Skills all around: highlights from 2026 Annual Meeting with National Coalitions in Brussels

This June was the hottest June ever in Western Europe, with heatwaves breaking records in most EU Member States, leaving Europeans in a bit of a ditch as to where to cool off. In Paris, the Seine's canals in effect were turned into swimming pools for local residents, while Berlin police deployed the water cannons used to disperse protesters to cool people off instead. Brussels was no different, with a protest swim against the lack of water spaces taking place next door of the European Parliament.

As temperatures broke Belgian records, preparations for the EU Advanced Digital Skills Days was well underway. On 29 June 2026 National Coalition representatives gathered in the format of a high-level table to see presentations and share ideas with staff in the European Commission and HaDEA, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency.

National Coalitions: 'the lifeline' of the Platform

Often called ‘the lifeline of the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform’, National Coalitions for Digital Skills and Jobs are multi-stakeholder partnerships that bring partners that aim to launch (or have launched) concrete measures to deliver digital skills to every level of society in their countries. National Coalitions exist in 25 countries in Europe: and 23 have their websites connected to the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform. This brings an essential regional and national layer of information on digital skills policy and initiatives to the Platform, reinforcing its role as a gateway to the latest updates, news and trainings on national and EU level. It also ensures seamless exchange of content from a national to EU-wide audience – and vice versa.

Annual Meeting with National Coalitions in Brussels

Policy background and context

The Annual Meeting on 29 June served to further reinforce this dimension and also the sense of urgency, coming days after the European Commission published its 2026 State of the Digital Decade package, effectively announcing the EU’s lack of ability to reach the 2030 targets with the current pace of skills development and upgrade across the EU Member States. Indeed, the report reveals that if the current speed of innovation remains the same, Europe will reach its 80% target in basic digital skills not in 2030, but 2037 instead. The situation with ICT experts is even more dire: in 2025, employed ICT experts in Europe numbered 10.5 million, just above the 20 million target for 2030 set forward by the Digital Decade Policy Communication back in 2022.

The digital decade under the prism of the NCs

National Coalition representatives discussed progress, challenges and priorities on national, regional and local level in light of the new figures in the 2026 Digital Decade report.

Saskia van Uffelen from the Belgian National Coalition brought up a newly-forming debate at the intersection of women’s participation in the ICT sector: if women are not actively employed by an ICT company, they are not featured in these statistics. What is more, progress is still slow, and despite a focus on education, basic digital skills and STEM, the urgent need is to reskill people today. There is also a large mismatch between the competencies that are needed, and what the education sector is able to currently provide. Another dimension, observed in Belgium, is a shift driven by AI in ICT and cybersecurity roles. There are three angles from which an individual should be considered when evaluating one’s capability to do a job: skills, knowledge, and attitude/approach. Human validation and oversight remains important, together with the need to develop comprehensive and detailed competence matrices (tools to review and update learning programs). Yet, formal education lags behind, and entry thresholds for juniors are rising. Despite the fact that companies in Belgium are enabling continuous learning on-the-job, an important distinction between roles and functions remains. Bulgaria is also looking at roles, which are exposed to, and consequently, threatened by AI. This includes admin, customer service, sales, finance, logistics and others.

In Cyprus, progress against the Digital Decade goals ranks below EU average, with national efforts directed at remedy measures. For the past 10 months, a pilot program integrating AI tools in public administration has been running, with plans for a next stage being prepared. The gender gap in Cyprus is actually in favour of women, and there is another difference on national level compared to EU-27: basic digital skills in rural areas are higher than the attainment in urban ones. The focus on upskilling should now concentrate on older people, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. To mitigate this, the Cypriot government is working closer with national stakeholders, and developing a new Digital Strategy, building on the results of a public consultation.

The Czech republic is amongst the top performers in Europe, scoring well above the EU average. The government has successfully implemented a new Informatics framework into school curricula, and this is bringing results: DigiKoalice, the Czech National Coalition, has a network of over 260 active members. Despite progress, a critical shortage of ICT specialists remains: the share of women in ICT employment is just 13%, one of the lowest in Europe.

Denmark is one of the most digitised countries in the world, boasting a strong infrastructure – but education is still not able to respond to the demand for ICT specialists: last year, universities had to reject 1800 people looking to study ICT due to lack of university places. Nevertheless, digital inclusion throughout the country is strong and the target of 80% of citizens with basic digital skills has already been achieved. For the first time, there is a new Minister of research, education, and digitalization.

