March 2023, the working groups 
under  the  EU  Space  Programme  Committee  will  advise  the  Commission  on  the  initiative’s 
development and deployment, ensuring that all stakeholders can shape it and that it continues 
to make progress as a key element of the Secure Connectivity Programme.  

2.2.6 Deploying a network of security operations centres (SOCs) 

The  Commission,  in  coordination  with  the  European  Cybersecurity  Competence  Centre 
(ECCC) has launcheda call for expression of interest7 to select entities in Member States which 
will host and operate cross-border cyber threat detection platforms, each bringing together 
relevant public entities from several Member States, as well as private entities. Announced in 
the  2020  European  Cybersecurity  Strategy,  and  more  detailed  recently  in  the  Joint 
Communication on European Cyber Defence Policy, this is the first phase in the creation of 
a cross-border infrastructure of European Security Operations Centres (SOC), powered 
by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies.  

The network of Cross-border Security Operations Centers (SOCs) aims at enhancing cyber 
threat  detection  in  the  EU  by  pooling  information  from  various  sources,  public  and 
private.  

Cross-border  Security  Operations  Centres  would  procure  cyber  threat  detection  tools  and 
services together with the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), which will 
initially contribute with EUR 30 million under DIGITAL. The programme will also fund up to 
EUR  72.5  million  in  grants  for  cyber  threat  detection,  following  a  recently  opened  call  for 
proposals. It is envisaged that the SOCs will be operational by early 2024. 

2.3 Digital transformation of businesses 

2.3.1 European common data infrastructure and services 

The multi-country projects launched under this area of activity aim at overcoming key market 
and  competitiveness  challenges  in  cloud,  edge  computing  and  data.  By  bringing  more 
choice and diversity into the market for interoperable, secure, and sustainable cloud, edge and 

7 Cybersecurity: EU launches first phase of deployment of the European infrastructure of cross-border security 
operations centres | Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu) 

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data offerings to users, these projects are set to ultimately curtail market consolidation in line 
with the European Strategy for data. The set-up of Common European Data Spaces is set to 
foster smart data access and the sharing and reuse of data across sectors with the ultimate 
goal of enhancing end users' innovation and competitiveness. 

Several implementation mechanisms contribute to the Union’s progress in this area of activity. 
In particular,  

•  An  Important  Project  of  Common  European  Interest  on  Next  Generation  Cloud 
Infrastructures  and  Services  (IPCEI-CIS),  co-coordinated  by  Germany  and  France, 
aims  to  develop  and  deploy  a  common,  sustainable  and  multi-purpose  pan-European 
industrial interconnected virtual data processing infrastructure and its associated added 
value  novel  cloud  services  embedding  advanced,  real-time,  very  low  latency  edge 
capabilities to serve business and end users’ needs close to where data are generated. The 
IPCEI-CIS was pre-notified to the Commission on 14 April 2022. The Commission is 
currently  assessing  it  against  the  criteria  for  the  analysis  of  the  compatibility  with  the 
internal  market  of  State  aid.  Should  the  Commission  authorise  the  execution  of  this 
IPCEI,  the  next  step  will  be  the  start  of  the  IPCEI-CIS  enterprise  projects.  The 
dissemination and exploitation efforts of the expected IPCEI solutions among all Member 
States and their associated business ecosystems would benefit from an extra support from 
a Cloud IPCEI Exploitation Office under the management of the European Commission. 
Such  a  Cloud  IPCEI  Exploitation  Office  is  foreseen  to  be  financed  by  DIGITAL  and 
expected to be operational in the course of 2024. 

•  Simpl, the smart open-source middleware that will enable cloud-to-edge federations and 
support all major data initiatives funded by the European Commission, such as Common 
European Data Spaces. Simpl is funded through DIGITAL. The tender for a framework 
contract to deliver Simpl is currently under evaluation. The tendering of the first specific 
contract is foreseen for the second half of 2023, and the first results in 2024, starting with 
a minimum viable platform. 

•  Common European Data Spaces are currently being set up in the 14 strategic sectors or 
domains of Green Deal (including Smart Communities), Agriculture, Mobility, Health, 
Skills, Manufacturing, Public Administrations, Financial, Tourism, Language, Cultural 
Heritage,  Energy,  Media  and  EOSC  (Research).  The  establishment  of  these  Common 
European Data Spaces in strategic sectors and domains of public interest will gradually 
create a true single European data market that allows easy access to and sharing and 
use of data for the development of innovative products and services, including AI tools 
and  technologies.  Public  and  private  sector  organisations  will  be  part  of  the  common 
European  data  spaces,  including  data  providers,  users,  and  intermediaries,  such  as 
innovation companies, research institutes and public administrations.  

