THE DIGITAL DECADE POLICY PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

JELISAVAC TROŠIĆ Sanja (Institut za međunarodnu politiku i privredu, Beograd), sanja@diplomacy.bg.ac.rs

The European Union (EU) has begun to fight for a greater share of the digital world. By adopting the strategy “Europe fit for the digital age in 2020”, the EU plans to respond to this digital challenge in the long term. The strategy offered a basis for strengthening the competitiveness of the European Union in the socalled “fourth industrial revolution”. In order to strengthen strategic autonomy and create a single digital market, the EU, through the Commission, will provide practical guidelines and legal regulations that will be incorporated into the internal legal systems of member states in the coming period. Adapting to the digital age also means that the EU will make the necessary efforts to strengthen its digital sovereignty by 2030. The latest regulation of the European Union in the digital field is covered by Decision (EU) 2022/2481 of the European Parliament and Council on the establishment of the Policy Programme of the Digital Decade 2030, dated December 14, 2022. The decision represents an important legal source that should enable the promotion of the digital transformation of the European Union. It foresees general and specific digital goals, mechanisms for monitoring and establishing cooperation between member states and third countries, and a legal framework for projects that should enable the implementation of the Digital Decade Policy Programme.

Keywords: European Union, Digital Decade Programme, digital sovereignty, digital technologies, digital skills