In Ireland, the basic digital skills target of 80% has also been reached. There is a healthy ICT ecosystem, strong digital public services (especially in health), and increased connectivity. Yet, SMEs continue to struggle with AI adoption and healthcare digitisation should be bundled up under a unified system. To bridge these gaps, the Irish NC, which was re-established in 2025 after a short break, works to prioritise upskilling to protect the current workforce and prepare talent for AI. The Coalition is planning an AI Innovation Month in October – November 2026 to target AI adoption in SMEs and start ups.

Greece notes progress in the number of employed ICT experts and in the use of AI for professional purposes. While youngsters have higher than the EU-average basic digital skills, digital competence in rural areas is lagging behind. Older people are difficult to reach with initiatives, and national efforts are also directed at understanding and translating the ethical aspects of AI.

A similar challenge with upskilling older adults exists in Hungary, despite strong ICT performance of young people. Hungary notes very low adult learning participation – while the workforce segments most exposed to automation do not participate in reskilling. Thus, the Hungarian NC sees the need to rethink digital skills in the age of AI – as critical competences are fast becoming transversal (algorithmic thinking, critical thinking, media/digital literacy).

Germany notes a shortage of ICT experts, gaps in the uptake of advanced technologies, and low availability and use of public services online. Structural challenges include the fragmentation of the school education system and adult education, training and lifelong learning. The German National Coalition is new, but very active and works intensively in establishing networks with existing stakeholders, building trust in the use of digital technologies and raising awareness of the importance and value of digital skills development.
Italy has gained 8.6% since 2023 in digital skills attainment: currently, almost 55% of people aged 16 to 74 have at least basic digital skills. This progress is attributed to successful projects such as the digital facilitation service network, which delivers assistance, guidance and training on digital skills via 4.000 access points worldwide. At the same time, the shortage of ICT experts remains dire: ICT specialists in Italy make up just 3.8% of total employment, below the EU average of 5%. A similar situation is observed in Latvia – 48.43% of individuals aged 16-74 had basic digital skills in 2025, an average annual increase of 3.4%. Yet, there remains a shortage with ICT experts and an insufficient quantity of digital/STEAM/general skills amongst children and young people. A notable success is the launch of the adult education platform STARS, which is based on individual learning accounts implemented National strategy and mapped to DigComp.

In Lithuania, annual progress with digital is slower (0.8%) – 53.8% of the population has basic digital skills – a challenging result, compared to previous years with faster growth. The gap is the widest amongst older adults and in rural segments of the population. There is a funding challenge too: most initiatives rely on financing under the Recovery an Resilience Facility (RRF) – and many are fragmented without continuing funding. Other initiatives include "No One Is Left Behind" project, currently relying mostly on online training (not always the best solution for all groups) and a new National Digital Agenda 2040 being finalised by the Ministry of Innovation, aiming to address the lack of continuity in digital skills activities.

In Malta, actions are directed towards boosting investment in infrastructure, skills and awareness to build advanced digital and AI capabilities, supporting innovation, talent development and SME competitiveness. Achievements include the launch of an AI Factory antenna connected to a broader EU AI factory network; high-performance computing access for start-ups and SMEs free of charge and an AI literacy initiative launched in May for the general public, offering a free one-year subscription to an online course (funded by government) – with over 14,000 people having completed it; as well as elderly-focused digital inclusion sessions in partnership with a national digital transformation institute, run in villages and communities; an innovation hub providing retraining/upskilling support (entering its second phase). The digital skills gap is still a challenge: and focus is on increasing women's participation in AI/ICT; fully funded master's/PhD programmes in AI and ICT.

In Portugal, digital skills development progress is slow, but steady. The number of ICT specialists is growing, narrowing the gap with EU-27 average. The main challenge is basic digital skills attainment: just 69% of the population is equipped with at least basic digital skills. Gaps remain also amongst people from lower socio economic backgrounds. New government initiatives to bridge these gaps include a Digital Skills Pact action plan implemented this year, a new "National Programme for Girls in Tech" initiative and reskilling/upskilling programmes targeting different population groups.

In Romania, strong digital infrastructure is a key point: network coverage and connectivity rates are at 96% - close to the target of 100%. 5G coverage is slightly weaker, standing at 59%. In the country, significant investment in digital public services, including e-health, eID, and business services has been made, but adoption lags significantly behind investments. Around 40% of the Romanian population is equipped with at least basic digital skills – but specialised skills are well-developed – 27% of employees with high-level skills are active in their professional networks.

