Workshop on National Initiatives on Digitising Industries and Recovery Fund

04 March 2021

The workshop aims to provide strategic insights on national digitalisation initiatives, after 3 years of monitoring progress in the context of the Digitising European Industry initiative. This workshop builds on country reports up to the end of 2020, as well as preliminary findings of an overall EU analysis of national initiatives on digitising industry, in collaboration with VVA and WIK.

The Potential for Recovery and Resilience Plans to Support the Digital Transformation of the Economy

In order to support Member States in their Recovery and Resilience plans, this workshop will present key enablers of successful digitisation initiatives and reflect on actionable recommendations to address key challenges and opportunities for recovery and resilience in the follow-up of COVID-19 impact on digitising industry.
Policy makers of ministries in charge of digitalisation of the economy, of deployment of digital innovation hubs, and of recovery & resilience plans are invited to participate.
The Digitising European Industry (DEI) initiative was launched by the European Commission in April 2016 to reinforce the EU's competitiveness in digital technologies and to ensure that every industry in Europe – whichever the sector, wherever the location, whatever the size – can fully benefit from digital innovations.
Within this framework, reporting and monitoring the development of national initiatives on digitalisation is key for the implementation of the different actions lines of the DEI initiative.

Download the Agenda

After three-year of study on monitoring progress in national initiatives on digitising industry mandated by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), it is now to time to review early findings of yearly digitalisation reports and analyses of measures in the broader framework of emerging digital growth strategies that are linked to national innovation and industrial policies, following the main DEI action lines:

boosting innovation capacity;
egulatory framework;
skill development; and
national governance structure.

The outbreak of the pandemic has deeply impacted the economic situation in the European Union. In the second quarter of 2020, GDP decreased by 11.4% compared with the previous quarter (Source: Eurostat, Information Release, 8 September 2020). Investments plummeted even more, by 15.4%. To avoid an enduring sluggish economic outlook for the coming years, investments and reforms, notably in relation to the digital transformation of the economy, are essential not only for the recovery but also for the resilience of European economies and societies. In the core objectives of the Recovery and Resilience national plans, member states have the opportunity to support and accelerate the twin green and digital transition. In the frame of the Next Generation EU, The Recovery & Resilience, with a minimum level of 20% investments related to digital is a unique opportunity to finance ambitious initiatives in support of the twin green and digital transition.

Member States can use this source of financing to invest in digital infrastructures, digitalisation of industry, upskilling and reskilling and research and innovation. It should prepare industries to recover from this crisis and prepare their long-lasting resilience.

Link to previous workshops and country reports

2020 workshop with links to country reports and the following background documents:
2019 workshop, with links to country reports and to the following documents

Workshop on National Initiatives on Digitising Industries and Recovery Fund

The Potential for Recovery and Resilience Plans to Support the Digital Transformation of the Economy

Link to previous workshops and country reports

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