The European Commission highlights that nearly half of EU adults still lack basic digital skills, even though 90% of jobs now require them, posing a major challenge to Europe’s economic competitiveness. Digital skills are essential for daily life, advancing STEM learning, and enabling active, informed citizenship. Demand is growing for competencies in cybersecurity, AI, and digital collaboration, especially with the rise of remote work and online communication.

This year, the Commission published a communication on the Action Plan on Basic Skills and the Union of Skills, setting out key actions. To boost digital skills across Europe, it will update the Digital Competence Framework in 2025 to include emerging technologies like AI, develop guidelines to strengthen digital literacy in vocational education and training (VET), and create a toolkit to integrate basic skills into apprenticeships. The Commission will also promote high-quality teaching materials through EU Code Week and develop EU-wide best practices by 2026 for assessing digital skills in schools to ensure consistent evaluation.

Following the midway point of the Digital Education Action Plan adopted in 2020, the Commission will present a 2030 Roadmap in 2025 to promote equal access to digital education, support AI literacy, and build long-term partnerships with EU-based EdTech providers. Separately, it will implement a STEM Education Strategic Plan to encourage more students, especially girls and women, to pursue STEM studies and careers, while using Erasmus+, the Digital Europe Programme, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to establish transnational university-business partnerships to train people in sectors with severe skills gaps.

In the run up to EU Code Week 2025, which will take place from 11-26 October, join this Euractiv Virtual Conference to take stock of the Digital Education Action Plan just after its halfway mark and explore what’s next for digital skills in Europe. Some questions to be discussed include:

– What does examining the Digital Education Action Plan at its midway point reveal about its successes and challenges? What will be the focus for the second half?
– What should the 2025 update of the Digital Competence Framework include to reflect emerging technologies and support digital skills development?
– What role do digital skills play in improving the EU’s global competitiveness, and which sectors could benefit most from stronger digital capacities?
– Is current EU action enough to close the digital skills gap, or is more legislation and investment needed, and if so, on which areas should it focus?

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

How can young people help shape policies for a healthy, sustainable ocean? That was the question at the heart of the EU4Ocean Coalition’s 2024 Challenge of the Year. Xhoi Zajmi from Euractiv, Nina Dietz and Jan Feuring from Young Citizens’ Council for the Ocean – one of the winning projects bringing fresh energy and bold ideas to the future of ocean governance – delve into the most pressing issues related to our oceans.

In this Euractiv Thought Leadership Interview, journalist Dave Keating sits down with Javier Silva, Head of Sustainability and Community Relations at SQM, one of the world’s largest lithium producers. Javier discusses Chile's pivotal role in the global lithium supply, the unique challenges of operating in the Atacama Desert, and SQM’s evolving approach to sustainability and social responsibility.

The conversation dives deep into:
- How lithium is extracted sustainably from the Salar de Atacama
- SQM’s community outreach efforts and long-term partnerships with indigenous communities
- Addressing water use and environmental concerns in one of the driest places on Earth
- Empowering indigenous women through the AMA project
- Building trust, transparency, and international cooperation with the EU
- Planning for a future beyond mining for local communities

Javier emphasizes the importance of genuine relationships, co-created programs, and respectful engagement, offering a compelling look at how the future of clean energy must also be socially and ethically responsible.

In this podcast episode, part of our Project EUYou, Euractiv's host Christoph Schwaiger speaks with Dr. László Andor, former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (2010-2014) and Secretary General of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies. They explore Hungary’s complex relationship with EU cohesion funds, the impact of rule of law concerns on funding access, and how political shifts - like a potential government change - could reshape Hungary's future within the EU. From suspended investments to broader implications for democracy and economic growth, the discussion highlights what's at stake for both Hungary and the European Union.

Europe’s bioeconomy transforms renewable resources—such as agricultural products, forests, seas, residues, and waste—into food, feed, materials, and energy.

The European Commission is preparing a new Bioeconomy Strategy, set for adoption by the end of 2025, to boost innovation and strengthen Europe’s bioeconomy. The strategy is expected to outline measures that will help bring bioeconomy innovations to market, creating new opportunities for green jobs and sustainable economic development.

A key focus of the strategy will be enhancing circularity and sustainability while supporting the EU’s broader decarbonisation efforts. It will establish the necessary framework conditions to support bioeconomy startups, entrepreneurs, and new business models, ensuring they can thrive in a competitive market.

By aligning with major EU initiatives such as the Competitiveness Compass and the Clean Industrial Deal, the strategy will harness the potential of the bioeconomy to support European businesses and advance the EU’s environmental, climate, and competitiveness goals.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the upcoming Bioeconomy Strategy, its potential to drive sustainable economic growth, support innovation, and strengthen Europe’s green transition. Some questions to discuss include:

- What policy measures are needed to accelerate bioeconomy innovation?
- How can the strategy help businesses scale up and compete globally?
- What gaps and challenges should be addressed to unlock the full potential of Europe’s bioeconomy?

In its 2019 Green Deal, the EU emphasised the importance of domestic electric vehicle (EV) battery production to achieve the energy transition while fostering a competitive and sustainable battery value chain. The goal is to scale up domestic EV battery production and establish a fully integrated value chain within the EU. While significant progress has been made, the reality today shows that the EU is still far from fully achieving these objectives.

The 2024 Draghi Report, along with the European Commission’s newly introduced Competitiveness Compass for the EU, highlights key challenges facing Europe’s sustainable growth and global competitiveness. These include slower productivity growth compared to other regions and the disruptive impact of emerging technologies. The report identifies three key areas for action: closing the innovation gap, advancing a competitive decarbonisation strategy, and enhancing security by reducing external dependencies.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to explore the challenges facing the EU’s battery raw materials industry. Questions to be addressed include:

- What is the current state of industries supplying critical raw materials, such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel, for the EV battery value chain?
- Does the European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass effectively address the industry's concerns? Where do the major challenges lie?
- What actions are needed to build a robust and resilient EU battery raw materials industry?
- What measures can be taken to ensure sustainable domestic raw material production and recycling while expanding capacities to meet growing demand?

Listen to this podcast, which discusses the implementation of the Energy Efficiency First principle - the idea of ensuring that energy efficiency solutions are considered in planning, policy, and investment. In particular, in this podcast we look at the cases of Italy and Greece.

This high-level policy debate will convene key actors to discuss the critical role of research and innovation in helping to drive Europe’s green transition and enhancing its competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy. The dialogue will cover a range of topics, including the fostering of green startups and scaleups, effective measures to combat green disinformation and its erosion of public trust and sound policy making, and the strategic importance of green and blue diplomacy in addressing global environmental and security challenges. Discussions on these topics are timely as the negotiations on the next EU’s long-term budget plan are starting up.

By bringing diverse perspectives to the table, this policy debate aims to stimulate forward-thinking dialogue on how Europe can accelerate the transition to a resilient, competitive, and secure green economy. Speakers will look at the role of R&I as an enabler of the green transition and explore how its policy, economic and societal impact can accelerate in the coming years. We invite you to join this timely conversation and contribute to shaping the future of EU research and innovation for sustainable prosperity.

This policy dialogue will set the scene for the full-day "R&I for a Competitive Green Transition" conference, organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, on 24 June 2025 in Brussels. Topics introduced in this policy dialogue session will be explored in more depth during this conference, which is a satellite event of the European Research and Innovation Days.

More information and registrations for the conference: Events | The research and innovation community platform