COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Monitoring of the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions State of the Digital Decade 2025: Keep building the EU's sovereignty and digital future
Date: 2025-06-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, artificial intelligence, digital literacy, digital single market, digital transformation, education, fundamental rights, information security, innovation, technological independence

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.6.2025  SWD(2025) 293 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Monitoring of the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions State of the Digital Decade 2025: Keep building the EU's sovereignty and digital future {COM(2025) 290 final} - {SWD(2025) 290 final} - {SWD(2025) 291 final} - {SWD(2025) 292 final} - {SWD(2025) 294 final} - {SWD(2025) 295 final}  
 
 
Monitoring of the European 
Declaration on Digital Rights 
and Principles 

2025 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contents 

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 

Methodology ................................................................................................................................................ 3 

Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................... 4 

Monitoring of Digital Rights and Principles ............................................................................................... 12 

Chapter I - Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation .................................................. 12 

Chapter II - Solidarity and inclusion ........................................................................................................ 16 

Connectivity ........................................................................................................................................ 19 

Digital education, training and skills ................................................................................................... 20 

Fair and just working conditions ......................................................................................................... 23 

Digital public services online ............................................................................................................... 25 

Chapter III - Freedom of choice .............................................................................................................. 28 

Interactions with algorithms and artificial intelligence systems ........................................................ 29 

A fair digital environment ................................................................................................................... 31 

Chapter IV - Participation in the digital public space .............................................................................. 36 

Chapter V - Safety, security and empowerment .................................................................................... 42 

A protected, safe and secure digital environment ............................................................................. 43 

Privacy and individual control over data ............................................................................................ 46 

Protection and empowerment of children and young people in the digital environment ................ 49 

Chapter VI – Sustainability ...................................................................................................................... 54 

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Introduction  

The  European  Declaration on Digital Rights  and Principles  for  the  Digital Decade  sets  out  a vision  and 
concrete commitments  for how  rights  and  freedoms enshrined in the EU’s legal framework as well as 
European values translate into a digitally transformed world. Signed in December 2022, the Declaration 
aims to give everyone a clear reference point for the type of digital transformation the EU wants. It also 
provides a guide for policymakers and businesses when dealing with digital technologies, measures, and 
policies. 

As explained in the Declaration, the EU wants to secure European values by (i) putting people at the centre 
of  the  digital  transformation;  (ii)  supporting  solidarity  and  inclusion  through  connectivity,  digital 
education, training and skills, fair and just working conditions and access to digital public services;  (iii) 
ensuring freedom of choice and a fair digital environment; (iv) fostering participation in the digital public 
space; (v) increasing safety, security and empowerment online, in particular for young people; and (vi) 
promoting sustainability.  

While the Declaration has a declaratory nature and, as such, does not affect the content of legal rules or 
their application, its political importance should be acknowledged. Signed at the highest level of the EU, 
the signatories have acknowledged that its promotion and implementation are a shared commitment and 
responsibility  of  both  the  EU  and  its  Member  States.  In  the  same  spirit,  the  Digital  Decade  Policy 
Programme provides that Member States and the Commission must take into account the digital rights 
and principles in the Declaration when cooperating to achieve the general objectives of the Digital Decade 
Policy Programme. 

This  Commission  staff  working  document  presents  actions  taken  in  relation  to  the  digital  rights  and 
principles at both European and national level, making a connection between the Declaration’s concrete 
commitments  and  the  initiatives  that  have  been  adopted.  The  document  adopts  a  positive  approach. 
Using examples and best practices from across the EU, it illustrates possible ways to promote and apply 
digital  rights  and  principles  in  order  to  inspire  further  policy  action  and  outreach  on  this  topic.  The 
document also complements the analysis on the progress towards the EU’s Digital Decade targets and 
objectives presented in the 2025 State of the Digital Decade Report. 

Methodology 

The Commission has committed to regularly report to the European Parliament and the Council on the 
progress  made  in  promoting  and  implementing  the  Declaration.  This edition  builds  on 2023  and  2024 
monitoring reports and aims to provide an overview of the implementation of digital rights and principles, 
focusing on initiatives adopted by the end of 2024. The findings provide an overview of action at both the 
EU level and national level, drawing on various sources. These sources include (i) an independent study1 
commissioned by the Commission, collecting further contributions from Member States, industry and civil 
society; (ii) the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI); (iii) stakeholder input, including from Member 

1 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

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States;  and  (iv)  various  Commission  and  other  reporting  mechanisms.  Moreover,  the  2025  Special 
Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade2 gives an insight into people’s perceptions on digital rights 
and principles. 

The 2024 monitoring report highlighted Members States’ good practices to inspire further action across 
the  EU.  This  editions’  focus  goes  beyond  highlighting  good  practices  by  making  a  more  quantitative 
assessment of the application of digital rights initiatives across the EU. For this purpose, the independent 
support study developed an impact indicator framework to illustrate the level of implementation of digital 
rights initiatives on the ground. 

The  impact  indicator  framework  estimates  the  impact  of  digital  rights  initiatives  implemented  by  key 
stakeholders  in  Member  States  (mainly  national  governments).  The  framework  takes  into  account 
available data across EU-27 (such as DESI) or data reported by Member States (such as from the Berlin 
Declaration  Monitoring  2024).  It  also  looks  at  how  people  perceive  these  measures,  mainly  through 
Eurobarometer data. Currently, around two thirds of the 51 Declaration commitments are covered by the 
indicators.  

As  an  illustration,  indicators  with  EU-27  data  are  available  for  12  out  of  17  commitments  under  the 
Solidarity and inclusion Chapter (Chapter II). Such data include quantitative and qualitative data from DESI, 
the Berlin Declaration Monitoring Mechanism, the eGovernment Benchmark, the International Computer 
and Information Literacy Study, as well as people’s perceptions collected via the Special Eurobarometer 
Survey on the Digital Decade, and Eurostat3. 

While this impact indicator framework provides a basis for future monitoring and identifying trends, it is 
based  on  available  data  that  is  not  always consistent.  More  comprehensive  and  systematic  data  from 
Member  States  and  stakeholders  would  be  useful.  More  generally,  the  support  study  also  includes  a 
number of recommendations to address the gaps identified for further reporting. 

The support study is also accompanied by visual country factsheets, including country-specific analysis of 
digital  rights  initiatives,  their  estimated  impact,  areas  with  most  activity,  gaps  and  recommendations. 
These have also served as an important source to monitor digital rights and principles in the 2025 Digital 
Decade country reports.  

Executive summary  

The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles offers citizens a bridge to Union digital laws and 
policies, as it indicates the EU’s direction of travel towards digital transformation. This document aims to 
show to what extent the EU and its Member States are following that trajectory. 

2 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
3 The full list of indicators is published in an annex to the support study, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

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EU action 

In  2024  the  EU  has  continued  to  be  very  active  in  promoting  and  applying  the  human  centric  and 
fundamental rights-based approach to digital transformation  as outlined in the Declaration.  This is for 
instance  demonstrated  in  the  adoption  of  the  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)  Act,  which  aims  explicitly  to 
promote the uptake of human centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence while ensuring a high level of 
protection  of  health,  safety,  fundamental  rights.  The  bans  on  AI  systems  that  do  not  comply  with 
fundamental rights started to apply in February 2025. Also, the EU adopted a Regulation establishing the 
European Digital Identity Framework, which will offer all EU citizens the possibility to have an EU Digital 
Identity Wallet to access public and private online services in a secure way while protecting their personal 
data across the EU. And the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) has been adopted, which puts in place 
a new set of rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU.  

Moreover, in 2024, the Commission worked tirelessly to implement and enforce its landmark digital rules. 
For  instance,  this  included  enforcing  the  Digital  Services  Act  and  of  the  Digital  Markets  Act,  which 
contribute  to  ensuring  respect  for  fundamental  rights  in  the  digital  environment.  For  instance,  the 
Commission has opened a number of formal proceedings against the providers of the very large online 
platforms because of potential breaches of the DSA, including in respect of obligations with regard to the 
spread of illegal content and disinformation or in respect of minor protection online. 

Building on its recent and comprehensive digital rulebook, the EU has been promoting its human-centric 
vision of digital transformation on the global stage, both at multilateral and bilateral level. At multilateral 
level,  the  Declaration  provided  a  strong  basis  for  the  United  Nations  Global  Digital  Compact,  the  first 
comprehensive framework for global digital governance agreed at the Summit of the Future in September 
2024.  

At this point in time, it should be noted that the human-centric vision of digital transformation continues 
to underpin the Commission’s work for 2024-2029, as is clear from the Commission Work Programme 
2025 that was adopted in early 2025. 

Citizens’ perceptions  

European citizens need to know their rights if they are to exercise them. According to the 2025 Special 
Eurobarometer  Survey4,  Europeans’  awareness  of  their  digital  rights  has  however  not  increased  in 
recent years (standing at 59%, slightly lower than the 2024 rate of 62%). And only 44% feel well protected 
in  the  digital  space  (similarly  to  45%  in  2024).  It  is  also  worth  noting  that  the  survey  results  differ  by 
Member State, sometimes significantly, as illustrated later on in this document.  

At the same time, when looking at specific rights and principles surveyed, the outlook seems relatively 
more positive. A significant majority (60%) of Europeans feel that they are getting the necessary basic or 
advanced digital education, training and skills. Also, a stable majority continues to think that the freedom 
of expression and information online, e.g. via online platforms, social networks or search engines, is well 
protected in their country (60%, similarly to previous years), as well as their right to freedom of assembly 
and association in the digital environment (59%, similarly to previous years). Moreover, 57% of Europeans 

4 The 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 

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consider  that  they  have  access  to  an  affordable  high-speed  internet  connection  (57%  in  2024,  53%  in 
2023), and 58% (as in 2024) find it easy to access digital public services.  

Still, most Europeans (55%) consider that they have access to safe and privacy-friendly digital technologies 
in their country. Slightly fewer Europeans (54%) think that people working in the digital environment are 
benefiting from fair and healthy working conditions, including work‑life balance. Over half of Europeans 
(53%)  believe  that  they  have  access  to  a  trustworthy,  diverse  and  multilingual  digital  environment, 
including  more  diverse  content,  less  disinformation,  and  less  illegal  content.  And  53%  of  Europeans 
believes that they are getting effective freedom of choice online (compared to 52% in 2024 and 49% in 
2023), including when interacting with AI (e.g. chatbots, digital assistants).  

Nevertheless, in keeping with the principle of an inclusive digital transformation and noting the absence 
of  progress  over  the  last  year  in  the  above  domains,  one  should  not  be  satisfied  that  one  third  or 
sometimes more Europeans find that digital rights and principles are not well applied in their country. 

Moreover,  other  areas  are  perceived  less  positively.  Only  half  of  Europeans  (50%,  same  as  last year) 
consider that they have access to digital products and services that minimise damage to the environment 
and society. This includes products and services that can be repaired or recycled, and which do not involve 
forced  labour.  Similarly,  49%  (comparable  to  last  years)  believe  that  they  have  access  to  the  right 
information on the environmental impact and energy consumption of digital technologies in their country. 
Further, slightly less than half of Europeans believe they have control over their own data, including how 
it  is  used  online  and  with  whom  it  is  shared  (48%,  similarly  to  last  years).  Also,  one  third  (33%)  of 
Europeans continue to think that they cannot rely on the information they see online (35% in 2024). And 
only 42% of Europeans consider that their country is ensuring a safe digital environment and content for 
children  and  young  people,  a  worrying  number,  despite  the  slight  improvement  over  last  year  (39%). 
Overall, almost half of Europeans (48%) are worried about the safety of children online in their country (a 
slight improvement compared to last year (53%)).  

EU-27 overview 

The  Commission,  supported  by  the  2024  and  2025  studies,  has  identified  over  2 000  initiatives  that 
implement digital rights and principles across the EU-27 by the end of 2024. Initiatives range from all 
sorts of legal instruments, policy measures, financial instruments, research, innovation and collaboration 
projects, communication campaigns, harmonisation and standardisation actions, educational tools, and 
monitoring initiatives. 

Figure 1. Types of implementation initiatives found, per type of initiative 

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The total number of initiatives has been steadily growing over the years, with new initiatives peaking in 
2023. While fewer digital rights initiatives were launched in 2024, the total number of ongoing initiatives 
is still increasing, with most initiatives running for several years. 

Figure 2. Number of ongoing implementation initiatives, per year and by Declaration Chapter 

Figure 3. Number of launched initiatives per year and by Declaration Chapter 

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The analysis of digital rights initiatives shows that most activity across the EU-27 is associated with two 
main  Declaration  areas:  Solidarity  and  inclusion  (Chapter  II)  and  Safety,  security  and  empowerment 
(Chapter V). Member States are particularly active in the area of Digital education, training and skills (II), 
as well as A protected, safe and secure digital environment (III). However, the biggest gaps seem to persist 
in the area of Freedom of choice (Chapter III), Participation in the digital public space (Chapter IV) and in 
particular Sustainability (Chapter VI).  

Figure 4. Number of implementation initiatives by Declaration Chapter 

Most digital rights initiatives are led by government organisations (over 80%), such as ministries, public 
agencies  and  municipalities.  A  smaller  number  of  initiatives  are  led  by  (National)  Human  Rights 
Institutions,  civil  society  and  industry  stakeholders.  Furthermore,  the  vast  majority  of  digital  rights 
initiatives  are  being  developed  at  national  level  (close  to  90%),  while  less  activity  is  visible  on  the 
international, regional and local levels. 

Overview of Member States activity 

Initiatives that implement digital rights and principles were identified in all EU-27 Member States. In terms 
of overall activity, an average of 77 initiatives per country were identified. In addition to country-specific 
initiatives, 92 EU-wide initiatives stemming from EU legislation and policies were identified. 

Seven  Member States  are  the  frontrunners  in  terms  of  their  overall  activity  in  implementing  digital 
rights initiatives, with more than 100 initiatives each in place. This is the case of Portugal, Luxembourg, 
Spain,  Malta,  Italy,  Austria  and  Belgium.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fewest  digital  rights  initiatives  were 
identified in four Member States which launched half of the average or fewer initiatives, namely Slovakia, 
Latvia, Slovenia and Estonia.  

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Figure 5. Number of implementation initiatives by EU-27 Member State 

When it comes to new activities launched in 2024, five Member States were particularly active: Malta, 
Spain, Austria, Sweden and Luxembourg, with 15 or more new initiatives launched. It is worth noting that 
four of these Member States are also those that are most active overall. On the other hand, limited activity 
(with 5 or less new initiatives) was noted in 15 Member States. Although Greece, France, Lithuania and 
Slovakia have ongoing digital rights initiatives, no new initiatives were identified in 2024.  

It is important to note that the number of initiatives does not fully reflect the extent to which a digital 
right or principle is protected and promoted. Some initiatives, such as political strategies at national level, 
may include a wide range of sub-actions or run over several years, while other initiatives might be very 
concrete  or  target  a  specific  category  of  individuals,  such  as  the  elderly.  All  types  of  activities  can  be 
relevant  at  their  corresponding  scale.  The  overall  number  of  digital  rights  initiatives  however  gives  an 
important indication regarding the activity of Member States, their priorities and gaps. 

Impact of digital rights initiatives across EU-27 Member States 

Besides  tracking  the  activity  of  Member  States  on  digital  rights  and  principles,  it  is  also  important  to 
estimate the actual level of implementation of their initiatives on the ground and therefore to what extent 
the digital rights are effectively protected. When looking at the impact indicators framework5, it appears 
that  authorities  which  implement  initiatives  (notably  governments,  supported  by  industry  and  civil 
society) tend to have more optimistic views on the impact of digital rights initiatives compared to how 
they are perceived by citizens. 

Overall,  the  indicators  framework  suggests  that  the  effective  implementation  of  digital  rights  and 
principles remains limited, estimated to be applied only at 61% on average and across all Declaration 
areas.  This  shows  that  significant  gaps  persist  and  the  implementation  of  digital  rights  and  principles 
require further attention from the Member States.  

The biggest impact and the most visible results (67%) are seen for horizontal commitments related to 
Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation as per Declaration Chapter I. This shows that 
Member  States  overall  recognise  the  importance  of  a  human-centric  digital  transformation  and 
implement  measures  on  a  rather  strategic  level,  but  that  more  operational  action  in  more  concrete 
Declaration areas is needed.  

5 Developed by the support study. Impact indicator framework explained in the Methodology part of this Annex. 

9 

 
 
 
The  second-best  implemented  commitments  appear  to  be  those  related  to  Solidarity  and  inclusion 
(Chapter II), standing at 64%. Member State focus on this area is not surprising, as several commitments 
in this chapter are closely related to Digital Decade targets measured by concrete indicators.  

On the other hand, initiatives in the area of Participation in the digital public space (Chapter IV) and Safety, 
security  and  empowerment  (Chapter  V)  seem  to  show  only  limited  protection  of  digital  rights  and 
principles, regardless of Member States’ efforts in the security and safety space linked to Chapter V.  

While Figure 6 below does not show significant differences in the implementation of different Declaration 
chapters, the difference can be seen much more clearly in the specific country reports. 

Figure 6. Impact of digital rights initiatives by chapter. 

It is worth noting that some Declaration Commitments are rather broad, and progress has so far proven 
to be more difficult to measure, partly due to lack of available EU-27 data. This challenge is visible across 
the  various  Declaration  chapters,  but  especially  in  the  area  of  Participation  in  the  digital  public  space 
(Chapter IV). A more solid and complete monitoring framework would help to gain a full picture6. 

Overview of Member States’ impact 

The impact indicator framework shows that measures in nine Member States show a very good level of 
implementation on the ground (75% and more). This is the case of Luxembourg, Malta, Italy, Austria, 
Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Poland. Among these Member States, good impact is estimated 
mainly in the area of Solidarity and Inclusion (four Member States) and Putting people at the centre of the 

6 See Recommendations of the Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available 
here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

10 

 
 
 
 
digital  transformation  (three  Member  States).  On  the  other  hand,  the  indicators  show  a  limited 
protection  of  digital  rights  and  principles  (less  than  50%)  in  14  Member  States.  The  biggest 
implementation gaps in those Member States exist in the area of Safety, security and empowerment (eight 
Member States) as well as Participation in the digital public space (six Member States). 

A country-specific analysis of both implementation initiatives and their estimated impact is available in 
the individual Digital Decade country reports. The country reports include an overview of the overall 
activity of the Member State, the best and least implemented areas of the Declaration, the estimated 
impact  of  measures  including  country-specific  Eurobarometer  results,  as  well  as  country-specific 
recommendations. 