Several EDIC proposals aimed at complementing and expanding the actions under this area 
have  been  put  forward  by  a  vast  majority  of  Member  States  during  the  Call  of  Expression 
Interest and are currently being developed by the respective Informal Member States Working 
Groups with the final goal of drafting and submitting the formal applications to be reviewed by 
the Commission. In particular, 

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•  The EDIC for Mobility and Logistics Data which seeks to facilitate the establishment of 
a common European mobility data infrastructure ensuring safe access, sharing and reuse of 
data. The proposed long-term objective of the EDIC is to progressively become the core of 
the European Mobility and Logistics Data ecosystem. 

•  The Genome EDIC for establishing a trust framework to enable the effective and secure 
cross-border  access  to  repositories  of  personal  genomic  datasets  among  participating 
countries.  

•  The  Alliance  for  Language  Technologies  EDIC  (ALT-EDIC)  seeks  to  establish  an 
European-wide  Center  of  Excellence  on  language  technologies  to  develop  a  common 
infrastructure  in  the  field  of  natural  language  processing  and  to  develop  large  multi-
language  model  (LLM)  that  will  address  the  shortage  of  data  training  in  European 
languages; 

•  The  Digital  Commons  EDIC  aims  to  create  a  strong  public-private  partnership  for  the 
development  of  sustainable  open  data  and  open-source  ecosystems  to  both  improve  the 
competitiveness of digital commons to enable large-scale adoption and enhance the public 
contribution to strategic commons; 

•  The  Copyright  Infrastructure  EDIC  would  develop  open  and  integrated  rights  data 
framework  to  release  the  potential  of  EU’s  creative  sectors,  promote  interoperability, 
provide  trustworthy  rights  information,  and  restore  level-playing  field  between  major 
market players and EU’s creative SMEs, inclusive approach catering for interests of right 
holders, stakeholders, incumbents, and intermediaries. 

2.3.2 European digital innovation hubs (EDIHs) 

Increased digitalisation is a key tool for addressing some of the major challenges that European 
businesses  face.  To  this  end,  a  network  of  European  Digital  Innovation  Hubs  (EDIH), 
envisaged under the DIGITAL Europe Programme, has been established by the Member States 
to provide tailor-made digitalisation support to SMEs and public sector organisations (PSOs) 
in all regions and sectors of the EU. The EDIH network is currently comprised of 151 EDIHs 
that are co-funded by the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme and 78 EDIHs 
with Sea of Excellence. All European Member States plus Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein 
are  set  to  host  European  Digital  Innovation  Hubs  on  their  territory.  The  network  of  EDIHs 
combines the benefits of a regional  presence with the opportunities available to a pan-
European  network.  85%  of  the  European  regions  host  organisations  forming  the  EDIH 
network and EDIHs services are available in nearly 90% of the European regions. This regional 
presence leaves  them well-placed to  provide the services local  companies need, through the 
local language and innovation ecosystem. The European coverage of the network facilitates the 
exchange  of  best  practices  across  hubs  in  different  countries  as  well  as  the  provision  of 
specialised services across regions when the required skills are not locally available. 

The funding received by the EDIHs will be fully passed on in the form of digitalisation services 
to their customers, who will either receive those services for free or at a reduced rate. Services 
include  “test  before  investing”,  expert  advice,  skills  and  training,  ecosystem  building  and 
support  with  access  to  finance.  The  hubs  are  being  funded  jointly  by  the  Commission  and 
Member States with EUR 1.5 billion over a period of 7 years.  

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The  selection  procedures  for  the  setup  of  the  initial  network  of  hubs  has  now  been  fully 
completed  and  151  hubs  were  selected  to  receive  the  first  three  years  of  funding  from 
DIGITAL. The grants for most of these hubs have been signed and the projects have started. 
As a result of the selection procedure for the hubs, an additional 76 hubs were awarded a “Seal 
of  Excellence”;  as  they  were  of  good  quality,  even  though  they  could  not  be  funded  under 
DIGITAL. These “Seal of Excellence” hubs will also be funded by the Member States. So that, 
by the end of the year, the network should comprise over 200 hubs and cover nearly all 
regions of Europe, Iceland, Lichtenstein, and Norway. Furthermore, in 2024 it is planned to 
open a call for participation to the network for the countries associated to the Digital Europe 
programme. To monitor the impact of hubs project, several Key Performance Indicators and 
targets have been defined. An important target relates to the increase in the digital maturity of 
the  entities  receiving  digitalisation  services  from  the  hubs.  To  measure  this  target,  the 
Commission has developed Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) questionnaires for SMEs and 
Public Sector Organisation (PSOs) and an online tool which the hubs can use to  collect  the 
digital maturity data from their beneficiaries. 