Slovakia is focusing on new legislation in preparation on AI in education, boosting critical thinking and online safety and building on a long-running international skills assessment project (in its 15th edition) run in collaboration with Hungarian partners for 5 years. The rural/urban divide is still a challenge, including a generational divide in access to, and confidence in, digital skills education. Past initiatives include the "Digital Champions" project (providing computers/tablets to students from disadvantaged backgrounds), continuing in a new edition with internet connectivity vouchers; a project on digital skills for senior citizens and the "Digital Start" project for unemployed/untrained populations.

Ukraine, represented by the newly-formed Ukrainian National Coalition, is building one of the most dynamic digital ecosystems in Europe: fast, accessible digital public services with AI increasingly implemented; over 21,600 active start-ups; 146,000 IT professionals; a newly created "Phoenix Ukraine Tech Fund" supported by the European Investment Bank, signalling international investor confidence. The country is focusing on upskilling, particularly in the services economy, which lags in digital technology adoption and productivity. There is a strong coalition base of 100+ partners across public institutions, ministries, the IT association, and private sector - seen as a model for cross-sector collaboration.

In Austria, collaboration between different ministries has enabled coordinated focus areas on national level, notably on inclusive AI adoption. A National AI Day has been established with the aim of sustainability. Austria has also now fully adopted the DigComp 3.0 model, and AI-related learning outcomes integrated into DigComp implementation. A networking initiative launched two weeks prior, aimed at cross-sectoral collaboration to address the gender gap in AI - targeting not just experts but a broad base of participants. There are also plans to introduce AI as a lower-secondary school subject from the coming year, alongside additional AI-readiness questions integrated into the national digital skills indicators.

DSJP – Platform Impact Workshop & National Coalitions Feedback

National Coalitions discussed the impact of the Platform and their experience in collaborating with it. The feedback emerging, pointed to:

Funding opportunities
National Coalitions are asking for greater visibility and timeliness on funding opportunities. Compared to other EU platforms, DSJP offers less information but more targeted and relevant content. Some suggestions included a dedicated email channel to receive notifications on calls, in addition to the Platform’s newsletter. Proposals related to extending also the scope of monitored funding opportunities, not just those strictly tied to digital skills.
Sharing of best practices and perspectives
The Platform makes it possible to gain insight into the work of other NCs: an overwhelming conclusion pointed to a value in learning from one another and implementing better initiatives on national level, building on lessons learned and challenges experienced by others.
Working groups: co-design and working together
National Coalitions were united in requesting more support to activate Working Groups (WGs), specifically on basic digital skills skills for adults. Existing formats can be adapted as a model – such as the previously successful WG on DigComp implementation, or the digital education survey on skills assessment and formal education.
Infographics and visibility of country data
NCs suggested a new content type: infographic of the month – with concise data points on a country’s digital skills state-of-play, which could be published within the dedicated NC pages on the Platform. This requires a dual commitment: on the side of the Platform team – to build the format, and on the side of NCs – to provide accurate data in timely manner.
IT professionals and career pathways
NCs expressed interest in topical webinars specifically for IT professionals. Several areas were flagged as valuable: standardisation, ethics in AI, cybersecurity, validated competence levels. The objective is to make the IT/ICT career path more attractive and recognised as a profession and make the Platform more attractive to ICT experts.
Technical and functional improvements of the Platform
NC suggested that while content currently can be pulled automatically from a coalition's website into the platform, this is not the other way around, which could result in more seamless exchange of information for all. Improvements can also be made on simplifying mandatory fields, which are sometimes not applicable. Another suggestion related to dedicating a part of the monthly coordination meetings to technical needs and training for NCs.
Digital sovereignty and cybersecurity content
Some countries (especially Eastern and Northern Europe, citing cyberattacks) flagged the need for dedicated content/chapters on digital sovereignty. NC expressed interest in contributing to digital sovereignty topics themselves, the output of which could potentially be integrated into the Squad assessment group framework. Ideas related to assigning specific topics to specific monthly meetings, and connecting them to relevant working groups (e.g. one session on technical platform needs, another on sovereignty/resilience)
Structure, navigation and connections within the platform
NCs highlighted the need for a clearer distinction between school-level digital education and adult learning. Suggestions included requests for more granular NC subcategories and an interactive map of Union of Skills members in association with NC membership; as well as proposals to connect existing learning opportunities and content with DigComp categories and proficiency levels, to make it easier to match content to a learner's level.
Communication and personalisation
Suggestions here included using email pushes to subscribers to drive attendance to webinars and other events, rather than relying on platform visits. On a broader level, NCs expressed the need for more content around job postings, coaching and mentoring opportunities to help people advance professionally.
Institutional engagement
Requests related to establishing more direct contact from EC officials/senior staff with national government members, particularly at high-level meetings, to strengthen coalitions politically.