The following chapters of this monitoring report assess the implementation of digital rights and principles 
divided  into  six  main  Chapters  and  thirteen  action  areas  of  the  Declaration  in  which  the  EU  and  the 
Member States committed to act. The monitoring identifies measures taken across the EU, focusing on 
2024 action across the Member States, and provides good practices. The monitoring report also presents 
the  key  2025  Eurobarometer  results  and  estimates  the  impact  of  these  measures  for  each  of  the 
Declaration chapters. 

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Monitoring of Digital Rights and Principles 

Chapter I - Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation 

Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation of our societies and economies is at the core of 
the  European  Union  vision  outlined  in  the  general  objectives  of  the  Digital  Decade  policy  programme 
(Article 3)  and  the  European  Declaration  on  Digital  Rights  and  Principles.  The  EU  believes  that  digital 
technology should benefit everyone and empower them to pursue their aspirations, in full security and 
respecting their fundamental rights. 

Overall, people’s awareness of digital rights has not increased in recent years. According to the 2025 
Special Eurobarometer survey7, 59% of citizens are aware that the rights they have offline should also 
be respected online. The share of the population aware of their digital rights was at 62% in 2024, and at 
57% in 2023).  

Most people seem to be well aware of their digital rights in the Netherlands and Slovenia (82%), followed 
by Finland, Lithuania and Luxembourg (81%). In 2024, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Lithuania were 
also among the Member States with the greatest awareness of digital rights in the EU (85%, 81% and 79%, 
respectively). On the contrary, more than half of citizens are not aware of their digital rights in Bulgaria 
and Italy (58%, compared to 64% and 49% respectively in 2024), as well as in Romania (55%). 

However, people’s  perceptions  of how  their rights are protected  in the digital environment remains 
rather negative. Less than half of citizens (44%) indicated that they felt well protected in the digital space 
(similar to 45% in 2024). This could indicate a slightly negative trend since 2023 (50%), despite increasing 
efforts in this area. Furthermore, a large part of the population (41%) still does not feel well protected in 
the  digital  environment  (44%  in  2024,  36%  in  2023).  Citizens  feel  most  protected  in  Malta  (66%)  and 
Ireland (61%), while more than half of people in Greece (57%, +6 percentage points) are worried. 

Based  on  the  impact  indicator  framework  developed  by  the  support  study8,  taking  into  account  both 
available data and perceptions of citizens, 67% of the commitments in this chapter are estimated to have 
been implemented (2023 data). The indicators suggest that Member State action in this area has the most 
effective  impact  on  the  ground  among  all  Declaration  chapters.  This  has  notably  been  the  case  in 
Luxembourg  (82%),  Ireland  and  Italy  (both  at  79%).  It  is  worth  noting  that  this  estimation  takes  into 
account available EU27 data, in this case covering 3 out of 4 commitments in this chapter (not 1d).  

EU action 

In line with the Declaration, the European Union committed to strengthening the democratic framework 
of  digital  transformation,  and  to  ensuring  that  the  values  of  the  EU  and  the  rights  of  individuals  as 
recognised by EU law are respected online as well as offline (1a, 1b). This human-centric vision of digital 

7 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
8 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

12 

 
 
 
transformation is at the core of relevant EU landmark legislation, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) or 
the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, which are discussed in more detail in the next chapters of this report.  

The EU and its Member States have also committed to ensuring responsible and diligent action by all 
actors in  the  digital  environment.  Besides  digital  regulation,  a  number  of  stakeholder  initiatives  have 
been  taken,  covering  areas  such  as  disinformation,  artificial  intelligence  and  sustainability,  as  will  be 
explained elsewhere in this document (1c).  

The  EU  has  been  particularly  active  in  promoting  this  vision  of  digital  transformation  on  the 
international  scene,  with  the  aim  of  inspiring  its  partners  (1d).  At  multilateral  level,  the  Declaration 
provided  a  strong  basis  for  the  ambitious  United  Nations  Global  Digital  Compact  (GDC),  the  first 
comprehensive framework for global digital governance agreed at the Summit of the Future in September 
2024. The GDC outlines a global vision and a set of commitments for the digital future at global level, 
reflecting EU priorities on how to reconcile human rights, democracy and the rule of law in this new area 
of digital governance. One of its key objectives is to foster ‘an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space 
that  respects,  protects  and  promotes  human  rights.’  The  UN  Secretary-General  presented  a  compact 
implementation  map  to  reflect  progress  made  on  GDC  implementation  and  follow-up  at  the  United 
Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) annual session in April 2025 in 
Geneva. The UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, set up in January 2025, will support follow-
up  and  implementation  of  the  GDC.  Other  implementation  steps  include  creating  the  International 
Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. 

The  DSA  incorporates  universal  principles  such  as  giving  agency  over  content  moderation  by  online 
platforms back to citizens, and ensuring an undistorted information ecosystem. These universal principles 
are also reflected on the global stage, including in the UNESCO Guidelines on the governance of digital 
platforms. 

The  Commission  is  proactively  promoting  the  EU  digital  transformation  model  at  the  Organisation  for 
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including through the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI).  

The voluntary Code of Conduct for generative AI, agreed by G7 Leaders in 2023 and reflecting the key 
features  of  the  EU’s  AI  Act,  was  further  endorsed  by  the  OECD  and  strengthened  through  a  new 
monitoring mechanism. The Commission continues to promote the ‘Data Free Flow with Trust’ initiative, 
reflecting the idea that data protection enables data flows, which increases trust in the digital economy. 
This  is  shaping  the  G7/20  discussions  and  supporting  the  work  of  the  OECD.  In  the  area  of  internet 
governance,  the  EU  is  committed  to  promoting  its  human-centric  vision  and  interests  in  global  multi-
stakeholder institutions, including standardisation bodies. This encompasses concrete policies related to 
internet openness and security, as well as setting the global internet policy agenda. 

In 2024, the Commission continued to promote its human-centric approach within its network of bilateral 
digital partnerships with ‘like-minded’ partners such as the USA, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and 
Canada. Cooperation was stepped up  for cooperation on research collaboration, regulatory policy  and 
standardisation. For instance, Digital Partnership Councils were held with Japan and the Republic of Korea 
in 2024, advancing cooperation on topics such as AI, connectivity, digital identities and trust services, data 
governance,  online  platforms  and  cybersecurity.  The  EU  also  discussed  cooperation  on  AI  and  secure 
connectivity at the sixth EU-US Trade and Technology Council ministerial meeting in April 2024.  

13 

 
 
The EU also continued to discuss its approach to digital policy with key partners through Digital Dialogues, 
such  as  the  one  with  Brazil,  which  took  place  in  February  2025.  The  Digital  Dialogue  with  Australia, 
relaunched  in  June  2024,  notably  discussed  AI,  data  and  cybersecurity,  and  agreed  on  increased  and 
systematic cooperation on platforms.  

In October 2024, the Commission also held a Regulatory Dialogue on digital policies with Western Balkans 
countries  (Albania,  Kosovo*9,  Montenegro,  North  Macedonia  and  Serbia)  focused  on  AI,  platforms, 
cybersecurity (including the 5G cybersecurity toolbox) and digital identity. It also approved their adopted 
Reform Agendas, which set out specific steps to align national legislation to EU digital rules by 2027, and 
allow payments under the Reform and Growth Facility upon completion of these steps. 

A  growing  number  of  digital  cooperation  initiatives  are  supported  by  instruments  such  as  the 
Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI – Global 
Europe), the Connecting Europe Facility and Horizon Europe. In line with the ‘Team Europe’ approach, the 
Commission and Member States joined forces and set up a coordination platform aimed at strengthening 
the  EU’s  global  role  in  supporting  a  human-centric  model  of  digital  transformation:  the  Digital  for 
Development (D4D) Hub. In 2024, the D4D Hub advanced digital partnerships, investments and actions in 
the areas of digital governance, connectivity and entrepreneurship, e-Services, gender and cybersecurity. 
These  were  implemented  in  four  regions:  Sub-Saharan  Africa,  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean,  Asia-
Pacific, and EU neighbouring countries. It also strengthened policy dialogues, multi-stakeholder relations, 
the private sector and civil society engagement to boost a human-centric digital transformation in partner 
countries. 

The EU also has a growing portfolio of free trade agreements10 and digital trade agreements11, which was 
expanded most  recently with  agreements  with  Japan,  Singapore  and  the  Republic of Korea.  These  set 
high-standard digital trade rules in line with EU-values that ensure a secure and safe online environment 
for  consumers,  bring  transparency,  predictability  and  legal  certainty  for  companies,  and  prevent  or 
remove unjustified barriers to digital trade including for cross-border data flows. 

Lastly, the Joint Communication on the International Digital Strategy, just published in June 2025, sets the 
ground for strengthening the EU role as a global digital player, advancing its strategic interests in the field 
of technology and digital transformation and supporting the digital transformation of partner countries.   

Member State action 

Overall,  Member  States  had  launched  382  initiatives  related  to  implementing  a  human-centric  digital 
transformation (Chapter I) by the end of 2024, according to the support study. The highest number of 
initiatives  focus on  strengthening  the  democratic  framework  for  a  digital transformation  that  benefits 
everyone  (1a).  This  shows  that,  overall,  Member  States  recognise  the  importance  of  a  human-centric 
digital  transformation  and  are  implementing  measures  on  a  strategic  level.  Most  initiatives  are  led  by 

*9 This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo 
Declaration of Independence. 
10 Free Trade Agreements with comprehensive digital trade chapters have been concluded with the United Kingdom, New 
Zealand and Chile, and are ongoing with India, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. 
11  Signature of the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement took place on 7 May 2025. Negotiations for the Digital Trade 
Agreement with Korea were concluded in March 2025. Rules on cross-border data flows with Japan, complementing the EU-
Japan Free Trade Agreement, entered into force in July 2024. 

14 

 
 
 
government organisations (83%), with fewer initiatives led by civil society, industry or National Human 
Rights  Institutions.  Initiatives  are  predominantly  related  to  policy  (31%)  or  research  and  technology 
projects (22%). The vast majority of initiatives are put forward at national level (86%), while only 3% have 
been carried out at regional and local level. 

As regards 2024 action, it is worth highlighting the first edition of International Digital Rights Days, on 10-
11 December  2024,  organised  by  the  Cities  Coalition  for  Digital  Rights  and  coordinated  by  Bordeaux 
Métropole (France) and the City of Porto (Portugal). The event is planned to be repeated annually. With 
50 international partners organising 20 events and campaigns in 2024, the Days aim to be an opportunity 
for  cities  to  engage  locally  with  residents  on  their  digital  rights,  and  to  join  forces  with  civil  society 
organisations,  public  administration  and  policy  makers  that  share  the  same  commitment  to  raising 
awareness about digital rights and that promote responsible and diligent action (1a-1d).  

At local level in the Netherlands, the municipality of The Hague is working on a Digital Rights Agenda to 
ensure that the city uses the benefits of digitalisation in a responsible way (1a-1c).  

The  federal  government  of  Germany  has  put  forward  a  Strategy  for  International  Digital  Policy.  The 
strategy  is  based  on  key  principles  that  guide  Germany’s  international  action,  the  first  one  being  to 
‘protect fundamental and human rights – online and offline’. The government notably aims to ‘take an 
active stance against government and non-government behaviour in the digital space that undermines 
fundamental  rights,  human  rights  or  democratic  basic  orders’.  Germany  also  aims  to  ‘advocate  for  a 
global, open, free and secure internet’, ‘enhance value-based technology partnerships’, ‘promote human-
centric  and 
innovation-friendly  rules’  and  ‘strengthen  a  secure  and  sustainable  global  digital 
infrastructure’. (1d) 

Best practice 

The government of Spain has launched a Digital Rights Observatory to promote awareness, discussion 
and  monitoring  of  digital  rights  among  citizens  and  businesses,  based  on  the  Spanish  Digital  Bill  of 
Rights (2021). The Observatory aims to provide an open, inclusive and participatory space, to inform 
citizens about progress, advantages and challenges in the field of digital rights and to promote good 
practices. The Observatory offers concrete projects for 2024-2026, including a plan on how to promote 
digital rights in Spain, in the EU and with Latin American partners; communication activities, events and 
courses to promote digital rights; the organisation of the  first World Digital Rights  Summit;  and the 
creation of a monitoring platform for digital rights. More than 150 entities and 350 experts are involved 
in this project,  including experts  in the  field of digital rights  and technology,  and  representatives of 
public institutions and civil society organisations. The Observatory is mainly funded by the Recovery, 
Transformation  and  Resilience  Plan  through  NextGenerationEU  Funds,  via  Red.es,  a  public  entity 
attached  to  the  Ministry  for  Digital  Transformation  and  Public  Administration  (up  to  80%,  with  an 
overall budget of EUR 4.78 million). The project is co-financed by universities and other private actors. 

Chapter II - Solidarity and inclusion 

With the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles and the general objectives of the Digital Decade, the 
European Union and its Member States stress the need to promote solidarity and inclusion with regard to 

15 

 
 
 
 
digital technology and services to support a fair and inclusive society and economy. They have notably 
committed to making sure that the design, development, deployment and use of technological solutions 
respect  fundamental  rights.  They  have  also  committed  to  a  digital  transformation  that  leaves  nobody 
behind, which should benefit everyone, achieve gender balance, include in particular elderly people and 
people living in rural areas, ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities, and include marginalised or 
vulnerable people. In the context of inclusion, the  EU and  its Member States have also undertaken to 
develop a digital transformation that promotes cultural and linguistic diversity. 

In  the  Declaration  and  as  general  objectives,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  also  undertaken  to 
develop adequate frameworks so that all market actors benefiting from the digital transformation assume 
their social responsibilities and make a fair and proportionate contribution to the costs of public goods, 
services, and infrastructure, for the benefit of all people living in the EU. 

Overall,  1 245  Member  State  initiatives  related  to  implementing  an  inclusive  digital  transformation 
(Chapter II) were identified by the support study12, making it the most important area of Member State 
activity  by  the  end  of  2024.  The  highest  number  of  initiatives  focus  on  the  section  Digital  education, 
training  and  skills,  especially  with  regard  to  promoting  high-quality  digital  education  and  training, 
including with a view to bridging the digital gender divide (4a). 

The  vast  majority of  initiatives  are  led  by  government  organisations  (88%),  with  only  a  small  share of 
actions  initiated  by  civil  society,  industry  or  National  Human  Rights  Institutions.  Initiatives  are 
predominantly  related  to  policy  (25%),  followed  by  educational  measures  (23%)  and  research  and 
technology  projects  (22%).  Most  initiatives  are  put  forward  at  national  level  (89%),  supported  by  a 
relatively high number of city initiatives (45). 

Based  on  the  impact  indicator  framework  developed  by  the  support  study,  taking  into  account  both 
available data and perceptions of citizens, 64% of the commitments in this chapter are estimated to have 
been  implemented  (2023 data).  The  indicators  suggest  that  Member  State  action  in  this  area  has  the 
second most effective impact on the ground among all Declaration chapters. This has notably been the 
case in the Nordic countries, namely Denmark (78%), Finland (77%) and Sweden (75%), as well as in Malta 
(78%). It is worth noting that this estimation takes into account available EU27 data, in this case covering 
12  out  of  17 commitments  in  this chapter.  The main  gaps  remain  notably  in  the  area  of  Fair  and just 
working  conditions,  where  3  out  of  5  commitments  do  not  have  any  available  data  sources  for  the 
moment. 

EU action 

A number of EU digital regulatory instruments are contributing to the development and deployment of 
technological solutions that better respect fundamental rights (2a). The AI Act, which entered into force 
on 2 August 2024, addresses potential risks to citizens’ health, safety, and fundamental rights. It provides 
developers  and  deployers  with  clear  requirements  and  obligations  regarding  specific  uses  of  AI,  while 
reducing administrative and financial burdens for businesses to facilitate innovation. It bans the use of 
certain AI applications that are incompatible with European values, while imposing certain requirements 
on AI applications that are classified as ‘high risk’. For deployers that provide public services and certain 

12 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

16 

 
 
 
private operators, a fundamental rights impact assessment is required. Finally, transparency obligations 
have  been  established  so  that  citizens  are  informed  when  they  interact  with  or  are  exposed  to  AI 
applications. Further to the adoption of the AI Act, preparing and adopting implementation measures has 
started (see below Chapter III Freedom of Choice)  

Online platforms and search engines are crucial enablers for exercising fundamental rights worldwide, in 
particular freedom of expression and information. For this reason, the European Union has  passed the 
Digital Services Act (DSA), which lays down due diligence obligations for intermediary services to protect 
fundamental  rights.  The  DSA  empowers  and  protect  citizens  and  ensures  an  undistorted  information 
ecosystem in full respect of freedom of speech.  

The  DSA’s  transparency  measures  are  crucial  to  allow  society  at  large  to  scrutinise  the  moderation 
practices of online platforms and search engines. Users whose content or accounts have been restricted 
can: appeal against moderation decisions to the services’ internal complaint handling systems; go to court; 
make  use  of  one  of  the  DSA’s  out-of-court  dispute  resolution  bodies;  or  lodge  a  complaint  with  their 
national digital services coordinator. 

At the core of democracies is trust and belief in an open society. The DSA facilitates this, by  requiring 
platform providers to be fully transparent about their online moderation practices in the EU. Among other 
things,  this  includes  an  obligation  to  provide  users with  a  statement  of  reasons  when their content  is 
removed  or  restricted,  and  information  on  how  to  appeal  the  decision;  and  an  obligation  to  publish 
transparency reports, which include information about their content moderation practices, such as the 
number  of  take-down  orders  they  have  received  from  authorities  in  the  EU  and  how  many  pieces  of 
content they have removed. 

Moreover, online platforms have to be clear in their terms and conditions about their content moderation 
policies and what types of legal content they allow or restrict on their services. Platforms must carefully 
enforce their rules while respecting the right of users to express themselves freely. They have to publish 
their content moderation decisions in the ‘DSA Transparency Database’. This includes information on why 
they have removed content or restricted access to someone’s account, and the number of users affected 
by these measures. Online platforms must also provide information about their algorithms and explain 
why users see certain content. For example, platforms must inform about the criteria used to rank and 
display  content  and  the  factors  influencing  content  moderation.  Additionally,  providers  of  very  large 
online platforms and search engines are obliged to conduct and publish risk assessment reports annually, 
as  well  as  to  undergo  yearly  external  audits  and  to  publish  their  audit  and  the  audit  implementation 
reports. The audits cover all obligations they have under the DSA.  

The principle that a digital transformation should leave no one behind (2b) notably concerns people with 
disabilities. In 2024, the Commission continued to implement the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with 
Disabilities  2021-2030,  including  its  chapter  on  accessibility.  Regarding  the  latter,  the  Commission 
monitors and enforces the Member States’ implementation of the European Accessibility Act Directive 
2019/882, which had to be transposed by June 2022. In the meantime, at the request of the Commission 
(standardisation  request  (request  M/587),  standardisation  bodies  have  been  revising  three  existing 
standards and creating three new ones aimed at improving accessibility of IT equipment.  

