14th August 2026 |
Reports
The Digital Decade Policy Programme (DDPP) is the EU’s digital transformation compass. It sets out ambitious objectives and targets to be achieved by 2030 across the four points of a digital compass – government, business, skills and infrastructure.
Since its adoption in 2022, the Digital Decade Policy Programme has been instrumental in guiding the EU’s digital transition, providing a strategic framework for member states and the European Commission.
The European Commission publishes an annual State of the Digital Decade Report to measure the progress towards achieving the digital decade targets and assess the State of the Digital Decade.
The 2026 State of the Digital Decade, which includes the DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index), was published on 17 June 2026.
Ireland remains one of the EU's strongest digital performers, ranking second in the EU for basic digital skills, with 83% of the population possessing at least basic digital skills, compared with an EU average of 60%. The report also shows Ireland ranks fifth in the EU for generative AI adoption, at 45%, significantly above the EU average of 33%.
The report highlights strong performance across business digitalisation, digital infrastructure and digital public services, with Ireland ranking:
- first in the EU for mobile broadband take-up
- second for digital public services for businesses
- fourth for SMEs selling online
Other key findings from the report include:
- Ireland is home to 18 of the EU's 324 unicorn companies, maintaining its position as the EU's fifth-largest unicorn hub
- Irish SMEs continue to outperform the EU average on digitalisation, with digital intensity reaching 71%, compared with an EU average of 62%
- household internet take-up stands at 95.5%, above the EU average
- Ireland scored above 90% in five of eight Digital Decade public service indicators
- access to e-health records increased from 0% in 2022 to 44% in 2025, representing the fastest rate of improvement among EU member states
- the share of women working as ICT specialists continues to grow and remains above the EU average
The report also highlights Ireland's continued progress in strengthening cybersecurity, including the advancement of the National Cyber Security Bill and ongoing supports for SMEs to improve cyber resilience. The government will continue to work closely with EU partners to advance the Digital Decade 2030 targets and ensure Ireland remains at the forefront of Europe's digital and AI transformation.
Digital Ireland - Connecting Our People, Securing Our Future, Ireland’s National Digital Strategy, is closely aligned with the Digital Decade framework, providing a whole of government strategic vision to digital transformation to 2030.
Press release on Ireland in the Digital Decade:
Ireland in the D9+
The Digital 9+ (D9+) is a loose affiliation of like-minded member states, comprising the nine top-ranked European countries in the European Commission annual Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), plus a small number of other countries who share similar ambitions for the Digital Single Market. The countries involved are Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland and Estonia, who are joined in the group by the Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia. Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Niamh Smyth represents Ireland at the Digital 9+.
Ireland is an active member of the D9+ group, as it provides a valuable forum for sharing best practices, deepening international relationships and supporting Europe’s global leadership in digital transformation. Ireland previously chaired the D9+ in early 2024 and hosted a successful Ministerial meeting at Dublin Castle, alongside the Digital Ireland Conference.
D9+ ministerial declarations:
Press releases on Ireland’s engagement with the D9+:
Topics:
Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation, The Business Environment