On 24 March 2023, the European Commission adopted two multiannual work programmes under the Digital Europe Programme, allocating a total of EUR 1.284 billion in funding, out of which EUR 553 million is available in 2023.

The main education work programme with a total budget of EUR 909.5 million for the period of 2023 and 2024, will focus on advanced digital skills, climate and environment protection technology, data, AI and cybersecurity. In the field of higher education, projects supporting the set-up and delivery of higher education courses in advanced digital technologies and reinforcing skills will be funded. Furthermore, the programme will invest in digital public services, support cross-border interoperability and solutions for public administrations, and promote the European Digital Identity.

Against this background and based on the feedback gathered from the call for evidence on "Digital education – enabling factors for success" and "Digital skills – improving their provision", the Commission published two proposals Council Recommendations aimed at supporting member states in providing high-quality, inclusive, and accessible digital education and training to develop European citizens' digital skills. These updates reconfirm the EU’s aim to help Europe achieve its 2030 targets of 80% of adults having basic digital skills and employing 20 million ICT specialists.

The Council Recommendation on the key enabling factors for successful digital education and training calls for universal access to inclusive and high-quality digital education, addressing the digital divide, and creating a coherent investment, governance, and teacher training framework. The Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills in education and training calls for improved digital skills teaching, targeting each level of education and setting up interventions for for specific ‘priority or hard-to-reach groups'.

ACA members will be discussing these new legal frameworks and their impact on mobility and internationalisation, as part of the ACA Thematic Peer Group on New Mobility Formats, to support the implementation at the national level.

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