17 

 
 
Efforts are also being undertaken through AccessibleEU, one of the flagships of the Strategy, to support 
the  implementation  of  EU  accessibility  legislation,  including  by  enhancing  the  capacity  of  digital 
professionals in the EU in matters related to accessibility for persons with disabilities. AccessibleEU is a 
resource centre on accessibility working on areas such as built environment, transport, information and 
communication  technologies  to  improve  accessibility  in  the  EU  in  order  to  ensure  that  persons  with 
disabilities participate in all areas of life on an equal basis with others. Since its start, it has organised 178 
events, either at EU or national level, and attracted over 35 000 participants. AccessibleEU has created a 
Community of Practice on accessibility, which currently has over 3 400 members. The associated digital 
library holds over 300 good practices and 260 references on accessibility. So far, six guides (plus one item 
of  support  material)  and  one  study  have  been  published  covering  accessibility  matters  related  to 
legislation, standards, cognitive accessibility, AI and many others.  

Member State action 

In  2024,  many  Member  State  initiatives  were  ongoing  on  inclusion,  with  many  of  them  running  over 
several years. For example, Ireland continued to implement its Digital Inclusion Roadmap for 2030 the 
objective of which is to make Ireland one of the most digitally inclusive countries in the EU and to give 
everyone the opportunity to use digital services, including digital public services, in a meaningful way. 

In  Romania,  the  EduClick  project  aims  to  reduce  the  digital  divide  in  education  by  donating  used 
computers to schools, NGOs, and institutions that work with disadvantaged communities. The project was 
running during 2023-2024 and was co-financed by the EU. In Czechia, the project IT’s for girls! which ran 
throughout  2024  allowed  women  working  in  IT  to  visit  primary  and  secondary  schools  to  share  their 
stories  of  how  they  got  into  IT,  show  that  women  are  an  important  part  of  the  IT  world,  present 
employment and study opportunities, and provide support to students in deciding which direction to take. 

At  the  same  time,  in  France,  Bordeaux Metropole  developed  a  new  project  in  2024,  ‘A  look  at  digital 
suffering’, collecting testimonies of citizens’ difficulties in using digital technology, including how these 
affect  their well-being. The  results of this work will allow  reflection  to continue  on the right  place  for 
digital technology, to guarantee digital inclusion for all. 

Best practice 

In Slovakia, the project Digitálni seniori aims to improve the digital skills of older and disadvantaged 
individuals. It offers both in-person and e-learning training sessions to help participants become more 
proficient in using digital technologies. Upon completing the training, participants receive tablets with 
data packages to continue practicing their new skills. Overall, almost 23 000 older people successfully 
finished the  digital skills training.  In October 2024,  as part of  the ‘Month of the  Elderly’, a series of 
events took  place  across the  country  to educate older people  about  digital literacy,  internet safety, 
media literacy and prevention against online fraud. The project is implemented by a Slovak Ministry 
under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. 

18 

 
 
  
 
Connectivity 

The Declaration states that everyone should have access to affordable and high-speed digital connectivity 
everywhere in the EU. Under the general objectives of the Digital Decade policy programme, the EU and 
Member States must ensure that digital technologies and services ‘are accessible to all, everywhere in the 
Union’. This is a key prerequisite for giving individuals equal chances in an increasingly digitalised world.  

According to the 2025 Special Eurobarometer13, a majority of Europeans (57%) believe that they have 
access to an affordable high-speed internet connection (57% in 2024, 53% in 2023). Nevertheless, one 
third (33%) stress the need for better connectivity, especially people in Greece (58%). 

EU action 

The Declaration aims to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality connectivity, wherever in the 
EU, including those with low income (3a). The Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) entered into force in May 
2024, and most of its provisions will be applicable from November 2025. The GIA aims to ensure a faster, 
cheaper, and simpler roll out of Gigabit networks, addressing the main hurdles  such as  expensive and 
complex  procedures  for  network  deployment.  The  Act  is  instrumental  to  achieving  the  2030  Digital 
Decade target on connectivity: ensuring cross-EU access to fast Gigabit connectivity and fast mobile data 
by 2030. As provided in the GIA, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communication (BEREC), 
in close cooperation with the Commission, is preparing guidelines on the coordination of civil works and 
on access to in-building physical infrastructure; both sets of guidelines are due by November 2025.  

Moreover, in order to ensure reliable, high-capacity digital infrastructure, the Commission, as provided in 
its 2025 Work Programme, intends to propose a Digital Networks Act, which will incentivise cross-border 
network  operation  and  service  provision,  enhance  industry  competitiveness  and  improve  spectrum 
coordination.  

To  protect  and  promote  a  neutral  and  open  Internet  (3b),  the  Commission  closely  monitors  the 
implementation of the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 on open internet access in the Member 
States, including through the participation in BEREC and its Open Internet Working Group, alongside the 
Member States’ national regulatory authorities.  

Member State action 

To  ensure  access  to  high-quality  and  affordable  connectivity  for  all  (3a),  Member  States  continue  to 
invest in increasing their high-speed internet and 5G coverage, often with support from the Recovery and 
Resilience Facility (RRF). These investments usually span several years. For instance, Croatia’s broadband 
investment of EUR 133 million, supported under the RRF, aims at increasing the availability of electronic 
communications  networks  in  areas  where  there  is  no  commercial  interest,  by  providing  gigabit 
connectivity to households and companies, in line with the objectives of the European Gigabit Society. 
These investments will be made in fixed networks (VHCN) in Croatia, in rural and urban areas. They should 
cover at least 100 000 additional households in white NGA areas with broadband access of at least 100 
Mbit/s for downloading (upgradable to 1 Giga) by June 2026. 

13 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 

19 

 
 
 
Member States produce annual monitoring reports on neutral and open Internet (3b). As of 2024, it has 
been  reported  that  21  national  regulatory  authorities  provided  an  internet  access  service  quality 
monitoring tool, and 10 Member States had put in place certified monitoring mechanisms under Article 
4(1)(d) of the Open Internet Regulation, enabling consumers to take action against broadband providers 
which fail to deliver on the speeds committed to in contracts. Concerning traffic management measures, 
most reports indicate that blocking is only performed for reasons of network security and integrity. 

Best practice 

In March 2024,  Belgium  introduced  a new  telecom social tariff called the  Social internet offer. This 
discounted rate for fixed internet is offered to individuals and families in a vulnerable situation (social 
aid  beneficiaries)  and financed by the  telecom sector. The rules define  the maximum price and  the 
minimum technical requirements that telecom operators must meet for contracts benefiting from the 
discount; a 50% reduction of installation fees also applies. These rules are mandatory for VOO, Proximus 
and Telenet, and voluntary for other telecom operators. With over 20 000 contracts signed already, the 
offer aims to target a much wider audience. 

Digital education, training and skills  

The Declaration states that everyone has the right to education, training and lifelong learning and should 
be able to acquire all basic and advanced digital skills. The general objective of the Digital Decade policy 
programme  commits  to  ‘bridging  the  digital  divide,  achieving  gender  and  geographic  balance  by 
promoting continuous opportunities for all individuals, developing basic and advanced digital skills and 
competencies’ . 

According  to  the  2025  Eurobarometer14,  the  majority  of  Europeans  (60%)  feel  that  they  are  getting 
necessary basic or advanced digital education, training and skills, with the best results in Malta (79%) 
and Luxembourg (75%). Almost one third of Europeans (29%) do not feel appropriately equipped for the 
digital decade, and this is especially the case in Greece (47%). 

EU action 

The EU committed to promoting  high-quality digital education and training, including with a view to 
bridging the digital gender divide (4a) and to supporting efforts which allow all learners and teachers to 
acquire and share the necessary digital skills and competences,  including media literacy, and critical 
thinking (4b). The EU also undertook to promote and support efforts to equip all education and training 
institutions with digital connectivity, infrastructure and tools (4c) and to give everyone the possibility to 
adjust to changes brought by the digitalisation of work through up-skilling and re-skilling (4d).  

The Commission recently launched a number of initiatives to strengthen basic and advanced digital skills 
and support bridging the digital gender divide (4a). In its March 2025 Communication ‘The Union of Skills’, 
the Commission outlined a strategy to improve high quality education, training, and lifelong learning. The 
strategy includes a number of flagship initiatives to support the development of resilient and adaptable 

14 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
education, training and skills systems and strengthen the provision of basic digital skills. The Action Plan 
on  Basic  Skills  reaffirms  the  EU’s  commitment  and  ambition  to  support  quality  education  for  all.  It 
promotes digital literacy as part of the basic skills set necessary for learning, working, and participating in 
society, as well as for handling cyberthreats and safely navigating technologies such as AI. The Commission 
will notably pilot a Basic Skills support scheme, so that every young person has strong reading, maths, 
science and digital skills.  

As part of the Union of Skills strategy, the STEM Education Strategic Plan aims to reinforce digital skills, 
guided by its objectives to: anchor STEM as a strategic pillar in the EU’s education and skills policy; build 
a stronger and more inclusive EU STEM talent pipeline; and advance women in STEM and inspire future 
innovators (4b). The STEM Education Strategic Plan aims to attract more women and girls to STEM studies, 
including digital studies and careers. The Commission plans to establish four new digital skills academies 
in  AI,  Quantum,  Virtual  Worlds  and  Semiconductors.  The  Commission  will  also  launch  the  Industry-
Academia network of the Cybersecurity Skills Academy in June 2025 and promote cyber-campuses for 
cybersecurity skills in various Member States.  

In 2024, the Commission launched the mid-term review of the Digital Education Action Plan; based on 
the results of the review, the 2030 Roadmap on the future of digital education and skills to promote equal 
access to digital education for all will be issued later in 2025. A robust EU digital education ecosystem 
must  prepare  for  the  future  and  establish  long-term  partnerships  with  EU-based  EdTech  (education 
technology)  and  independently  developed  European  solutions.  An  initiative  on  AI  in  education  and 
training will lay down an AI literacy framework and support the integration of AI in education and training 
provision,  addressing  the  need  for  online  safety  and  digital  well-being,  tackling  disinformation  and 
misinformation, while promoting innovation in education. 

In 2023, Member States reinforced their commitment to the objectives of the Digital Education Action 
Plan through the adoption of two Council Recommendations on digital education and skills15. Following 
on  the  adoption  of  the  Council  Recommendations,  the  Commission  established  two  expert  groups  to 
create two sets of guidelines aimed at the education and training community: Guidelines for accessible, 
well-designed  and  high-quality  digital  education  content,  and  Guidelines  for  high-quality  education  in 
informatics. In parallel, the Commission launched in January 2025 the process of updating its Guidelines 
for  teachers  and  educators  on  tackling  disinformation  and  promoting  digital  literacy,  as  well  as  its 
Guidelines  on the Ethical use  of AI and Data in teaching and learning for educators  (4c). These will be 
updated to reflect developments in the three years since their adoption with the objective of ensuring 
timely and relevant support for teachers and educators across the EU. Notably, the Guidelines on tackling 
disinformation  will  address  the  impact  of  generative  AI  on  the  creation  of  deceitful  content  (e.g. 
deepfakes),  novelties  in  social  media,  influencers,  and  pre-bunking  and  will  offer  further  guidance  for 
policymakers.  The  Ethical  Guidelines  on  AI  will  also  tackle  the  impact  of  generative  AI  for  education 
practices, provide an update on regulatory matters (in relation to the AI Act) and more hands-on activities 
for teachers. The guidelines are expected to be published in autumn 2025. 

To help EU Member States overcome challenges in meeting both basic and advanced digital skills, the 
Digital Skills Cluster was launched under the Digital Decade policy in July 2024 under the leadership of 

15 Council Recommendation on the key enabling factors for successful digital education and training and Council 
Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills and competences in education and training.  

21 

 
 
 
Slovenia.  Its  primary  goal  is  to collect  and  share  high-level  initiatives  at  government  level  that can  be 
replicated in Member States to boost digital skills. Furthermore, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) is working 
on a comprehensive update of the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp) by the end of 
2025 to take into account emerging technologies such as AI. In February 2025, the Commission published 
a report that analysed the Digital Skills Indicator to present the areas of digital skills, and the groups of 
adults that would require further digital skills development. In March 2024, the Commission published a 
policy brief, which underscores that digital under-skills are not the same as low digital skills: many under-
skilled workers in fact possess high digital skills in general, but their skills are below those required for 
their job. 

The AI Continent Action plan sets out actions to upskill and reskill workers to ensure a human-centric 
digital transition and raise awareness of AI among the wider EU society (4d). 

To  promote  the  development  of  advanced  digital  skills  and  increase  the  number  of  ICT  specialists  in 
Europe, the Commission is providing support to Member States to increase their offer of joint academic 
programmes  and  short-term  trainings  in  key  digital  areas.  The  Commission,  under  the  Digital  Europe 
Programme, funds the design and delivery of higher education programmes and self-standing modules in 
advanced digital skills for developers and users of advanced digital technologies (e.g. AI, data analytics, 
virtual worlds, photonics, quantum, cloud and edge computing, and others). The stakeholders that are 
developing these state-of-the-art education and training programmes have increased to more than 435 
organisations from 26 Member States. Furthermore, the Commission is working on establishing digital 
skills academies, with three new academies on AI, Quantum and Virtual Worlds planned for 2025. 

Member State action 

In the area of digital skills and education,  in 2024 Portugal announced the launch of the first  National 
programme for Girls in STEM, to be launched in 2025. The programme proposes three axes of action: (1) 
education (from preschool to 12th grade), (2) higher education and (3) labour market. In the educational 
context, the initiative aims to stimulate the interest of young girls to pursue higher education courses and 
careers in these fields. To this end, a network of ambassadors and female ‘role models’ will be established. 
In  teaching  and  work  environments,  the  initiative  aims  to  promote  more  inclusive  and  favourable 
conditions for the retention of women in the digital area. (4a) 

Another measure announced by Portugal is the creation of the Digital Skills Curriculum, which will allow 
every citizen to have a reliable tool to validate and prove their digital skills. A national platform for the 
certification and management of micro-credentials in digital skills will be integrated into the single public 
services portal, gov.pt. This platform will be updated based on the needs of the job market and the specific 
demand for digital skills. The Digital Skills Curriculum will also serve as a guidance tool, presenting training 
and development paths adjusted to the preferences of users and a changing job market (4d). 

In Poland, the Ministry of National Education launched in 2024 a plan for the Digital Transformation of 
Education Policy, with milestones to be achieved by 2027, 2030, and 2035. The plan sets the ground for 
changes in the education system and the implementation of investments in new technologies and defines 
the directions for the digitisation of education system in the short and long term. The aim is to promote 
high-quality digital education, with a specific focus on: the use of new technologies both by students and 

22 

 
 
teachers;  developing  students’  critical  thinking  skills;  equipping  schools  with  appropriate  digital 
infrastructure; and providing tools and training for teachers. (4a, 4b, 4c). 

In Lithuania, an EdTech project running between 2022 and 2024, with a budget of EUR 30 million, was 
aimed at promoting the use of educational technologies, providing training for teachers, and developing 
digital content (4c). 

Best practice 

In Ireland, the Research Ireland Discover programme received approximately EUR 5 million in funding 
in 2024 to support 38 projects promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM. These initiatives are targeted 
at students in primary, secondary and third-level education and aim to deepen their understanding of 
what studying and pursuing a career in STEM entails. One of the projects, for instance, aims to address 
gender bias in computer science and cybersecurity, blending STEM with the arts  and humanities  by 
using immersive technology and storytelling methods. The funding was provided by the Department of 
Further and Higher Education Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Education. 

Fair and just working conditions 

Everyone has the right to fair, just, healthy and safe working conditions and appropriate protection in the 
digital  environment.  The  Declaration  provides  that  people  should  be  able to  disconnect  after  working 
hours and benefit from a work-life balance. 

The 2025 Special Eurobarometer16 shows that a stable majority (54%) of Europeans think that people 
working in the digital environment are benefitting from fair and healthy working conditions, and that 
they enjoy work‑life balance (55% in 2024). This is notably the case in Malta (72%) and Luxembourg (70%). 
On  the  other  hand,  one  third  (31%)  hold  the  opposite  view  (32%  in  2024),  with  most  negative  views 
coming from Greece (50%). 

EU action 

In  April  2024,  the  Commission  launched  a  formal  two-stage  consultation  of  the  social  partners  on  a 
potential EU initiative on the right to disconnect and telework, in line with Article 154 TFEU. The first stage 
of this consultation was  carried out  between April and June  2024  (6a).  In addition, the Commission is 
currently  working  on  gathering  evidence  on  the  impact  of  an  ‘always-on’  work  culture  and  possible 
implications of EU action in this area.  

The review of the Display Screen Equipment Directive 90/270/EEC, which lays down minimum safety and 
health  requirements  for  work with  display  screen  equipment,  is  ongoing  (6b).  In  November  2024, the 
Advisory  Committee  on  Safety  and  Health  at  Work  adopted  its  Opinion  on  the  review  of  Directive 
90/270/EEC. 

On 23 October 2024, the EU adopted Directive 2024/2831 on improving working conditions in platform 
work (6c). Platform work is a form of work in which organisations or individuals use an online platform to 
access other organisations or individuals to provide specific services in exchange for payment. The biggest 

16 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 

23 

 
 
 
 
revenues in this growing sector are estimated to be in the sectors of delivery and taxi services. The new 
rules  address  cases  of  misclassification  of  platform  workers  and  ease  the  way  for  such  workers  to  be 
reclassified  as  employees,  guaranteeing  easier  access  to  their  rights  as  employees  under  EU 
law. Moreover, workers will have to be informed about the use of automated monitoring and decision-
making systems; and certain data may not be processed on digital labour platforms. In all cases, under the 
new rules, these systems must be monitored by qualified staff, who enjoy special protection from adverse 
treatment.  Human  oversight  is  also  guaranteed  for  significant  decisions  such  as  the  suspension  of 
accounts. Member States have to transpose this directive into national law by December 2026. 

According to the recent Eurobarometer survey on ‘Artificial Intelligence and the future of work‘, most 
people in Europe believe that digital technologies, including AI, have a positive impact on their jobs, the 
economy, society, and their quality of life. 62% of respondents have a positive view of the use of robots 
and  AI  at  work,  and  70%  believe  these  technologies  improve  productivity.  At  the  same  time,  a  large 
majority of respondents support clear rules on the use of digital technologies, for instance protecting 
workers’ privacy (82%) and involving workers and their representatives in the design and adoption of new 
technologies (77%). 

