Ladies and gentlemen,
A warm welcome to everyone here today to launch the next stage in our campaign to raise and improve digital skills in Europe.
We have been waiting for this day for some time.
Digital skills are at the heart of the new Skills Agenda for Europe that the European Commission published in June.
Not before time, digital skills are now recognised as basic skills, along with literacy and numeracy.
They are also the basis for a functioning digital society and Digital Single Market.
European Commission Vice-President Ansip