Inside the Digital Decade: Europe’s Race to 2030

The European Union’s Digital Decade sets a bold vision for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030 - covering everything from high-speed connectivity and cutting-edge technologies to advanced skills and fully digitalised public services. It’s more than a policy framework; it’s a shared roadmap to ensure Europe remains competitive, innovative, and secure in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

For companies, research organisations, and public bodies, that makes now the moment to turn ideas into funded projects. EU programmes - especially Digital Europe (DIGITAL) - are channeling support into AI, cybersecurity, data infrastructure, and advanced digital skills, creating practical pathways from strategy to action.

In this article, we unpack the Digital Decade initiative, translate Slovenia’s 2025 results from Slovenia 2025 Digital Decade Country Report into clear takeaways, and show how to leverage current EU funding opportunities to close the gaps - step by step.

What the Digital Decade Is?

The Digital Decade is the European Union’s strategic plan to accelerate the continent’s digital transformation by 2030. Built around clear and measurable objectives, it focuses on four main pillars: digital skills, secure and sustainable infrastructure, the digital transformation of businesses, and the digitalisation of public services. Together, these priorities form a roadmap designed to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and digital sovereignty.

The first pillar, digital skills, aims to ensure that at least 80 % of the EU population aged 16 to 74 possess basic digital skills, while the workforce should include 20 million information and communication technology (ICT) specialists, with greater gender balance in the sector. These goals are crucial for building a digitally literate society that can fully participate in - and benefit from - the ongoing technological shift.

Secure and sustainable digital infrastructure, focuses on ensuring gigabit connectivity for all citizens, doubling the EU’s share of global semiconductor production, deploying 10,000 climate-neutral and secure edge computing nodes, and building Europe’s first computer with quantum acceleration. These targets are aimed at providing the backbone for Europe’s digital economy, reducing reliance on non-European providers, and enabling technological autonomy.

The third pillar, digital transformation of businesses, seeks to make sure that 75 % of companies adopt advanced technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, or big data. In addition, more than 90 % of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should achieve at least a basic level of digital intensity, while the number of high-value “unicorn” startups in the EU should double. These measures are designed to help European industry innovate, scale, and remain globally competitive.

Finally, the fourth pillar, digitalisation of public services, ensures that all key public services are available online, every EU citizen can access their medical records digitally, and everyone has access to a secure European digital identity. This transformation will not only make public administration more efficient but will also improve transparency and accessibility for citizens across the EU.

Together, these four pillars reflect the EU’s determination to position Europe as a global leader in technology and innovation. They connect digital progress directly to the Union’s broader ambitions for economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. By fostering close cooperation between Member States, the Digital Decade ensures that advancements in skills, infrastructure, business innovation, and public services translate into tangible benefits for companies, public administrations, and citizens across Europe.

Slovenia 2025 Digital Decade Country Report

If Slovenia’s digital journey were a weather forecast, the outlook would read: mostly sunny, with a few clouds on the horizon. The country shines in areas like high-speed connectivity and uptake of advanced technologies, but persistent gaps in digital skills and SME adoption still cast a shadow over the bigger picture.

According to the Slovenia 2025 Digital Decade Country Report, the nation can rely on a well-developed digital infrastructure. Fibre-to-the-premises coverage is already relatively high, and 5G coverage has increased significantly in recent years. Slovenia is also punching above its weight in strategic technologies such as quantum computing, semiconductors, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, with AI uptake by businesses showing notable progress.

However, the report also highlights areas where Slovenia needs to accelerate. The uptake of digital technologies among SMEs remains relatively low, limiting the potential benefits of the country’s strong infrastructure. Even more pressing is the challenge of digital skills: the share of the population with basic digital competences lags behind EU averages, and the number of ICT specialists remains insufficient to meet the needs of a dynamic labour market. Public services tell a different story: the uptake of e-government solutions is above the EU average, and citizens are embracing the convenience of digitalisation. In fact, 78 % of Slovenians believe that the digitalisation of public and private services makes their lives easier, and a remarkable 90 % consider it important for public authorities to address disinformation online.

Financially, Slovenia’s roadmap for achieving its Digital Decade goals is backed by 81 measures worth EUR 685 million, equal to 1.02 % of GDP. In addition, EUR 513 million from the national Recovery and Resilience Plan and EUR 287 million from Cohesion Funds are dedicated to advancing the country’s digital transformation. These investments, if well-targeted, have the potential to close the gaps in skills, SME adoption, and the integration of digital and green transitions - another area where the report calls for a more systematic approach.

In short, Slovenia has laid a solid foundation for its digital future but must now focus on translating infrastructure and innovation capacity into widespread adoption, stronger skills, and cross-sector synergies. The coming years will determine whether the country can move from promising progress to full alignment with the EU’s 2030 Digital Decade targets.

From Gaps to Opportunities

As you already know, the Digital Europe Programme is one of the EU’s flagship initiatives for the 2021–2027 budget cycle. With a total budget exceeding €8 billion, it is designed to accelerate digital transformation across Europe. It covers areas such as artificial intelligence, advanced digital skills, supercomputing, and, of course, cybersecurity. Unlike research-heavy programmes, DIGITAL bridges the gap between technological development and real-world application, enabling organisations to implement solutions that deliver immediate impact.

The latest Digital Decade progress reports reveal both strong foundations and persistent gaps. These gaps are not just challenges - they are market opportunities for companies ready to innovate, adapt, and lead. Several calls are currently open under the Digital Europe Programme, offering the chance to turn identified gaps into tangible opportunities.

Make your mark in Europe’s race to 2030

The Digital Decade charts Europe’s path to 2030, and Slovenia’s latest report reflects both progress and gaps. For businesses, these gaps present opportunities that can be backed by EU funding through the Digital Europe Programme. At Tiko Pro, we’ve built a strong track record of success with international project submissions under the DIGITAL programme. If you have an innovative idea, we’re here to help you transform it into a funded success story.