The Commission announced in its Work Programme 2025 that it would intensify implementation of the 
European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights,  whose  principles  have  guided  efforts  to  tackle  shared  challenges  in 
employment, skills and social issues since 2017. These principles were turned into tangible action through 
a dedicated Action Plan with headline 2030 targets. In 2025 the Commission will intensify implementation 
through a new action plan to be published later in 2025. The new Action Plan on the Implementation of 
the European Pillar of Social Rights will include initiatives looking at how digitalisation is impacting work. 
In her Mission Letter, Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs 
and  Preparedness,  has  been  mandated  to  focus  on the  impact  of  digitalisation  on  the  world of  work, 
including with an initiative on algorithmic management and possible legislation on AI in the workplace, 
following consultation with social partners (6d). 

The  Commission  continues  exploring  the  context,  challenges,  opportunities,  and  trends  in  algorithmic 
management at the workplace. 

Member State action 

In  2024,  25  EU  Member  States,  together  with  the  European  Commission,  the  European  Parliament, 
European  Economic  and  Social  Committee,  the  majority  of  European  social  partners  and  civil  society 
signed the La Hulpe Declaration, renewing their commitment to the European Social Model to continue 
making social and economic progress, combining increased competitiveness and productivity with equal 
opportunities, promoting more quality jobs and fair working conditions.  

This Declaration notably addresses the online environment and its impact on working conditions. Member 
States  notably  agreed  that  further  evaluation  and  additional  actions  may  be  required  to  ensure  fair 
working conditions in key areas for the digital age such as telework, the right to disconnect, incorporating 
the  ‘human  in  control’  principle  for  AI  in  the  world  of  work,  regulating  algorithmic  management,  and 
information and consultation of workers. 

24 

 
 
Member States are currently implementing amendments to national legislation following the adoption of 
the Platform Work Directive and many Member States have ongoing communication campaigns about 
safety and health at work.  

Several  Member  States  have  introduced  specific  legislation  on  telework,  regulating  aspects  related  to 
accessing telework, providing information to teleworkers, monitoring, compensation of costs and other. 

Best practice 

The right  to disconnect  in Bulgaria  was introduced in March 2024 by an amendment of the Labour 
Code.  It  grants  employees  the  right  to  disconnect,  meaning  they  are  not  obliged  to  respond  to 
employer-initiated communications such as email or, calls outside their working hours. Exceptions can 
be agreed upon in the individual employment contract or collective bargaining agreement. A right to 
disconnect has been adopted in national legislation in half of the EU Member States, including Belgium, 
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and 
Spain. 

Digital public services online 

The  Declaration  states  that  everyone  should  have  online  access  to  key  public  services  in  the  EU. 
Specifically, the EU and Member States have committed to facilitating and supporting seamless, secure 
and interoperable access across the EU to digital public services designed to meet people’s needs in an 
effective manner. These include in particular digital health and care services, such as access to electronic 
health  records.  A  similar  commitment  is  made  in  the  general  objective  of  the  Digital  Decade.  In  the 
Declaration, the EU and Member States committed to ensuring that people living in the EU are offered 
the possibility to use an accessible, voluntary, secure and trusted digital identity that gives access to a 
broad range of online services. The EU also aims to ensure that digital public services are accessible to 
citizens of any Member State without discrimination. 

The 2025 Eurobarometer survey17 shows that the majority of Europeans (58%, as in 2024) find it easy to 
access digital public services. This is notably the view of people in Malta (76%) and Luxembourg (75%). 
However, for almost one third (30%) of Europeans accessing such services remains a challenge, especially 
in Greece (45%). 

EU action 

In April 2024, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU adopted a Regulation establishing the 
European  Digital  Identity  Framework,  revising  the  current  eIDAS  Regulation  (7a).  With  the  new 
Regulation, all EU citizens will be offered the possibility to have an EU Digital Identity Wallet to access 
public and private online services all over Europe, with their security and personal data fully protected. 
Member States will have to provide EU Digital Identity Wallets (eID Wallets) to their citizens 24 months 
after  adoption of  implementing  acts setting  out  the technical  specifications  for  the EU  Digital  Identity 

17 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
Wallet  and  the  technical  specifications  for  certification.  So  far,  nine  implementing  acts  have  been 
adopted, in November 2024 and April 2025, setting uniform technical standards and putting in place a 
robust  certification  framework.  The  Acts  have  been  informed  by  requirements  and  specifications 
developed  for  the EU  Digital  Identity  Toolbox and  ensure  uniform  implementation  of  wallets  across 
Europe. 

In 2024, Romania and Finland joined other EU Member States in notifying their electronic identification 
(eID) schemes, bringing the total share of EU citizens now having access to electronic identification to 
95%. The number of Member States with notified eID schemes has increased significantly, from just one 
in 2017 to 24 by 2025. This expansion represents a major advancement towards a more integrated and 
secure digital public service across Europe.  

Under the Digital Europe Programme, Member States are participating in large-scale pilot projects aimed 
at testing wallets in everyday scenarios that benefit citizens, businesses, and governments. Since April 
2023,  these  projects  have  involved  over  350  private  and  public  entities  from  almost  all  EU  Member 
States, as well as Norway, Iceland, and Ukraine, exploring 11 different use cases. 

•  Nordic-Baltic eID (NOBID), involving Nordic and Baltic countries along with Italy and Germany, is 

currently piloting the use of EUDI wallets for SEPA instant payments. 

•  Potential involves over 140 public and private partners from 17 Member States and Ukraine. It 
aims to pilot six use-cases: access to online public services, mobile driving licenses, opening of 
bank accounts, SIM card registration, eSignatures and ePrescriptions. 

•  EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC), led by Sweden, focuses on testing three use cases: 
digital  travel  credentials,  payments,  and  organisation  identity.  This  large-scale  project  (LSP) 
involves more than 50 public and private partners.  

•  Digital  Credentials  for  Europe  (DC4EU),  led  by  Spain,  is  piloting  the  use  of  educational  and 
professional  qualifications  and  social  security  credentials,  including  the  European  Health 
Insurance Card and Portable Document A1 for seconded workers. 

To  support  the  piloting  of  EUDI  Wallets,  the  Commission  launched  a  second  funding  round  for  pilot 
projects in 2024, which saw strong interest from public and private actors across Member States. This 
initiative  will  support  two  pilot  projects  with  a  total  investment  of  over  EUR 23 million  from  the 
Commission. These projects, involving over 300 public and private entities from the majority of Member 
States, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Norway and Ukraine, are scheduled to start in Q3 
2025 and will run for two years.  

The Data Governance Act, applicable since 23 September 2023, complements the existing policy to make  
as  much  public  sector  information  as  possible  available  as  ‘open  data’,  i.e.  re-usable  with  as  few 
restrictions  and  conditions  as  possible  (7b).  It  provides  mechanisms  to make  data  available  for  re-use 
under  controlled conditions  or on  grounds  of  commercial  confidentiality.  The  Commission  is  currently 
working with Member States to ensure that the mechanisms needed to put this into practice are in place 
in  all  countries.  Currently,  eight  Member  States  have  not  yet  designated  the  necessary  enforcement 
bodies. At the same time, funding is provided under Recovery and Resilience Fund actions to increase the 
public sector’s capacity to implement the provisions on re-use of public sector information.  

26 

 
 
The Interoperable Europe Act, which entered into force in April 2024, set up a new cooperation framework 
for EU public administrations to ensure the seamless delivery of public services across borders, and to 
offer support measures promoting innovation and enhancing skills and knowledge exchange. It will help 
the EU and Member States to deliver better public services, interoperable by default, to individuals and 
businesses  (7c).  The  Commission  has  started  preparatory  work  on  the  new  monitoring  mechanism  in 
collaboration with the Joint Research Centre and the expert group on interoperability of public services. 

On this issue of health, the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation, which entered into force on 
25 March 2025 is a significant step forward in providing the public with additional rights to access, control, 
and  share  specific  categories  of  their  personal  electronic  health  data  using  online  services  (7c). 
Empowering patients to securely access their own electronic health records (EHR) – both nationally and 
across borders – will contribute to more efficient healthcare delivery and improve the quality and quantity 
of  health  data  for  secondary  use  for  research,  innovation  and  health  policy-making  purposes.  The 
Regulation  will  also  create  harmonised  requirements  on  EHR  systems  regarding  interoperability  and 
logging capabilities. The main parts of the Regulation will apply from March 2029. 

The EHDS will also help Member States reach the target set out in the Digital Decade Policy Programme, 
according to which 100% of EU citizens will have access to their electronic health records by 2030. 

A number of specific actions will also contribute to the target: the e-Health Digital Service Infrastructure, 
which  facilitates cross-border  exchange  of  health  data  including  patient  summaries  and  e-prescription 
(with EU support and co-financing from EU4Health and CEF; multiple actions to support the development 
and uptake of  the  European Electronic Health Record Exchange  Format (EEHRxF) in EHR products and 
services (with Horizon Europe, DIGITAL Europe and EU4Health funding); large health data infrastructures 
(with DEP funding); Genomics Data Infrastructure, European Cancer Imaging Platform, Intensive Care Unit 
data  platforms  –  all  under  development;  and  the  start  of  development  in  2025  of  a  platform  for  the 
advanced integration of Virtual Human Twins.  

Member State action 

Many Member States continue to provide digital identity solutions to make interactions between citizens 
and  public  institutions  easier.  For  example,  in  2024,  a  new  law  in  Portugal  established  that  digital 
documents  presented  through  the  ID.gov  application  have  equal  legal  value  to  original  documents, 
requiring  no  additional  validation.  In  Luxembourg,  the  MyGuichet.lu  platform  has  offered  a  Virtual 
Meeting Room since 2024 that gives citizens a secure and confidential environment in which to connect 
to appointments by video conference with public administrations online. (7a) 

With regards to the  reuse of protected public  sector data  (7b), 19 out of 27 Member States  have  put 
mechanisms  in  place  under  the  Data  Governance  Act.  A  consortium  of  statistical  institutes  from  the 
Netherlands, Germany and Estonia is building capacity, partially financed by the Recovery and Resilience 
Facility. 

On e-health (7c), all Member States now have some form of electronic health access service in place, be 
it  regional  or  national,  and  have  improved  the  extent  of  accessible  health  data  categories,  access 
technology and means, and the access opportunities for certain categories of people (scoring 82.7/100, 
DESI data from 2024, up from 79.1/100 reported in 2023).  

27 

 
 
In 2024, Ireland published the Health Information Bill, which provides a legal basis for the development 
and  deployment  of  electronic  health  records  in  Ireland,  along  with  legal  provisions  on  the  sharing  of 
patient  data  for  care  and  treatment.  This  will  support  fulfilment  of  Ireland’s  obligations  under  the 
European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation. Ireland also released ePharmacy, a national system that 
supports digital medical prescriptions, dispensing medication, and access to prescription and dispensing 
information for all, via a patient app and or patient portal. Healthcare professionals are also able to access 
this same information where required for direct patient care. 

Best practice 

Czechia’s  eDoklady  is a digital platform that allows citizens to store and manage  their identification 
documents electronically with a digital ID card. The platform includes a mobile application that securely 
stores digital versions of ID cards, making it easier for citizens to provide identification without carrying 
physical documents. The initiative aims to streamline administrative processes and increase security by 
reducing  the  risk  of  document  forgery.  In  2024  and  early  2025,  Czechia  extended  the  use  of  this 
platform  to  all  main  public  administration  authorities  at  national  and  local  level,  banks,  the  police, 
schools and universities, health insurance companies, post offices and polling stations. 

Chapter III - Freedom of choice 

The Declaration states that artificial intelligence (AI) systems should benefit people, including allowing 
them to make their own informed choices in the digital environment while being protected against risks 
and harm to health, safety and fundamental rights.  

According to the 2025 Eurobarometer18, only a slight majority (53%) of Europeans believes that they are 
getting effective freedom of choice online (52% in 2024 and 49% in 2023), including when interacting 
with AI (e.g., chatbots, digital assistants), with the highest score in Malta (74%). Almost one third (30%) 
of Europeans said they were sceptical (32% in 2024), especially the Greek public (42%). 

Overall, 282 Member State initiatives implementing a free and fair digital environment (chapter III) had 
been  by  the  end  of  2024  identified  by  the  support  study19.  This  reveals  the  rather  limited  activity  of 
Member  States  in  this  area  in  the  past,  which  can  be  explained  in  part  by  the  early  phase  of  full 
enforcement of EU legislation, such as the AI Act, DSA and DMA. That said, the number of newly launched 
initiatives is on the rise with 54 new initiatives, most of which started in 2024.  

The  highest  number  of  initiatives  focus  on  the  section  Interactions  with  algorithms  and  artificial 
intelligence  systems,  and  specifically  on  promoting  human-centric,  trustworthy  and  ethical  artificial 
intelligence systems throughout their development, deployment and use, in line with EU values (9a) and 
ensuring  an  adequate  level  of  transparency  about  the  use  of  algorithms  and  AI,  so  that  people  are 
empowered to use them and are informed when interacting with them (9b). 

18 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
19 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
The vast majority of initiatives is led by government organisations (86%), with only a small share of actions 
initiated by civil society, industry or national human rights institutions. The initiatives are predominantly 
policy related (32%) or implementing research and technology solutions (27%). Though most initiatives 
are at the national level (81%), action in this area is also supported by relatively high numbers of city-level 
initiative (12%). 

Based  on  the  impact  indicator  framework  developed  by  the  support  study,  taking  into  account  both 
available  data  and  public  perceptions,  the  commitments  in  this  chapter  are  estimated  to  be 
implemented at 63% (2023 data). The indicators suggest that some Member States were quite effective 
in implementing these commitments on the ground, notably in Poland (78%). On the other hand, impact 
indicators  show  only  limited  impact  of  measures  in  this  area  in  countries  such  as  Cyprus  and  Sweden 
(44%), Luxembourg (43%) and Romania (31%). It is worth noting that this estimate takes into account the 
available EU27 data, which in this case covers 5 out of 8 of the commitments in this chapter. 

Interactions with algorithms and artificial intelligence systems 

The Declaration provides that AI systems should benefit people, including by allowing them to make their 
own informed choices in the digital environment while being protected against risks and harm to health, 
safety and fundamental rights.  

EU action 

The  Artificial  Intelligence  Act  (AI  Act)  aims  explicitly  to  promote  the  uptake  of  human-centric  and 
trustworthy AI while ensuring a high level of protection of health, safety, fundamental rights, in line with 
the Declaration (9a, 9e).  

The AI Act entered into force on 2 August 2024. Provisions introducing obligations for AI developers and 
deployers  are  gradually  becoming  applicable.  The  bans  on  AI  systems  that  are  incompatible  with 
fundamental rights  became  applicable  on  2  February 2025.  In  order to  facilitate  the  understanding  of 
these  provisions,  the  European  Commission  adopted  Guidelines  regarding  prohibited  practices,  and 
Guidelines regarding the definition of an AI system on 4 and 6 February 2025 respectively. The Guidelines 
on prohibited AI systems specifically address practices such as harmful manipulation, social scoring, and 
real-time remote biometric identification. The listed practices are prohibited because they contradict the 
EU  values  of  respect  for  human  dignity,  freedom,  equality,  democracy,  and  the  rule  of  law  as  well  as 
fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Right of the European Union20. 

The  provisions  for  general  purpose  AI  will  enter  into  force  on  2  August  2025.  To  ensure  effective 
implementation,  on  30  September  2024,  the  Commission  launched  the  process  of  drafting  a  Code  of 
Practice, which is developed by the stakeholders themselves under the supervision of the AI Office. The 
Code of Practice is scheduled to be adopted before the related provisions become applicable.  

20 These include the right to non-discrimination (Article 21 Charter) and equality (Article 20), data protection (Article 8 Charter) 
and private and family life (Article 7 Charter), and the rights of the child (Article 24 Charter). The prohibitions in Article 5 AI Act 
also aim to uphold the right to freedom of expression and information (Article 11 Charter), freedom of assembly and of 
association (Article 12 Charter), freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 10 Charter), the right to an effective 
remedy and fair trial (Article 47 Charter), and the presumption of innocence and the right of defence (Article 48 Charter). 

29 

 
 
 
In the context of the Commission's AI Continent Action Plan launched on 9 April 2025, the Commission 
decided to set up a dedicated AI Act Service Desk. This is an information hub with simple, straightforward 
information on the application of the AI Act and the possibility to receive targeted answers to questions. 
It will include the Commission’s Single Information Platform, as provided for in the AI Act. The platform 
will  provide  online  interactive  tools  to  help  stakeholders  determine  whether  they  are  subject  to  legal 
obligations and understand the steps they need to take to comply with the rules. 

In parallel, the AI Board began its work, with its first meeting in September 2024. The AI Board is where 
national authorities meet to coordinate implementation in each Member State. The AI Board has two 
official support groups, the Scientific Panel and the Advisory Forum. 

Furthermore, with the gradual implementation of the AI Act, the Commission launched the AI Pact, an 
initiative to accompany organisations in their compliance journey and foster early action by front-running 
organisations to foster the development and deployment of trustworthy AI. The AI Pact has been built on 
two main axes. On the one hand, it establishes a network of more than 2 300 stakeholders (including, but 
not limited to, companies, not-for-profit organisations, academics, public organisations, etc) who should 
contribute to the creation of a collaborative community, sharing their experiences and knowledge. In that 
context, the AI Office organises webinars for a better understanding of the AI Act and on how to prepare 
for its implementation and gathers insights into best practices and challenges faced by the participants. 
On the other hand, more than 190 companies providing or deploying AI systems (including multinational 
corporations  and  European  SMEs,  from  diverse  sectors  (e.g.  IT,  telecoms,  healthcare,  banking, 
automotive, and aeronautics)) have accepted to sign pledges to take measures to anticipate compliance 
with key AI Act requirements as much as possible and to share corresponding good practices. 

Member State action 

Besides action at EU level with the AI Act, Member States are currently setting up and/or designating their 
national  authorities,  due  by  August  2025.  On  the  one  hand,  the  notifying  authorities  will  oversee  the 
assessment of  AI  applications  before  they  are  put  on  the  market.  And  on the other  hand,  the  market 
surveillance authorities will oversee the AI applications once they are on the market. 

To support the implementation of the AI Act at national level and foster further use of a trustworthy AI, 
Member States have taken a wide range of measures in 2024. In Sweden, the Swedish Agency for Digital 
Government (Digg) and the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) created joint guidelines for the 
use of generative AI in the public sector, published in January 2025. The guidelines aim to increase the 
use of generative AI in public administration, including at regional and local level, promote the possibilities 
of  using  generative  AI  to  support  the  business  and  ensure  that  the  use  complies  with  EU  law.  The 
guidelines will be continuously updated in order to be future-proof. 

Meanwhile, Latvia signed a Memorandum of cooperation in December 2024 with Microsoft. In it, Latvia 
commits to continue working on the development of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and 
other digital initiatives in cooperation with Microsoft. The Memorandum aims to promote the use of AI 
and digital solutions for modernising public administration processes, as well as to develop the innovation 
and technology ecosystem in the country. 