2.4 Digitalisation of public services 

2.4.1 Connected public administration 

The activities under this area support the implementation of: (1) A European Digital Identity 
Framework  Implementing the eIDAS Regulation, under which  all Member States  should 
provide  for  interoperable  eIDs  and  ensure  the  recognition  of  eIDs  issued  in  other  Member 
States, offering Europeans a convenient and safe access to and use of digital services  which 
protect personal data and privacy; (2) The European Once-Only Technical System allowing 
public administrations at the local, regional and national levels to exchange data and evidence 
across borders, in full compliance with legal requirements and personal rights. 

The  Commission  is  supporting  the  implementation  of  the  European  Digital  Identity  (EUDI) 
wallet via the DIGITAL call ‘Accelerating best use of technologies’ which aims at promoting 
the development  and deployment  of the EUDI  wallet  around priority cross-border use-cases 
including the Mobile Driving Licence (mDL), eHealth, Payments, and Education/Professional 
Qualifications, as well as other use-cases.  

Furthermore, EDIC proposals have been submitted by Member States and are currently being 
developed by the participating Member States: 

-  The  Innovative  Massive  Public  Administration  InterConnected  Transformation 
Services (IMPACTS) EDIC proposal focuses on cross-border services provision for 
European citizens though advanced ICTs and open principles and standards.  

-  The  Networked  Local  Digital  Twins  Towards  CitVerse  EDIC  proposals  seek  to 
develop immersive technologies such as AI and Virtual Reality allowing citizens and 
stakeholders to “navigate and interact” with the urban space.  

-  Finally, the proposal to establish an EDIC for the coordination of the activities of the 
European Blockchain Service infrastructure (the EDIC for the European Blockchain 
Partnership  and  European  Blockchain  Service  Infrastructure  (EBSIC-EDIC) 
would  further  enable  cross-border  exchanges  between  public  authorities,  public  and 
businesses (see next chapter). 

15 

 
 
 
2.4.2 European blockchain services infrastructure 

Activities under this area are developed in the context of the European Blockchain Partnership 
(EBP)  in  collaboration  with  the  Commission.  The  European  Blockchain  Services 
Infrastructure (EBSI) MCP to leverage blockchain to create cross-border services for public 
administrations,  businesses,  citizens,  and  their  ecosystems  to  verify  information  and  make 
services trustworthy. 

All  Member  States,  Norway,  Liechtenstein,  and  Ukraine,  this  later  as  observer,  are  today 
involved  in  the  European  Blockchain  Partnership  (EBP)  working  in  cooperation  with  the 
European Commission on EBSI. The involvement of Member States and associated countries 
is key for the large-scale deployment of the infrastructure and its exploitation across borders.  

EBSI first projects have been funded by DIGITAL, involving more countries and other actors 
contributions will significantly accelerate the operations and exploitation of EBSI. In addition, 
other projects will reinforce the link between EBSI and the EUDI wallet. EBSI would be an 
infrastructure  contributing  to  the  implementation  of  the  proposed  EUDI  regulation  and  its 
wallet.   

An  EBSI  early  adopter  programme  has  been  initiated  in  2022  leading  to  various  pilots  and 
demonstrations. The initiative is now reinforced and it is mobilising an increasing number of 
stakeholders.  

EBSI use cases support for instance the digital transformation of education and social security 
using  verifiable  credentials  that  makes  digital  documents  easy  to  verify  across  border  and 
impossible to fraud. EBSI use cases also concern the traceability of data and documents.  

 Some  EBP  countries  are  now  preparing  to  establish  a  European  Digital  Infrastructure 
Consortium (EDIC) for which a proposal has been submitted in June 2023.  

The EDIC for the European Blockchain Partnership and European Blockchain Service 
Infrastructure  (EBSIC-EDIC)  would  provide  for  reinforcing  the  operationalization  of  the 
infrastructure  and  its  governance,  for  stimulating  the  exploitation  of  EBSI,  including  for 
creating  an  environment  for  stimulating  more  innovative  services  and  skills  development 
actions.  It  would be a way to  pool more resources, including  through new partnership, with 
industry players, and pay per use models that should ensure long-term business sustainability 
for the EBSI. 

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