Poland  has  launched  the  AI  Task  Force,  which  offers  a  wide  range  of  support  and  expertise  in  the 
development and implementation of AI projects, tailored to their specific needs and sector characteristics. 

30 

 
 
The task force provides technological, ethical and legal advice and training. It supports AI projects from 
the conceptual phase, through design to effective implementation. 

Bulgaria  put  forward  the  Action  Plan  of  the  Open  Government  Partnership  Initiative.  This  aims  to 
implement various forms of effective public dialogue to develop common standards on the use of AI in 
the digitisation process to ensure guarantees of equal access and respect for human rights. A new working 
group under the Minister of Electronic Governance should develop these common standards. 

France hosted the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025 to boost AI innovation and to address the 
ethical, social, and economic implications of AI. Over 1 000 participants from more than 100 countries 
attended the Summit, representing government leaders, international organisations, the academic and 
research community, the private sector, and civil society. On a smaller scale, Czechia organised a third 
edition of the annual AI 4 Gov event, which brought together representatives of public authorities, the 
research  and  academic  sector,  and  private  companies  to  learn  and  discuss  good  practices  in 
implementation of human-centric, trustworthy and ethical AI systems in public administration. 

Best practice 

Austria  has  launched  the  AI  Advisory  Board  in  2024  to  advise  the  Federal  Government  on  the 
implementation of the AI Act and how to use the opportunities that AI offers. The aim is to leverage 
economic  potential,  provide  support  to  politicians  with  AI-related  questions  and,  overall,  bundle 
knowledge about AI. The Board consists of 11 experts from the academic sphere and business who are 
experts in the fields of ethics, research, economics, law or technology. Austria has also established an 
AI  Service  Desk  under  the  Austrian  Regulatory  Authority  for  Broadcasting  and  Telecommunications 
(RTR), which serves as a central point of contact for citizens, organisations, and companies, offering 
support with questions on implementation of the EU AI Act. 

A fair digital environment 

The  Declaration  provides  that  everyone  should  be  able  to  effectively  and  freely  choose  which  online 
services to use, based on objective, transparent, easily accessible and reliable information. The signatories 
committed to ensuring a safe  and secure  digital environment based on fair competition, where  users’ 
fundamental rights and consumer protection is in place, and the responsibilities of platforms, especially 
large players and gatekeepers, are well defined. 

EU action 

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is the EU’s primary framework for ensuring a fair digital environment (11a) 
and increasing online safety and protecting the fundamental rights of users in the EU. It empowers users 
and civil society to better understand how the online platforms they are using function and to contribute 
to making these online platforms safer, more trustworthy and more pleasant.  

The DSA became fully applicable in February 2024 and applies to all online intermediaries which offer 
services to recipients that have their place of establishment in the EU or are located here. Member States 
had until February 2024 to appoint and empower their Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs), which are 
independent regulators that work with each other and the Commission to ensure the correct application 
of the DSA in their Member States. Since February 2024, The DSCs have met in the context of the European 

31 

 
 
 
Board  for  Digital  Services,  chaired  by  the  Commission.  The  DSA  Board  contributes  to  the  consistent 
application of the DSA and the effective cooperation of the DSCs and the Commission. It also contributes 
to guidelines and analysis of emerging issues across the internal market and assists in the supervision of 
very large online platforms and very large online search engines.  

The Commission has opened infringements proceedings against a number of Member States which have 
failed to designate and fully empower their DSCs. At time of publication, Poland had not yet designated a 
Digital  Services  Coordinator,  and  five  Member  States  had  not  fully  empowered  their  designated 
Coordinators: Czechia, Cyprus, Spain, Poland and Portugal. 

Under  the  DSA,  very  large  online  platforms  are  obliged  to  assess  and  mitigate  risks  related  to  the 
dissemination of illegal content, disinformation, gender-based violence, and any negative effects on the 
exercise of fundamental rights, enshrined in the charter, including freedom of expression, rights of the 
child, public security and mental well-being. 

At  the same  time,  the  DSA  has  introduced  unprecedented  transparency  obligations  regarding  content 
moderation practices. It protects EU users against the removal of lawful content. In the course of DSA 
enforcement, the Commission has already opened formal proceedings against specific platforms, namely 
against X (December 2023), three against TikTok (February, April and December 2024), AliExpress (March 
2024), two each against Meta’s Facebook and Instagram (April and May 2024), and against Temu (October 
2024) because of potential breaches of the DSA, including in respect of obligations on  risk assessments 
and mitigation measures with regard to the spread of illegal content and disinformation, protection of 
minors,  complaint  handling  mechanism,  transparency  requirements,  content  moderation,  advertising 
transparency,  data  access  for  researchers,  deceptive  advertising  and  political  content,  illegal  sale  of 
products,  recommender  systems  and  addictive  design.   In  May  2025,  the  Commission  initiated  formal 
proceedings against Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos for suspected breaches regarding protection 
of minors. As enforcer of the DSA with regard to very large online platforms, the Commission has sent 
over 100  requests  for  information  related  to enforcement  priorities,  including  on  the  spread of  illegal 
content and disinformation, to assess DSA compliance.     

The  Digital  Markets  Act  (DMA)  is  applicable  since  May  2023.  Following  the  first  designations  of 
gatekeepers in September 2023, these gatekeepers where then required to meet the obligations set by 
the  DMA  in  March  202421.  It  is  designed  to  protect  contestability  and  fairness  in  digital  markets  and 
thereby enable innovation and choice. It does so by means of clearly defined obligations applicable to 
designated gatekeepers. The DMA aims to tackle practices that have proven to be harmful for businesses 
and  consumers  in  the  past,  e.g.,  based  on  competition  law  enforcement;  market  studies  or 
investigations 22. Each gatekeeper needs to provide the Commission with a report describing in a detailed 
and  transparent  manner  the  measures  it  has  implemented  to  ensure  compliance  with  the  DMA 

21 On 6 September 2023 the European Commission designated for the first time six gatekeepers - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, 
ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft - under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). On 13 May 2024, the Commission added Booking to the list 
of gatekeepers. A total of 23 core platform services provided by those seven gatekeepers are currently designated. 
22 The Commission publishes annual DMA reports, which describe the measures taken to ensure the effective enforcement of 
the DMA. In April 2025, the Commission published its second report on DMA implementation, which is available at: 
https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/commission-publishes-annual-report-dma-implementation-2024-2025-04-25_en. 

32 

 
 
 
obligations. They also need to publish a non-confidential summary of such a report as of 7 March 2024. 
Both the report and the non-confidential summary must be updated at least annually. 

In  April  2025,  the  Commission  found  Apple  and  Meta  in  breach  of  the  DMA  and  fined  them 
EUR 500 million  and  EUR 200 million  respectively.  In  particular,  the  Commission  found  that  Apple  had 
failed to comply with the obligation to allow app developers distributing their apps via Apple’s App Store 
to inform customers, free of charge, of alternative offers outside the App Store, steer them to those offers 
and allow them to make purchases. The Commission also found that Meta’s ‘consent or pay’ model is not 
compliant with the DMA, as it did not give users the required specific choice to opt for a service that uses 
less of their personal data but is otherwise equivalent to the ‘personalised ads’ service. The two decisions 
came after extensive dialogue with the companies concerned, allowing them to present in detail their 
views and arguments. 

In  the  area  of  consumer  protection,  the  Commission  presented  the  conclusions  of  its  comprehensive 
Fitness Check of EU consumer law on digital fairness on 3 October 2024. The Fitness Check assessed how 
well EU consumer protection instruments are continuing to ensure fairness for consumers in the digital 
world. It concluded that, while the EU’s consumer protection regulatory framework remains relevant and 
compliance costs are moderate, its objectives of a high level of consumer protection are being only partly 
achieved in the digital environment. The current – largely principle-based – consumer rules in the complex 
digital  area  are  being  ineffectively  enforced.  This  significantly  disadvantages  consumers  in  the  online 
sector and creates legal uncertainty for the traders about how to apply them. The Fitness Check therefore 
specifically identified several gaps of consumer protection. 

The Commission has started preparing a proposal for a Digital Fairness Act (DFA) that is expected to be 
presented in the second half of 2026 (see the Mission Letter to Commissioner McGrath). The DFA will 
specify  the  current  largely  principle-based  consumer  protection  rules  and  thus  address  the  problems 
identified in the Fitness Check. These could include dark patterns on online interfaces that can unfairly 
influence consumer decisions, or addictive design features that stimulate consumers to keep using the 
service or spend more money. Stronger protection of minors online will be a transversal priority for the 
Commission in these areas. The DFA could also tackle contractual problems (e.g. difficulties in cancelling 
contracts that have been concluded online) and unwanted contract extensions and conversions of free 
trials into paid subscriptions. The DFA will not duplicate rules that already exist (for instance in the DSA). 
It will, however, include a strong simplification and burden reduction element in the areas identified in 
the Fitness Check, but without compromising the overall objective of high level of consumer protection. 

As regards influencer marketing, in 2024, the Commission and national consumer protection authorities 
of 22 Member States, Norway and Iceland published the results of a sweep of social media posts from 576 
influencers 3. This found that, although nearly all influencers (97%) posted commercial content, just 20% 
of influencers systematically indicated the commercial nature of the content shared. In the consumer 
survey for the Fitness Check, 74% of consumers reported a lack of transparency regarding paid promotions 
by  social  media  influencers.  60%  of  the  consumer  respondents  in  the  2025  Consumer  Conditions 
Scoreboard survey echoed these concerns. 

The Scoreboard found that online shoppers are over 60% more likely to experience problems with their 
purchases than those shopping offline. 93% of online shoppers worry about online targeted advertising 
(including the collection of personal data, excessive advertising and personalisation). 45% of consumers 

33 

 
 
encountered online scams and many experienced unfair practices (including fake reviews and misleading 
discounting). 

The  EU  and  Member  States  have  also  undertaken  in  the  Declaration  to  promote  interoperability, 
transparency, open technologies and standards in order to further strengthen trust in technology as well 
as consumers’ ability to make autonomous and informed choices (11b).  

The EU Data Act entered into force on 11 January 2024 and will be applicable as from 12 September 2025. 
The Data Act gives both professional and individual users of connected products the right to port personal 
and non-personal data generated by such products to service-providers of their choice – in full respect of 
the  rights  of other  data  subjects  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  in  respect of  the  interests  of  a  company  to 
preserve its trade secrets.  

The  Data  Act’s  cloud-switching  provisions  aim  to  empower  cloud  customers  to  choose  their  cloud-
provider  freely  or  combine  multiple  providers  in  a  multi-cloud  deployment.  To  this  end,  the  Data  Act 
tackles  lock-in  practices  that  providers  have  been  using  to  prevent  their  customers  from  switching. 
Individual provisions (such as the obligation for cloud service providers to reduce switching and egress 
charges to the costs incurred) are already in application. Most of the Data Act’s provisions will apply as 
from 12 September 2025.  

EU policy on the cloud aims to ensure that customers have freedom of choice in a competitive market 
structure.  The  Commission  is  undertaking  several  actions  to  pave  the  way  for  the  effective 
implementation  of  the  Data  Act’s  provisions  on  cloud  switching.  With  a  view  to  boosting  the 
interoperability of cloud services, the Commission has launched a study to build a central Union repository 
for the interoperability of data processing services, which will contain both harmonised standards and 
industry-driven open interoperability specifications. Moreover, the Commission has launched a study to 
collect  data  on  whether  the  gradual  withdrawal  of  switching  and  egress  charges  (as  provided  for  in 
Article 29 of the Data Act) is having an impact on the market.  

The Commission is preparing a recommendation on voluntary, non-binding model contractual terms for 
the  implementation  of  the  new  portability  right  and  non-binding  standard  contractual  clauses  as  a 
voluntary compliance tool for the Data Act’s cloud provisions. These models will be based on a Report of 
an expert group23. The recommendation will be published in 2025. The Commission is publishing regularly 
updated frequently asked questions on the Data Act24. 

In the context of data spaces, the Data Act (Article 33), which incorporates the FAIR principles to ensure 
the findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of shared data, calls for the development of 
harmonised  standards  to  address  essential  interoperability  requirements.  The  requirements  aim  to 
facilitate  automation  of  data  transactions  by  defining  cross-domain  standards  for  metadata  and  trust 
mechanisms.  One  of  the  top  priorities  of  the  Annual  Union  Work  Programmes  on  European 
Standardisation 2024 and 2025 is the establishment of a European Trusted Data Framework. Based on 
this, a standardisation request has been developed which is expected to be adopted in Q2 2025. In the 
meantime,  European  standardisation  organisations  (e.g. the  European  Committee  for  Standardisation 

23 https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3840   
24 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-frequently-asked-questions-about-data-act 

34 

 
 
 
(CEN)  and  the  European  Telecommunications  Standards  Institute  (ETSI))  have  established  technical 
committees that will carry out the work.  

The European Data Innovation Board (a Commission expert group that was first established under the 
Data Governance Act) is also responsible for ensuring the consistent application of the Data Act.  

Member State action 

In  2024,  the  Member  States  continued  to  implement  initiatives  to  support  a  fair  digital  environment, 
including by supporting EU businesses. For instance, Luxembourg continued to implement its roadmap 
for developing the start-up ecosystem. 

When  it  comes  to  consumer  protection,  the  international  cooperation  between  Nordic  consumer 
protection authorities (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) is worth noting. It met in August 
2024 to discuss new consumer challenges posed by digitalisation, major global players, e-commerce and 
cross-border  marketing.  They  recognised  the  need  for  cross-border  cooperation  (building  on  similar 
consumer protection regulations) to prevent and end illegal marketing practices and unfair contract terms 
in the Nordic region. The authorities agreed to continue issuing joint statements, pool their resources in 
joint enforcement cases and share best practices. (11a) 

In  order  to  strengthen  trust  in  technology,  measures  to  support  transparency  such  as  the  one  below 
provide a good example. (11b) 

Best practice 
In  Portugal,  the  city  of Porto  together  with Porto  Digital  and  Helpful Places  put  forward  the  Digital 
Transparency in Porto pilot project in 2024. The pilot aims to enhance transparency by giving citizens 
access  to  data  on  the  technologies  that  shape  the  city.  It  combines  physical  signage  with  a  digital 
platform, making it easier for residents and visitors to access information about urban technologies and 
services (e.g. weather stations, traffic CCTV cameras and Wi-Fi access points). Each sign features icons 
that indicate the type of technology and the responsible organisation; and a QR code that links to Porto 
City’s  Digital  Systems  Information  Platform,  where  users  can  find  detailed  information  about  data 
collection and processing. Overall, the project reinforces Porto’s commitment to  data transparency, 
empowering citizens to understand and actively participate in the urban digital ecosystem. 

Chapter IV - Participation in the digital public space 

Besides recalling the right to freedom of expression and information as well as freedom of assembly and 
of  association  in  the  digital  environment,  the  Declaration  includes  a  number  of  principles  and 
commitments on access to a trustworthy, diverse and multilingual digital environment, with a view to 
contributing  to  a  pluralistic  public  debate  and  to  effective  and  non-discriminatory  participation  in 
democracy. It particularly highlights the role of online platforms in mitigating the risks stemming from the 
use of their services in relation to disinformation, which is now also the object of a legal obligation for 
VLOPs and VLOSEs under the DSA. These latter platforms and search engines are required to assess and 
mitigate the risks that their services or systems might pose to electoral processes or civic integrity. This 
commitment  is  closely  linked  with  the  digital  decade’s  general  objective  of  promoting  a  digital 
environment that fosters democratic life, is human-centred and fully respects fundamental rights. 

35 

 
 
 
According  to  the  2025  Eurobarometer25,  a  stable  majority  continues  to  think  that  the  freedom  of 
expression and information online (e.g. via online platforms, social networks or search engines) is well 
protected in their Member States (60%, similarly to previous years), as well as their right to freedom of 
assembly and association in the digital environment (59%, similarly to previous years). 

Over half of EU citizens (53%) believe that they have access to a trustworthy, diverse and multilingual 
digital environment, including more diverse content, less disinformation and less illegal content (53%, the 
same as in 2024). The most positive views come from Luxembourg (75%), followed by Croatia (69%). 

Worryingly, one third (33%) of EU citizens continue to think that they cannot rely on the information 
they  see  online  (35%  in  2024).  This  is  especially  the  case  in  Greece  (49%)  and  Slovakia  (40%),  where 
citizens’ negative views rose during the year (+5% on average). In the Netherlands (39%), Germany, Spain 
and Sweden (38% in all three), citizens remain critical but were slightly less worried than last year.  

Based on the  impact  indicator  framework  developed  by  the  support  study26,  taking  into  account  both 
available data and perceptions of citizens, the commitments in this chapter are estimated to be only 56% 
implemented (2023 data). The indicators suggest that Member State action in this area has the second 
least effective impact on the ground among all Declaration chapters. Particularly large gaps have been 
reported in Germany, Greece, Portugal and Slovakia, where the impact of these initiatives appears to be 
below 50%. It is worth adding that this estimation takes into account available EU-27 data, which, in this 
case cover only three of the six the commitments in this chapter. 

EU action 

The EU has made a commitment to continue safeguarding all fundamental rights online and particularly 
the freedom of expression and information (including media freedom and pluralism) (15a).  

The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which was adopted in April 2024, has established a new set 
of rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU. The provisions on the new European 
Board  for  Media  Services 27  came  into  force  on  8 April 2025.  The  new  media  board  is  composed  of 
representatives from the national media authorities or bodies and is assisted by a Commission secretariat. 
It started operating in February 2025 and will as part of its work promote the effective and consistent 
application of the EU’s media law framework.  

The EU and its Member States have made a commitment in the Declaration to support the development 
and  best  use  of  digital technologies  to  stimulate  people’s  engagement  and  democratic  participation 
(15b). 

The  December  2023  Commission  Recommendation  on  inclusive  and  resilient  electoral  processes 
provided  a  comprehensive  blueprint  to  support  the  preparations  for  and  conduct  of  elections.  For 
example, it encourages Member States to take measures to protect the information environment around 
elections  and  ensure  that  voters  receive  correct  information.  It  recommends  building  resilience  and 

25 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
26 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 
27 The new board replaced and succeeded the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) that had been 
established under the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. 

36 

 
 
 
developing public awareness, media literacy and critical thinking to address information manipulation, 
interference and disinformation related to elections. It also calls on Member States to develop training to 
relevant authorities and to facilitate cooperation among relevant stakeholders to tackle the information 
manipulation risks.  

The Recommendation encourages political parties to adopt campaign pledges and codes of conduct on 
election  integrity  and  fair  campaigning.  Such  codes  should  encompass  for  example  the  pledge  to 
encourage  an  inclusive  political  discourse,  or  the  pledge  to  refrain  from  manipulative  behaviour,  in 
particular  producing,  using  or  disseminating  falsified,  fabricated,  doxed  or  stolen  data  or  material, 
including deep fakes generated by AI systems. Political parties should also provide information about the 
use of AI systems in election campaigns.  

Based  on  this  Recommendation,  all  European  political  parties  signed  a  Code  of  Conduct  for  the  2024 
European Parliament elections at a ceremony hosted by the Commission28. The Code was also signed by 
a  limited  number  of  national  political  parties.  The  Code  of  Conduct  promotes  core  values  such  as 
transparency, fairness, and truthfulness in communication, while actively countering disinformation and 
AI-driven manipulation.   

The Commission has committed to adopt in June 2025 an extensive Report to the European Parliament 
setting out the wide range of actions taken in the context of the 2024 European Parliament elections. 

In 2024, the Commission continued to support Member State authorities in the context of the European 
Cooperation Network on Elections. This Network, which consists of national contact points appointed by 
Member  States  to  represent  their  national  networks  on  elections  serves  as  a  liaison  point  between 
national and European levels of coordination and regularly meets to share best practices.   

In April 2024, the Commission issued guidelines for the Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Search 
Engines  (VLOSEs)  on  the  measures  they  have  to  take  to  mitigate  threats  to  electoral  integrity.  The 
Commission works closely with the Member States’ digital services coordinators, both in the European 
Board for Digital Services and directly with the authorities of those Member States which have upcoming 
elections.  

The  EU  is  also  taking  measures  to  tackle  illegal  and  harmful  content  online,  in  full  respect  for 
fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression and information. In coordination with 
specific measures outlined in EU legislation such as the Terrorist Content Online Regulation or the recently 
adopted EU directive on combating violence against women which criminalises cyberviolence, the EU is 
implementing groundbreaking horizontal rules to tackle illegal content through the DSA (15c). 

Online  platforms  have  to put  systems  in  place  for  users  in  the  EU  to  flag  illegal  content  (e.g. terrorist 
content, child sexual abuse material and illegal hate speech). The DSA requires online platforms to have 
an easily accessible and efficient point-of-contact for users, as well as a notice-and-action mechanism that 
allows users to report illegal content. The DSA applies a risk-based approach with specific obligations and 
direct Commission oversight of platforms that reach at least 45 million EU users a month. 

28 International Idea, CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE 2024 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS, 04 April 2024. 

37 

 
 
 
Such VLOPs also have a broader due diligence obligation to effectively mitigate systemic societal risks in 
the  EU  (e.g. election  manipulation,  gender-based  cyber  violence  and  online  harm  to  minors).  The 
platforms have to implement their own terms of service diligently and non-arbitrarily. 

Freedom of expression lies at the heart of the DSA. It sets out rules for online intermediaries to tackle 
illegal  content,  while  safeguarding  freedom  of  expression  and  information  online.  The  DSA  does  not 
require online intermediaries to remove lawful content, but it does require VLOPs and VLOSEs to establish 
a  robust  mechanism  (a  notice-and-action  system)  where  any  European  can  report  content  that  they 
believe to be illegal hate speech under EU or Member State law. The DSA does not define illegal hate 
speech.  At  EU  level,  the  2008  Framework  Decision  on  combating  racism  and  xenophobia  provides  a 
baseline, but Member States may go beyond this. Indeed, 20 Member States have expanded their criminal 
law framework to include additional grounds, such as sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. This 
will be complemented by the transposition into national law of the 2024 Directive on combating violence 
against women, which states that cyber incitement to violence or hatred on grounds of gender is a criminal 
offence. 

The DSA also requires VLOPs to take effective measures to mitigate risks related to the dissemination of 
illegal  content,  gender-based  violence  and  fundamental  rights,  including  the  right  to  freedom  of 
expression and information and the right to non-discrimination. 

On 20 January 2025, the Commission and the European Board for Digital Services integrated the revised 
code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online+ (the Code of Conduct+)  into the regulatory 
framework  of  Article 45  of  the  Digital  Services  Act  (DSA).  The  Code  of  Conduct+  has  been  signed  by 
Dailymotion, Facebook, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok, 
Twitch, X  and  YouTube.  It  aims  to  strengthen  the  way  that  online  platforms  deal  with  content  that  is 
deemed to be illegal hate speech according to EU law and Member States’ laws. Adherence to the Code 
of Conduct+ may be considered as an appropriate risk-mitigation measure for signatories designated as 
VLOPs and VLOSEs under the DSA. The Code of Conduct+ also increases transparency and accountability, 
because compliance with its commitments will be subject to an annual independent audit which these 
service providers must undergo under the DSA. 

In April and May 2024, the Commission organised a European Citizens Panel on tackling hatred in society, 
bringing together 150 randomly selected citizens from all 27 Member States to discuss the root causes 
and  drivers of  hatred,  and  ways  to  address them.  The  Panel  agreed on 21  recommendations 29  to  the 
Commission  and  Member  States.  Several  of  these  recommendations  focus  on  the  challenges  and 
responses concerning the digital dimension of hate. 

The DSA also aims to tackle content that is harmful but not necessarily illegal, such as disinformation and 
information manipulation and other forms of harmful content (including harassment and gender-based 
violence) (15d).  

The Digital Services Act fosters a co-regulatory framework. Following a request by the signatories of the 
Code of Practice on Disinformation, the European Board for Digital Services and the Commission adopted 
positive  opinions  on  its  conversion  into  a  DSA  Code  of  Conduct  in  February  2025.  At  the  signatories’ 

29 The full list of recommendations is available on the citizens’ panel web page: https://citizens.ec.europa.eu/european-citizens-
panels/tackling-hatred-society-panel_en. 

38 

 
 
 
request, the legal effects of the conversion will enter into force on 1 July 2025. From this point onwards, 
the commitments made by the signatories designated as VLOPs and VLOSEs will be regularly audited.  

The Code of Conduct contains a broad range of commitments made by major online platforms and other 
players  to  fight  disinformation  with  measures  such  as  demonetisation,  addressing  manipulative 
behaviours,  user  empowerment  and  fact-checking.  A  substantial  number  and  great  variety  of  new 
signatories  –  42  to  date  –  have  signed the  Code,  including  major  online  platforms  (e.g. Google,  Meta, 
Microsoft and TikTok). The signatories have also taken action to help safeguard the integrity of the 2024 
European  elections.  In  particular,  they  implemented  have  established  a  Rapid  Response  System  for 
elections, which allows civil society and fact-checker signatories to swiftly report time-sensitive content, 
accounts or trends that they view as threats to the integrity of the electoral process. The signatories have 
also used this system for the French, Romanian and German elections. 

The  Code  of  Conduct  will  play  an  important  role  in  the  wider  system  of  enforcement  under  the  DSA, 
contributing  to  its  practical  application,  and  particularly  serving  as  a  relevant  benchmark  for  DSA 
implementation when it comes to risks related to disinformation 

One of the main regulatory tools of the DSA is the supervised risk management framework for VLOPs and 
VLOSEs. Their size means that they can have important impacts on our societies. 

The  risk management  framework  requires  these  platforms  to  regularly  assess  and  effectively  mitigate 
systemic risks. For instance, if their content moderation tools or recommender systems are found to be 
amplifying disinformation, they must take appropriate measures to address risks that can have a negative 
effect  on their  users.  The platforms will  also  have  to  report  publicly  on  their  risk  assessment  and  risk 
mitigation  measures,  and  these  will  be  audited  by  independent  auditors  and  supervised  by  the 
Commission. 

In addition, VLOPs and VLOSEs have to provide researchers with access to data and study risks in the EU 
(including those related to disinformation). This will be a step change in our understanding of the online 
information space and the way that disinformation spreads online. 

The EU is also funding the European Digital Media Observatory  (EDMO) and its national and regional 
hubs, which support the creation of a cross-border and multidisciplinary community of independent fact-
checkers and academic researchers that are  working together to detect, analyse  and expose  potential 
disinformation  threats  and  raise  media  literacy.  EDMO  comprises  a  network  of  14  national  and 
multinational  hubs  covering  all  27  EU  Member  States.  The  hubs’  local  knowledge  allows  EDMO  to 
strengthen  detection  and  analysis  of  disinformation  campaigns,  improve  public  awareness  and  design 
effective responses for national audiences across the EU. For the 2024 European Parliament elections, 
EDMO established a dedicated taskforce to monitor the EU’s information space. It issued daily briefs and 
early  warnings  about  disinformation  narratives,  and  ran  an  EU-wide  ‘BeElectionSmart’  media  literacy 
campaign. The taskforce was assisted by a pool of AI experts to swiftly detect and expose deceptive or 
misleading  AI-generated  content.  EDMO  has  also  continued  to  publish  monthly  updates  on  the 
disinformation  situation  in  the  EU  and  worked  to  counter  disinformation  concerning  Russia’s  illegal 
invasion of Ukraine. 

The Declaration also contains a commitment to support effective access to digital content that reflects 
the EU’s cultural and linguistic diversity. The common European data space for cultural heritage is a 

39 

 
 
flagship initiative to accelerate the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector, building on the 
work of the European Initiative. It features access to diverse content (including digitised cultural heritage 
objects, editorials and other resources) related to diversity and inclusion. These range from content and 
exhibitions on under-represented cultures or cross-cultural exchange30 to resources on women’s history31 
to promoting a more inclusive and respectful approach to describing digital collections32 (15e). 

The  Commission  is  preparing  the new  European  Democracy  Shield,  which  will  provide  a  strategic 
approach  to  safeguard  and  strengthen  democracy  in  the  EU  during  this  mandate,  aiming  to  reinforce 
public trust in democracy and democratic institutions, to increase democratic resilience and to react to 
evolving  challenges.   A  call  for  evidence  asking  for  feedback  as  well  as  a  public  consultation  were 
launched in March 2025. 

Member State action 

Overall, 239 Member State initiatives related to the implementation of a trustworthy and diverse digital 
environment (chapter IV) were identified by the support study, showing a rather low level of activity in 
this area. That said, with citizens’ call for a more trustworthy digital environment, activity is increasing. 
In 2024, 146 initiatives were launched, making it the highest number of initiatives in this area in recent 
years.  

Efforts mostly contribute to supporting the development and best use of digital technologies to stimulate 
people’s engagement  and  democratic  participation  (15b), while  the  fewest  number of  initiatives  have 
been identified with regards to empowering individuals to make freely given, specific choices and limiting 
the exploitation of vulnerabilities and biases, namely through targeted advertising (15f).  

Most  initiatives  are  led  by  government  organisations  (77%),  supported  by  activities  originated  by  civil 
society,  industry  and  National  Human  Rights  Institutions.  Initiatives  are  predominantly  research  and 
technology  solutions  (22%),  as  well  as  policy  related  (18%)  or  legislative  (17%).  While  the  majority  of 
initiatives is put forward at national level (70%), relatively many actions taking place at international (14%) 
and regional/local level (17%). 

In 2024, several Member States implemented measures to tackle illegal and harmful content online. The 
Centre for Social Informatics (CSI) and the Peace Institute in Slovenia have, for instance, launched a new 
project that aims to analyse the perception of hate speech and disinformation through an online survey 
and develop a corresponding proposal for action.  

In Latvia, a one-year project, on monitoring and reporting for a safer online environment, funded by the 
EU  CERV  programme,  sought  to  apply  a  comprehensive  and  intersectional  approach  in  preventing 
intolerance, racism and xenophobia online. The European Digital Media Observatory has also supported 
Member States in detecting and analysing disinformation, training professionals and citizens as well as 
providing support to authorities in monitoring online platforms. There are currently 14 operational hubs 
active in all Member States and Norway. (15c,15d,15f) 

30 Cf. https://www.europeana.eu/en/inclusion-and-diversity-through-citizenship 
31 Cf. https://pro.europeana.eu/tags/womens-history-month 
32 Cf. https://pro.europeana.eu/page/the-de-bias-vocabulary; https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/dataset/-
/resource?uri=http://publications.europa.eu/resource/dataset/de-bias-ontology  

40 

 
 
 
To  further  empower  citizens  online,  Sweden  has  launched  Källkritikbyrån,  a  project  to  help  people 
become confident and conscious internet users. It provides inspiration and knowledge to become more 
critical of online sources. The project systematically reviews online claims and passes on the knowledge 
to the general public.  

In 2024 Hungary established a national register of advertising devices. This initiative aims to ensure that 
all advertising tools comply with urban landscape protection regulations. Owners of advertising devices 
must register their tools so that their devices are allowed. (15a, 15f) 

When  it  comes  to  the  use  of  digital  technologies  to  stimulate  people’s  engagement  and  democratic 
participation,  Cyprus  has  launched  an online  platform  Citizen’s  Voice  which  provides  citizens  with the 
possibility of two-way communication with the government. As part of participatory democracy, via the 
‘Citizen’s  Voice’  portal,  the  government  conducts  citizens’  advisory  votes  on  major  issues  concerning 
legislation and policies it intends to implement. (15b) 

To support access to digital content reflecting cultural and linguistic diversity, Finland’s National Digital 
Library Finna continued to provide access to a wide range of digital cultural heritage materials, including 
documents, photographs, and audiovisual recordings, in multiple languages. (15e) 

Further national efforts may be expected following the implementation of the Digital Services Act and the 
European Media Freedom Act. 

Best practice 

Luxembourg has been active in raising awareness about safe and responsible use of digital technology, 
particularly  among  children  and  young  people.  In  2024,  its  governmental  initiative  BEESECURE 
delivered 1 127 digital literacy training sessions, mainly to children and young people in schools but 
also parents, teachers and others. A campaign launched in 2024 aimed to raise awareness about how 
AI-generated content, especially deep fakes, could mislead the public and spread disinformation.  

BEE  SECURE  also  includes an  anonymous  reporting  platform  Stopline  where  users  can  report  illegal 
content such as child sexual abuse material, racism and hate speech. Relevant content is forwarded to 
the national police or other authorities.  

BEE  SECURE  is  co-funded  by  the  EU  and  part  of  the  European  networks  Insafe  (awareness-raising 
centres and helplines) and INHOPE (International Association of Internet Hotlines, reporting centres for 
illegal content). 

Chapter V - Safety, security and empowerment 

In keeping with the objective of protection against cyberattacks in the Digital decade, the signatories to 
the Declaration committed to take  (further) measures to promote traceable and safe products on the 
Digital Single Market, and to protect people, businesses and public institutions against cybersecurity risks 
and cybercrime, including via cybersecurity requirements for connected products  placed on the single 
market. 

41 

 
 
 
Overall, 530 Member State initiatives on the implementation of a safe and secure  digital environment 
(chapter  III)  had  been  identified  by  the  support  study33  by  the  end  of  2024.  The  highest  number  of 
initiatives focus on the section A protected, safe and secure digital environment (Chapter V), concretely 
on protecting the interests of people, businesses and public institutions against cybersecurity risks and 
cybercrime, including data breaches and identity theft and manipulation (16b). 

The majority of initiatives  are  led by government organisations (73%), with  reasonably  strong support 
from civil society (16%), industry (7%) and national human rights institutions. Initiatives are predominantly 
policy related (24%), and popular measures include training courses and educational initiatives (18%) as 
well  communication-related  initiatives  (17%),  complemented  by  quite  a  few  harmonisation  initiatives, 
such as guidelines and certification schemes (8%). Although most initiatives are at national level (84%), 
action in this area is supported by city initiatives (6%). 

Based  on  the  impact  indicator  framework  developed  by  the  support  study,  taking  into  account  both 
available  data  and  public  perceptions,  the  commitments  in  this  chapter  are  estimated  to  be 
implemented at 54% (2023 data), making it the least implemented chapter of the Declaration. Despite 
relative activity of Member States in this area, the impact indicators suggest that Member States are 
struggling to ensure effective impact  of these measures on the ground. This is true in  particular in  8 
Member States, where the impact is estimated to be equal or below 50%: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, 
Greece, France, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden34.  

A protected, safe and secure digital environment 

According to the 2025 Eurobarometer35, a majority of Europeans (55%) consider that they have access 
to safe and privacy-friendly digital technologies in their country (same as in 2024 and 2023), especially 
in Finland (76%) and Malta (71%). Similarly to previous years, one third (33%) remains of the opposite 
view however, with most critical citizens in Greece (51%), Spain (41%) and Slovakia (40%). 

EU action 

The  Digital  Services  Act  (DSA)  sets  EU-wide  rules  for  online  intermediaries,  including  for  online 
marketplaces  that  connect  sellers with  consumers.  The  rules  seek to  ensure  that  traders can  only  sell 
products  on  online  marketplaces  that  are  compliant  with  the  relevant  product  safety  and  other 
requirements (16a). 

Online marketplaces have an obligation to counter illegal goods offered through their service. This implies, 
for  example:  the  obligation  to  put  in  place  user-friendly  notice-and-action  and  complaint  handling 
mechanisms; a duty of cooperation with trusted flaggers; a ban on dark patterns; rules on advertising, and 
detailed transparency obligations, including how products are recommended to consumers. 

33 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 
34 This estimation takes into account available EU data, in this case covering only 7/12 commitments in this chapter. The main 
gaps in data availability concern the section Protection and empowerment of children and young people in the digital 
environment, where only 2/5 commitments have a data source. 
35 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 

42 

 
 
 
Online marketplaces also have to comply with the ‘know your business customer’ obligation that require 
them  to  gather  certain  information  about  traders  before  they  offer  their  products  on  the  platform. 
Information  includes  for  example  the  identity  and  contact  details  of  the  trader,  information  on  their 
payment account, their trade registration details, and a self-certification committing them to only offer 
products that comply with EU rules, and online marketplaces should make best efforts to assess whether 
the information is reliable and complete. 

The  General  Product  Safety  Regulation  (GPSR)  applicable  from  13  December  2024  (see  also  here) 
introduced specific product safety-related obligations for providers of online marketplaces, building on 
the  general  framework  of  the  DSA.  For  example,  providers  of  online  marketplaces  that  target  EU 
consumers need to register with the EU Safety Gate Portal and indicate their point of single contact there. 
The GPSR also introduced strict deadlines for handling governmental orders and notices and specified the 
minimum  information  that  need  to  be  indicated  by  traders  on  each  product  listing,  before  their 
publication on online marketplaces. 

The  GPSR  also  introduced  new  enforcement  mechanisms  in  the  area  of  product  safety.  For  example, 
national market  surveillance  authorities of the Consumer Safety Network will now  be  able to conduct 
simultaneous compliance checks, ‘product safety sweeps’, which are particularly relevant and effective in 
online worlds. 

In  the  E-Commerce  Communication  adopted  in  February  2025,  the  Commission  promotes  digital 
solutions like the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as a key enabler for the supervision of the e-commerce 
landscape,  supporting  authorities  by  making  available  product  regulatory  compliance  information 
available in a digital format. Over time, most physical goods placed on the EU market or put into service 
will require a DPP.  Enhancing the transparency of product specific information will enable  consumers, 
manufacturers and authorities to make more informed decisions.  

The Commission is prioritising the effective implementation of the DPP as well as expanding its scope for 
regulatory  compliance,  in  proposals  like  the  Toy  Safety  Regulation,  the  Detergents  and  Surfactants 
Regulation or the Green Claims Directive.  It  aims to extend the use of the DPP system to other policy 
areas,  promoting  it  as  a  single  entry  point  for  all  product-specific  information,  such  as  instructions, 
declaration  of  conformity  and  conformity  certificates.  In  line  with  these  efforts,  the  Commission 
announced measures to support a modern and resilient supervisory toolbox, in particular through the use 
of the DPP for detecting illegal goods, and shared databases. 

Additionally, the DPP, together with the EU Single Window Environment for Customs and later the EU 
Customs Data Hub, will also simplify the work of customs authorities, market surveillance authorities, and 
economic operators when a product enters the EU market. Therefore, customs authorities will be able to 
use the information made available through the DPP for risk management purposes to more efficiently 
allocate their resources to the most relevant tasks. 

The signatories of the Declaration also committed to protecting the interests of people, businesses and 
public institutions against cybersecurity risks and cybercrime, including data breaches and identity theft 
and manipulation. This includes cybersecurity requirements for connected products placed on the single 
market (16b).  

43 

 
 
The  EU  has  developed  a  strong  framework  to  ensure  the  security  and  resilience  of  our  critical 
infrastructure.  One  example  is  the  5G  Toolbox  which  provides  recommendations  to  ensure  that  5G 
networks are secure and resilient. However, the state of implementation of the 5G Toolbox by Member 
States is not complete, as many Member States still do not have restrictions on high-risk suppliers. This 
creates a significant risk of strategic dependency on high-risk suppliers and our EU 5G networks being 
subject to interference from countries outside the EU.  

Building  on  the  5G  Toolbox,  Member  States,  together  with  the  Commission  and  the  EU  Agency  for 
Cybersecurity,  carried  out  a  risk  assessment  on  the  cybersecurity  and  resilience  on  Europe’s 
communications infrastructure.  

Regarding the security of supply chains, the Commission and ENISA, through the NIS Cooperation Group, 
are  conducting  risk  assessments  of  specific  critical  ICT  services,  ICT  systems  and  ICT  products  supply 
chains, recommending mitigation measures to ensure their security. 

Member States had to transpose the Directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity 
across the Union (NIS2 Directive) into national law by 17 October 2024. This Directive aims to ensure a 
high level of cybersecurity across the EU. It covers entities operating in sectors that are critical for the 
economy  and  society,  including  providers  of  public  electronic  communications  services,  ICT  service 
management,  digital  services,  wastewater  and  waste  management,  space,  health,  energy,  transport, 
manufacturing of critical products, postal and courier services and public administration. 

In October 2023 the Commission adopted the first implementing rules on cybersecurity of critical entities 
and  networks  under  the  NIS2  Directive.  This  implementing  act  details  cybersecurity  risk  management 
measures  as  well  as  the  cases  in  which  an  incident  should  be  considered  significant  and  companies 
providing digital infrastructures and services should report it to national authorities.  

The implementing regulation applies to specific categories of companies providing digital services, such 
as cloud computing service providers, data centre service providers, online marketplaces, online search 
engines and social networking platforms. For each category of service providers, the implementing act 
also specifies when an incident is considered significant. 

The  Cyber  Resilience  Act  entered  into  force  on  10  December  2024  and  its  main  obligations  will  start 
applying from 11 December 2027. It introduces cybersecurity requirements for hardware and software 
accessing the European market, including support obligations for the time the products are expected to 
be  in  use.  It  forms  a  crucial  pillar  of  EU’s  prevention  system,  tackling  the  challenges  consumers  and 
businesses currently face when trying to determine which products are cybersecure and setting them up 
securely. 

In  2024,  the  Commission  adopted  the  first  EU  cybersecurity  certification  scheme,  based  on  Common 
Criteria (EUCC). A first of its kind, the EUCC will allow suppliers of ICT products and services to showcase 
the cybersecurity of their offer, as well as to raise awareness and empower businesses and consumers to 
select more cybersecure products. The scheme started being available for vendors as of February 2025. 

The 2024 Cyber Solidarity Act entered into force on 4 February 2025. It aims to strengthen solidarity and 
capacities  in  the  Union  to  detect,  prepare  for  and  respond  to  cyber  threats  and  incidents.  Under  this 
Regulation, the European Cybersecurity Alert System will be established to build coordinated detection 

44 

 
 
and situational awareness capabilities, reinforcing the Union’s threat detection and information-sharing 
capabilities. The Regulation also provides for setting up a Cybersecurity Emergency Mechanism to support 
Member  States  in  preparing  for,  responding  to,  mitigating  the  impact  of  and  initiating  recovery  from 
significant cybersecurity incidents and large-scale cybersecurity incidents.  

Thirdly,  the European Cybersecurity Incident Review Mechanism will be  created,  to review and assess 
specific significant cybersecurity incidents and large-scale cybersecurity incidents. 

Member State action 

In 2024 in Luxembourg, the Ministry of the Economy, in close cooperation with the National Cybersecurity 
Competence Centre (NC3) and with the support of Luxinnovation, launched the first call for projects under 
the new funding scheme known as the Cybersecurity Innovation & Development Funding Programme (LU-
CID-FP). This call for funding is co-financed by the EU. This initiative aims to bolster the development and 
adoption of cybersecurity innovations by supporting SMEs and start-ups within Luxembourg. Successful 
applications to this call will be funded through the Research and Development funding scheme managed 
by the Ministry of Economy. 

To  raise  awareness  about  cyber  security  among  both  individuals  and  companies  and  strengthen  their 
ability  to  protect  themselves  against  crime,  Sweden  organised  an  awareness  raising  campaign  ‘Tänk 
Säkert’, carried out by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Authority and the Swedish police. 

In the meantime, Estonia continued to implement its Kübertest, a cybersecurity training and awareness 
initiative  designed  to enhance  the  cybersecurity knowledge  and  skills of  public  sector  employees.  The 
programme, implemented by RIA (Information System Authority) includes a series of training modules 
that  cover  various  cybersecurity  topics,  such  as  recognising  phishing  attempts,  securing  personal  and 
organisational  data,  and  responding  to  cyber  incidents.  The  training  is  delivered  through  an  online 
platform, making it accessible to a wide audience. 

Best practice 

In 2024, Malta launched two funding schemes to support cybersecurity of public and private bodies. 
First,  the  CYBER+ALT  scheme  for  SMEs  aims  to  facilitate  the  implementation  of  state-of-the-art 
cybersecurity  solutions  through  cascading  of  funds.  Second,  the  CYBER  ASSESS  scheme  offers  free 
cybersecurity assessment services to the private and public sector, to assess their cyber resilience. 

Privacy and individual control over data 

Data  protection  and  privacy  are  key  fundamental  rights  in  the  digital  age.  They  are  also  enabling  the 
protection of other fundamental rights that can be affected by unlawful  access, such as human dignity 
and freedom of expression. The EU and Member States have undertaken to ensure effective control of 
personal  and  non-personal  data  in  line  with  EU  data  protection  rules  and  other  relevant  rules, 
respectively.  

They have also committed in the Declaration to effectively protect communications from unauthorised 
third-party access, prohibiting unlawful identification as well as unlawful retention of activity records. The 

45 

 
 
 
EU and Member States also undertook to effectively ensure the possibility for individuals to easily move 
their personal and non-personal data between different digital services, in line with portability rights. 

According to the 2025 Eurobarometer survey36, only a slight majority of Europeans consider that their 
privacy online (i.e. respect for the confidentiality of communications and information on devices) is well 
protected (52%, similar to recent years). The most optimistic views are in Malta (73%) and Finland (70%). 
Worryingly, over one third (36%) of Europeans continue to believe that their privacy online is not well 
protected, with an alarming majority of citizens in Greece (57%, +6 pp compared to 2024), followed by 
Spain (44%) and Slovakia (43%, +6 pp). 

In addition, only a minority of Europeans believe they have control over their own data, including how 
it is used online and with whom it is shared (48%, similar to last years). Four in ten Europeans believe their 
data is not in their control (41%, similar to previous years). The majority of citizens in Greece (57%) and 
Sweden (53%) are worried about their data. On the positive side, the data also show that individuals are 
increasingly familiar with and actively exercise their rights under the General Data Protection Regulation 
(GDPR). 

Only  four  in  ten  Europeans  believe  that  they  are  getting  control  of  their  digital  legacy,  for  instance 
deciding what happens with personal accounts and information after they die (42%, comparable to recent 
years). Equally, almost four in ten Europeans feel they do not have control over their digital legacy (38%). 

EU action 

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the cornerstones of the EU’s approach to digital 
transformation  and  ensures  that  individuals  remain  in  control.  Its  basic  principles  -  fair,  safe  and 
transparent  processing  of personal  data,  legitimacy of  purpose  of  processing,  data  minimisation,  data 
security- underpin all EU policies involving the processing of personal data (19a). 

On 25 July 2024  the  Commission  published the  Second Report on the  application of the General Data 
Protection  Regulation37.  It  shows  that  in  the  six  years  since  the  GDPR  became  applicable,  it  has 
empowered people by allowing them to have control over their data. It has also helped create a level 
playing field for businesses and provided a cornerstone for the panoply of initiatives that are driving the 
digital transition in the EU. 

At the same time, further progress should be made in a number of areas in the coming years. In particular, 
the focus should be on supporting stakeholders’ compliance efforts - especially small and medium sized 
enterprises (SMEs),  small operators and  researchers and research organisations, providing clearer and 
more  actionable  guidance  from  the  data  protection  authorities,  and  achieving  a  more  consistent 
interpretation and enforcement of the GDPR across the EU.  

To that end, the Commission continues to actively support the swift adoption of the proposal on GDPR 
procedural rules by the EU Council and European Parliament. This proposal aims to clarify key steps in the 

36 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
37 COM(2024) 357 final: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=COM:2024:357:FIN&trk=public_post_comment-text  

46 

 
 
 
cross-border enforcement procedure under the one-stop-shop in the GDPR and would provide definitions 
for key terms. It would lead to a more consistent interpretation and enforcement of the GDPR. 

According to the Data Act, processing of non-personal data coming from connected products is subject 
to the requirement of a contractual agreement with the lawful user of the connected product.  

Under the Data Act, which entered into force in January 2024 and will be applicable as of 12 September 
2025,  users  (both  professional  and  individual  users)  of  connected  products  will  have  the  right  to  port 
personal and nonpersonal data generated by such products to service providers of their choice – limited 
by the rights of other data subjects and to a certain extent by a company’s legitimate interest in preserving 
its trade secrets (19b).  

An  expert  group38,  that  first  met  in  September  2022,  composed  of  academic  and  industry  experts,  is 
preparing model contract terms for the implementation of the new portability right. This will form the 
basis for a Commission recommendation to be published in the course of 2025. The Commission regularly 
publishes updated frequently asked questions on the Data Act39. 

Under the ePrivacy Directive the provider of a publicly available electronic communications service has 
the  obligation  to  take  appropriate  technical  and  organisational  measures  to  safeguard  security  of  its 
services  and,  those  measures  must  ensure  that  personal  data  can  be  accessed  only  by  authorised 
personnel for legally authorised purposes (19c).  

According to the Directive, the implemented appropriate technological protection measures must render 
the data unintelligible to any person who is not  authorised to access  it.  In addition, the Directive  also 
places an obligation on Member States to ensure the confidentiality of communications and the related 
traffic  data  by  means  of  a  public  communications  network  and  publicly  available  electronic 
communications services, through national legislation. 

Under the ePrivacy Directive, the provider of a publicly available electronic communications service has 
the  obligation  to  take  appropriate  technical  and  organisational  measures  that  protect  personal  data 
stored  or  transmitted  against  accidental  or  unlawful  destruction,  accidental  loss  or  alteration,  and 
unauthorised or unlawful storage, processing, access or disclosure (19d).  

In  addition,  the  Directive  places  an  obligation  on  service  providers,  where  calling  line  identification  is 
offered, to offer the caller user the possibility, using a simple method and free of charge, of preventing 
their number from being identified, on a per-call basis.  

In light of this, the ePrivacy Directive allows Member States to adopt additional necessary, appropriate 
and proportionate legislative measures to safeguard national security, defence, public security, and the 
prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences or of unauthorised use of the 
electronic communication systems.  

These  measures  complement  and  specify  the  requirements  of  the  GDPR.  In  the  Commission  Work 
Programme 2025, the Commission announced its intention to withdraw the Proposal to amend the e-
Privacy  Directive,  on  which  the  Parliament  and  Council  could  not  agree,  and  which  has  also  become 

38 https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3840  
39 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-frequently-asked-questions-about-data-act  

47 

 
 
 
outdated in view of recent legislation40. The Commission is currently assessing the next steps to take on 
this issue.  

Member State action 

In  2024  in  Sweden,  the  Swedish  Authority  for  Privacy  Protection  published  several  guides  on  how 
individuals  may  exercise  their  rights  in  the  field  of  data  protection  for  private  citizens.  These  guides 
included  information  on  who  to  contact  and  how  to  proceed  if  a  person’s  data  protection  has  been 
infringed. The guides include topics such as data protection in healthcare, data protection as a customer, 
and data protection online. 

In Denmark, the Digital Self Defense initiative carried out by the PROSA NGO aims to help citizens protect 
their  privacy  online  by  providing  a  set  of  easy-to-use  tools  and  guidelines.  The  initiative  includes 
recommendations to use secure communication apps like Signal, password managers such as Bitwarden, 
and  privacy-focused  email  services  like  Protonmail.  The  initiative  also  offers  advice  on  using  the  Tor 
network for anonymous browsing, blocking tracking cookies with Privacy Badger, and using alternative 
search engines like DuckDuckGo to avoid data tracking. Additionally, PROSA organises workshops to teach 
individuals how to use these tools effectively to safeguard their digital privacy. 

In Estonia, the Data Tracker online tool continued to provide citizens with a clear overview of how their 
personal data is being used. It offers transparency by logging and displaying all operations performed with 
individuals’ data on the state portal eesti.ee. This service helps increase awareness of the importance of 
protecting personal data, and assists authorities in clarifying requests related to personal data. 

In  the  meantime,  Malta  started  to  implement  its  2023-2027  Public  Administration  Data  Strategy.  The 
Strategy  aims  to  ensure  that  good  governance  of  data  is  at  the  core  of  any  digital  solution  or 
transformation process. It is applicable to all digital data processed within the public administration. Some 
of the key objectives are to govern and manage data in a holistic manner across government through the 
definition  of  standards,  guidelines,  tools,  policies,  and  procedures;  address  data  protection  legal 
obligations and rights, cybersecurity, data preservation, and archiving requirements; and facilitate data 
sharing and re-use through a consistent approach in information systems and datasets. 

Also, implementation of the Data Act by setting national enforcement bodies is still on-going.  

Best practice 

In 2024, in Germany, the city of Munich drew up a Code on Data Ethics, developed by innovation, data-
protection  and  business  experts.  The  Code  highlights  central  values  in  the  context  of  data-driven 
technologies  (e.g.  AI),  namely  responsibility,  fairness  and  transparency.  Each  value  and 
its 
corresponding dimensions are described in the Code, giving the readers an idea of what  each value 
encompasses.  The  Code  raises  awareness  of  relevant  questions  in  the  context  of  data-driven 
technologies while highlighting relevant values and guiding people with effective methods to reflect 
these values in implementation. The Code aims to support trust in the city as a democratic institution. 

40 COM(2016)799 final 2016/0400B (COD) 

48 

 
 
 
 
 
Protection and empowerment of children and young people in the digital environment 

The Declaration  provides that  children  and young  people  should:  (i)  be  empowered to make  safe  and 
informed  choices  and  express  their  creativity  in  the  digital  environment;  and  (ii)  have  access  to  age-
appropriate materials and services. Children and young people should be able to enjoy these benefits, 
while  being  protected  in  particular  from  all  crimes  committed  via  –  or  facilitated  through  –  digital 
technologies.  The Declaration  includes several commitments  in this respect,  including on: (i)  providing 
education; (ii) navigating the digital environment; (iii) protecting children and young people from harmful 
and illegal content, exploitation, manipulation and abuse online; and (iv)  involving  children and young 
people in the development of digital policies that concern them. 

Protecting  children  and  young  people  online  is  a  topic  that  Europeans  remain  concerned  about,  as  it 
apparent in the 2025 Eurobarometer survey41. Only 42% of Europeans polled in this survey consider that 
their  country  is  ensuring  a  safe  digital  environment  and  safe  digital  content  for  children  and  young 
people, an alarming number despite a slight improvement since the previous year (39%). 

Overall, almost a half of Europeans (48%) are worried about the safety of children online in their country. 
This is a slight  improvement  compared  with  last year (53%). In 12 EU Member States,  the  majority of 
citizens is worried, notably in Greece (65%), Sweden (63%) and Slovakia (62%). 

Results  of  a  consultation  with  children  on  what  they  need  to  feel  safe  done,  carried  out  by  the  EU’s 
Children’s  Participation  Platform,  show  that  children  do  not  think  they  are  protected  enough  online, 
including through built-in protections, like through age verification tools for social media. They want to 
know more about risks, where to ask for help and how to report dangerous and unsafe situations, bullying 
or attacks online, and receive this information in a way that is simple, user-friendly and efficient. As a child 
interviewed during the consultation said: ‘Children want to be more educated in order not to be victims 
on the internet and their data to be stolen’.  

EU action  

The protection of minors is a priority for the EU, as recalled in the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines42 and 
the May 2024 Council Conclusions on the European and international policy agendas on children, youth 
and children’s rights.  The EU  toolbox on protection and empowerment of minors online includes the 
DSA, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), and the Better Internet for Kids strategy (BIK+). 
The AI Act adopted in 2024 bans AI systems that exploit children’s vulnerabilities and requires additional 
safeguards for high-risk applications affecting minors. 

Under  the  BIK+,  the  Commission  is  aiming  for  children  to  acquire  the  necessary  skills  to  make  sound 
choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly. Thanks to the EU co-
funded network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) in Member States, the Commission raises awareness on 
online safety, providing resources in all EU languages and training across the EU. 

41 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
42 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en  

49 

 
 
 
The EU committed in the Declaration to provide opportunities to all children and young people to acquire 
the necessary skills and competences, including media literacy and critical thinking, in order to navigate 
and engage in the digital environment actively, safely and to make informed choices (22a). 

In 2024, the network of Safer Internet Centres and the BIK platform reached more than 35 million users, 
providing  them  with  almost  2 300  new  resources.  Network  resources,  including  guides  and  videos, 
address diverse online opportunities and challenges, including topics such as algorithms, AI, cyberbullying, 
online harms, media literacy, healthy screen use, digital marketing tactics, and many others.  

Safer  Internet  Day  is  the  annual  worldwide  campaign  under  the  (BIK+  to  promote  online  safety  for 
children. On Safer Internet Day 2024 almost 19 000 schools and over 17 000 other organisations were 
involved in SIC actions across Europe alone. 

In 2024, the network and the BIK platform also launched the #MediaSmartOnline campaign to spotlight 
media literacy actions, initiatives, and resources  across Europe. The campaign builds on the resources 
available within the network while maximising the efforts and activities of other stakeholders (including 
NGOs, government agencies and industry) involved in supporting practices, developing policy and carrying 
out  research 
issues  such 
as disinformation and misinformation. It also has the, and more general aim of increasing media literacy 
skills among children and young people,  while  also better upskilling those  that  support them (such as 
parents, caregivers and teachers). 

literacy.  The  campaign  aims  to  raise  awareness  of 

into  media 

The network of SICs and the BIK platform also managed the #AdWiseOnline campaign to address the risks 
that children face online as young consumers. The campaign focuses on in-game marketing tactics (e.g. 
persuasive  design,  dark  patterns,  and  loot  boxes  in  video  games)  to  raise  awareness  of  manipulative 
practices and children’s consumer rights by informing parents, guardians, educators, and policymakers 
about  specific  manipulative  practices  in  gaming  and  digital  marketing  that  target  children  and  young 
people. 

With the Digital Services Act (DSA) now in application, the EU promotes positive experiences for children 
and young people in an age-appropriate and safe digital environment (22b). 

The protection of minors is also one of the enforcement priorities of the Commission under the DSA. In 
2024 the Commission opened four formal enforcement proceedings related to minors, one each against 
Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, and two involving TikTok. One of the proceedings launched 
against TikTok led to commitments by TikTok not to launch in the EU a task and reward programme as 
part of its TikTok Lite service due to its addictive features.  

The EU is preparing  guidelines under the DSA  to help online  platforms ensure a high-level of privacy, 
safety and security for children using their services. In August and September 2024, the Commission ran 
a  call  for  evidence  for  upcoming  guidelines  on  the  protection  of  minors  online,  which,  once  adopted, 
would give advice on how online platforms are to implement high levels of privacy, safety and security for 
minors online, as required by the DSA (Article 28). The guidelines are expected to be adopted in mid-2025, 
and  will  also  help  with  the  consistent  application  of  the  rules  by  national  authorities  responsible  for 
enforcement vis-à-vis platforms below the threshold of 45m active monthly users. 

50 

 
 
In 2024, the SIC network and the BIK platform created a guide on age verification, available on the BIK 
platform.  The  guide  includes  family-friendly  explainers,  a  report  setting out  the  different  types  of  age 
verification tools and requirements, and a guide to age verification for digital providers. 

The BIK+ strategy supports and complements the implementation of the DSA provisions on protecting 
minors. That includes support that SICs provide such as: (i) evidence-gathering via regular reporting by 
helplines and hotlines; (ii) national-level surveys or studies; (iii) an early warning mechanism on online 
harms occurring in the EU; (iv) consultations of children and young people regarding their experiences 
and concerns online (organised via national youth panels). 

In her Political Guidelines, President van der Leyen announced an action plan against cyberbullying to 
address the growing trend of abusive behaviour online.  

The EU has a comprehensive legislative and policy framework to address this topic, including the Digital 
Services Act (DSA) and the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy. The EU co-funded network of Safer 
Internet Centres (SICs) has been set up to provide awareness campaigns, training, and resources on online 
safety, including cyberbullying. 

However, a more effective implementation is needed to ensure the well-being of children. Building on 
this existing work, the action plan against cyberbullying will ensure a safe online environment for children 
with targeted initiatives to tackle the issue while promoting digital literacy and awareness-raising efforts. 
The SIC network will be at core of the action plan, which will also build on existing good practices of tools 
and services at national level. 

The EU also aims to involve children and young people in the development of digital policies that concern 
them (22d). In 2024, the network and the BIK platform organised more than 2 100 events involving the 
participation of young people. More than 750 children across the EU were consulted in 2024 for the first 
child-led  evaluation  of  the  BIK+  strategy,  and  BIK  youth  ambassadors  were  consulted  during  the 
development of the Article 28 DSA guidelines on the protection of minors online (they were consulted 
through a workshop in September 2024 and  a focus group in April 2025). In February 2025, BIK youth 
panellists were consulted together with the Digital Service Coordinators on the future action plan against 
cyberbullying. In particular, they were consulted on any difficulties they may currently face in reporting 
cyberbullying. 

The EU Children’s Participation Platform is one of the key deliverables of the EU strategy on the rights of 
the child, set up in October 2022. The Children’s Participation Platform is also a practical way to uphold 
children’s right to have a say, as enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 24) and the 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 12). The aim of the Platform is to: (i) involve 
children  in  decision-making  processes  at  EU  level;  (ii)  create  opportunities  for  children  to  experience 
democratic  processes  at  EU  level;  and  (iii)  connect  existing  child-participation  mechanisms  at  local, 
national, and EU levels.  

Children representing 87 organisations from 24 EU Member States are part of the Platform. All activities 
of the Platform are co-created with children. Since its setup, the Platform has organised two rounds of 
consultations with children on what they need to feel safe and on democracy. Children met during the 
first  General  Assembly  in  June  2023  and  the  ‘Create,  Plan,  Participate’  meeting  in  June  2024.  The 
Platform’s work plan for 2025-2026 has been co-planned with children. 

51 

 
 
To ensure that children access age-appropriate content, the Commission is developing a short-term age 
verification solution, a ‘mini-wallet’, to bridge the gap until the EU Digital Identity Wallet is available (by 
end of 2026). The contract to develop the mini-wallet started at the end of January 2025, with a design 
phase in early 2025, a development phase in spring, and the release of a highly customisable and modular 
application  by  summer  2025,  ready  for  localisation  and  publishing  by  Member  States  and  technology 
providers in the app stores. 

To support the Commission’s efforts and to ensure that the age-verification solutions on the EU market 
are  in  line  with  the  GDPR,  the  European  Data  Protection  Board  on  11  February  2025  has  issued  a 
statement on Age Assurance43. 

Member State action 

In  2024,  Member  States  implemented  measures  to  empower  and  protect  children  in  the  digital 
environment. In Spain, an expert committee of the Ministry of Youth and Childhood also presented its 
report  for  the  development  of  a  safe  digital  environment  for  young  people  and  children.  This  report 
includes  an analysis and recommendations for the prevention, early  detection, and protection against 
possible violations of the rights of children and young people. The report proposes 107 measures to create 
safe digital environments. 

In  Malta,  the  Digital  Innovation  Authority  (MDIA),  in  collaboration  with  eSkills  Foundation  and  other 
entities, organised several educational events in 2024 targeted at strengthening skills and empowering 
children and young people in the digital environment. For instance, the one-week conference ‘Xploring 
Intelligence - A Bootcamp on Us and Tech’ provided a platform to learn about issues such as technology 
and ethics, deepfakes, machine learning and security online. MDIA has also organised workshops called 
‘AI Accelerator Skills For Young Women’, providing young women with the necessary digital, ethical, and 
managerial skills to become content creators and to boost creativity and innovation in solving challenges 
at the community level using AI. 

Member States also continued to conduct activities to promote children’s digital skills and literacy. For 
instance, Estonia continued to make available its ‘Spoofy’ educational cybersecurity game designed for 
children. The game teaches children about internet safety, including recognising online dangers, behaving 
responsibly online,  and understanding the use of smart devices. It is engaging and interactive, making 
learning about cybersecurity fun and accessible for young users. 

Several Member States also organised activities on the occasion of the Safer Internet Day 2024 (and 2025). 
For instance, Italy launched an awareness raising campaign focusing on the use of AI and organised events 
for around 500 students. 

Best practice 

In Spain, the City of Barcelona carried out a series of debates called ‘Growing up between screens’, run 
by the Barcelona City Council and implemented by the team of the Digital and Democracy Innovation 
Centre. The debates focused on the digital literacy of children and adolescents and understanding and 

43 Statement 1/2025 on Age Assurance: edpb_statement_20250211ageassurance_v1-1_en_0.pdf 

52 

 
 
 
 
protecting  their  digital  rights.  A  parallel  project  was  also  launched  to  develop  skills  and  support 
community  and  educational  spaces  in  the  implementation  and  execution  of  digital  literacy  and 
mediation programmes for children, adolescents and families. 

Chapter VI – Sustainability 

The  Declaration  promotes  digital  products  and  services  with  a  minimum  negative  impact  on  the 
environment  and  on  society,  as  well  as  digital  solutions  with  a  positive  impact  on  the  environment. 
Moreover,  the  Declaration  provides  that  access  to  accurate  and  easy-to-understand  information  on 
environmental impact and energy consumption should be  available to everyone. The EU and Member 
States  committed  in  the  Declaration  to:  (i)  incentivising  sustainable  consumer  choices  and  business 
models; and (ii) fostering sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour throughout the global value 
chains of digital products and services, including with a view to combating forced labour. 

According  to  the  2025  Eurobarometer  survey44,  only  half  of  Europeans  (50%,  the  same  as  in  2024), 
consider  that  they  have  access  to  digital  products  and  services  that  minimise  damage  to  the 
environment and society. This includes products and services that can be repaired or recycled, and which 
do not involve forced labour. Moreover, one third of citizens (34%) think they do not have such access 
(unchanged compared with 2024 and 2023), with this percentage rising to more than half of citizens in 
the Netherlands (52%).  

Similarly, nearly half of Europeans (49%, comparable to last year) believe that they have access to the 
right information on the environmental impact and energy consumption of digital technologies in their 
country. In addition, a stable one third of Europeans (36%) continues to think that their access to this 
information  is  limited,  including  more  than  half of  citizens  from  Sweden  (52%)  and  almost  half  of  the 
population in Greece (48%) and in the Netherlands (47%). 

Based on the  impact  indicator  framework  developed  by  the  support  study45,  taking  into  account  both 
available  data  and  perceptions  of  citizens,  the  commitments  in  this  chapter  are  estimated  to  be 
implemented at 61% (2023 data). Gaps are reported in Belgium, Finland and Slovakia, where the impact 
of  digital rights  initiatives on the  ground  appears to be  equal  to  – or slightly below –  50%. The gap is 
especially acute in Romania where the impact is 33%. This estimation takes into account available EU-27 
data, in this case covering all four of the four commitments in this chapter. 

EU action 

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED recast) mandates that large data centres (above 500 kW capacity) 
must report on key performance indicators related to energy and water consumption, cooling efficiency, 
and the use of waste heat. In March 2024, the Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation laying down 
the key performance indicators which data centre operators must report to a European database by 15 
September 2024 pursuant to Article 12 of the Energy Efficiency Directive. The collected data will inform 

44 2025 Special Eurobarometer Report on the Digital Decade, available here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-
redirect/883227 
45 Study to support the monitoring of the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, available here: https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news-redirect/883230 

53 

 
 
 
 
further policy action under the Energy Efficiency Directive. The KPIs laid down in the Delegated Regulation 
will form the basis for an EU-wide rating scheme for data centre sustainability, work on which is taking 
place over the course of 2025. The first annual reporting yielded incomplete and insufficient information 
on the sustainability performance of data centres in the EU but it was also a significant step forward in 
putting in place the reporting and the respective platform. The second reporting cycle ends on 15 May 
2025. Member States are encouraged to work with their respective national industries to improve their 
data  collection,  taking  into  account  how  critically  important  it  is  to  have  a  good  information  basis  for 
informing future policy choices. By 15 May 2025, the Commission will assess the available data and submit 
a report to the European Parliament and to the Council, exploring possible policy action such as minimum 
performance standards for new data centres.  

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), published in June 2024, aims to progressively 
set performance and information requirements for key products placed on the EU market, including ICT 
products. The Regulation introduces a ‘Digital Product Passport’(DPP), which will be an easily accessible 
tag  on  products  that  will  give  prospective  purchasers  instant  access  to  digital  information  about  the 
product, including on product sustainability. 

The ESPR authorises the Commission to adopt secondary legislation laying down the legal requirements 
for  the  DPP.  This  includes  delegated  and  implementing  acts  concerning  DPP  service  providers,  digital 
credential procedures, central registry arrangements, and the lifecycle management of unique identifiers. 
Work on the delegated act aiming to set out the requirement for the future DPP service providers  has 
already started. To this end, a public consultation and a study that will underpin the impact assessment 
are currently ongoing. 

Another important work strand in the implementation process is the development of the DPP standards. 
The Commission plans to put forward a revision of the standardisation request to ensure the development 
of harmonised standards. The revised request will not touch upon the scope of the work set out in the 
original request. The standardisation efforts for the DPP extend beyond the EU’s borders, with initiatives 
including UNECE’s Recommendation no. 49 and collaborative projects involving international entities like 
ISO  TC  154.  The  Commission  follows  closely  these  developments  and  works  towards  ensuring  global 
interoperability and alignment. 

The  CIRPASS  project  ended  in  March  2024  and  prepared  the  ground  for  the  gradual  piloting  and 
deployment of the Digital Product Passports (DPPs). It is followed by CIRPASS-2, an innovation action 
project funded by the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme that started in May 2024 and 
will run until April 2027. This project builds on the results of CIRPASS and will demonstrate in 13 lighthouse 
pilots: (i) the functioning DPPs in real settings; and (ii) the benefits of these DPPs for the circular economy. 

In  June  2024,  the  EU  adopted  the  Directive  on  common  rules  promoting  the  repair  of  goods.  The 
Directive aims to promote the repair of goods within and beyond a product’s legal guarantee. Within the 
legal guarantee, the consumers will be incentivised to opt for repair by extending the legal guarantee by 
one year for the repaired products. Beyond the legal guarantee, the Directive will oblige manufacturers 
to  offer  repair  services  for  those  products  (including  smartphones  and  tablets)  that  are  subject  to 
repairability requirements in EU law, under EU law on eco-design. The European Commission is mandated 
with establishing a European online repair platform to make it easier for consumers to find repair service 
providers.  

54 

 
 
The  European  Green  Digital  Coalition  (EGDC)  published  in  April  2024  a  science-based  method  for 
estimating  the  net environmental  impact  of  digital  solutions  in  major  sectors of  the  economy  such as 
energy, transport, construction, agriculture, smart cities, and manufacturing. This work was done by the 
EGDC  Pilot  Project,  which  helped  relevant  organisations  and  experts  to  work  with  EGDC  members  to 
develop the Net Carbon Impact Assessment Methodology for ICT Solutions. For the first time, there is now 
a detailed and agreed methodology for calculating both the negative and positive carbon impact of digital 
solutions such as those used in a smart cities context. If the net impact of a digital solution is positive, 
then this gives the necessary evidence to policy makers and financial actors to support the scale up of 
such solutions.  

In February 2025, the new EGDC Pilot 2 started. EGDC Pilot 2 will calculate 50 case studies from different 
sectors (including the smart cities sector) and bring financial institutions to develop eligibility criteria for 
climate (green) financing of the deployment of proven green digital (including AI) solutions. 

Following up on the 2022 EU action plan on digitalising the energy system, the Commission published a 
study report in March 2024 on identifying common indicators for measuring the environmental footprint 
of electronic communications networks for the provision of electronic communications services. Building 
on this, the Commission is now working on drawing up an EU Code of Conduct for the sustainability of 
telecommunications networks by Q4 2025, in line with the action plan. 

Member State action 

Overall,  145  Member  State  initiatives  related  to  the  implementation  of  a  sustainable  digital 
transformation were identified by the support study, clearly indicating the lowest level of activity in this 
area. Efforts in this area mostly contribute to supporting the development and use of sustainable digital 
technologies  that  have  minimal  negative  environmental  and  social  impact  (24a),  while  only  very  few 
initiatives contribute to promoting sustainability standards and labels for digital products and services 
(24d). 

Most  initiatives  are  led  by  government  organisations  (77%),  supported  by  actions  originated  by  civil 
society,  industry  and  National  Human  Rights  Institutions.  Initiatives  are  predominantly  policy  related 
(35%) or provide research and technological solutions in this area (28%). The vast majority of initiatives is 
put forward at national level (91%). 

In 2024, some Member States were active in raising awareness about sustainable digitalisation, such as 
Germany. The Digital Sustainability Summit 2024 brought together industry, scientists and politicians to 
discuss  and  address  issues  of  digital  sustainability  including  green  skills.  Malta’s  Digital  Innovation 
Authority launched an applied research grant (MARG) to support capacity-building efforts related to: (i) 
technology  for  sustainability  and  environmental,  social,  and  governance  goals;  and  (ii)  emerging 
technologies. 

In Italy, the e-commerce consortium Netcomm is exploring how e-commerce and new retail can develop 
more  sustainable  supply  chains  and  how  digital  technologies  can  help  businesses  tackle  sustainability 
challenges, within its Digital Sustainability Working Group. Its 2025 work plan includes thematic meetings 
showcasing best practices and innovations in the sustainability of e-commerce and new retail. 

55 

 
 
Several other initiatives running over several years were ongoing in 2024. In Latvia, the Green Tech Cluster 
is a civil-society organisation that developed  a  cross-sectoral platform for companies,  educational and 
research institutions, and other organisations operating in the green and smart technologies sectors. The 
cluster  focuses  on  industries  such  as  mechanical  engineering,  ICT,  space  technology,  energy-efficient 
buildings, and environmentally-friendly raw materials. In Austria, the Green Tech Valley is a technology 
hotspot  for  climate  protection  and  circular  economy,  housing  300  active  green  tech  pioneers  and 
technology leaders focused on green innovation.  

Some Member States also put in place practical tools to help companies with their green transition. In 
Denmark, the Danish Business  Authority runs the  Climate  Compass, which provides  companies  with a 
calculation of their greenhouse gas emissions and ideas on how to reduce their climate footprint. 

The efforts of Member States in launching and running initiatives to promote digital sustainability rights 
may also be enabled by recent EU actions, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation 
and the Directive on Common Rules Promoting the Repair of Goods (both entered into force in 2024). 

Best practice 

In the Netherlands, the NGO Allemaal Digitaal celebrated three years of collecting, refurbishing and 
redistributing  electronic  devices  to  people  without  access  to  these  devices  themselves.  With  over 
20 000  laptops,  tablets  and  smartphones  redistributed  to  date,  the  project  has  contributed  to  both 
reducing environmental waste and reducing inequality of opportunity by providing a digital device to 
people with low incomes. The recipients included older people, children, and people with a migrant 
background. 

56