Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2018)434 - Digital Europe programme for the period 2021-2027 - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2018)434 - Digital Europe programme for the period 2021-2027. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2018)434  |
| date | 06-06-2018 |
CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL
This proposal provides for a date of application as of 1 January 2021.
• Reasons and objectives
The digital transformation impacts all sectors of the economy and transforms the way we live, work and communicate. Much as our transport, industrial infrastructure, education and high quality public services have ensured Europe's prosperity in the past, investments in strategic digital capacities and infrastructures, upskilling and modernising the interaction between governments and citizens will underpin our future prosperity.
The current EU investment framework covers important aspects of these pillars and notably research and innovation. 1 However, lessons learnt from successful public policies for high tech areas show that, in addition to research and innovation, public action to support 'upstream input' in rapidly developing technology fields can be instrumental for generating value while addressing public sector needs.
This is indeed the case for the key areas that underpin the digital transformation of the economy and society for the next ten years at least, i.e. advanced computing and data handling, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Investment in acquiring the most advanced capacities in these fields, ensuring their best use in an interoperable way across the EU and acquiring the skills needed to develop and use them will provide an essential boost to the digital transformation of our areas of public interest and our industry.
In Europe, an upstream investment gap, in addition to research and innovation, is evident from the mismatch between the growing demand for latest technology and the supply. In high performance computing, insufficient supply is pushing EU scientists and engineers to turn massively to computing resources outside Europe notably to the United States of America where government programmes maintain supply for high end computing at the frontier of performance 2 .
Europe is also home to a world-leading artificial intelligence research community as well as a host of small companies providing artificial intelligence expertise, but its artificial intelligence market is underdeveloped compared to the US, where the capacities available notably in data provide the conditions for innovation at scale.
The fragmentation and relatively low public investment in cybersecurity 3 is putting our society and economy at risk while the European cyber industry remains highly dispersed, with no major market players 4 . Highly skilled technical expert jobs in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and cybersecurity go unfilled - there are currently more than 350,000 EU vacancies in these fields. 5
The Digital Single Market (DSM) Strategy has put in place a robust framework, which must now be matched by an equally robust investment programme. This has been endorsed at the highest political level. In Tallinn, European Heads of State and Government identified the main pillars of a strong digital economy: cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, a world class infrastructure that includes high performance computing, digital skills, and the digital transformation of the public sector. 6 This was reflected in the October 2017 European Council Conclusions. Since then, several Council formations have discussed the issue of strong digital capacity building in the EU. In the Multiannual Financial Framework Communication 7 , the Commission highlighted the scenario of doubling the investments in digital.
This Memorandum accompanies the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and Council on a new programme dedicated to increasing and maximising the benefits of the digital transformation for all European citizens, public administrations and businesses (Digital Europe programme).
The Digital Europe programme is a central element of the Commission's comprehensive response to the challenge of digital transformation, part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) proposal for 2021-2027. Its aim is to provide a spending instrument that is tailored to the operational requirements of capacity building in the areas identified by the European Council, and to exploit the synergies between them.
It will therefore focus on reinforcing Europe's capacities in high performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and advanced digital skills 8 and ensuring their wide use across the economy and society. Fostered simultaneously, these will help create a thriving data economy, promote inclusiveness and ensure value creation. 9 Ignoring or weakening one of the pillars will undermine the whole construction as they are closely interlinked and interdependent: for instance, artificial intelligence needs cybersecurity to be trustable, cybersecurity needs high performance computing to process the massive amount of data to be secured, digital services up to future standards need all three capacities; finally, all the above need the right advanced skills. Most importantly, the programme will concentrate on the areas where no single Member State alone can ensure the level required for digital success. Focus will also be placed on those areas where public spending has the highest impact, notably on improving efficiency and quality of services in the areas of public interest such as health, justice, consumer protection and public administrations, and helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in adapt to digital change.
The programme will also consider the added value of combining digital with other enabling technologies in order to maximize benefits from digitisation.
Contents
·Build-up and strengthen the EU's high performance computing (HPC) and data processing capacities, and ensure their wide use both in areas of public interest such as health, environment and security, and by industry, notably SMEs.
·Build-up and reinforce core artificial intelligence (AI) capacities such as a data resources and libraries of artificial intelligence algorithms and make them accessible to all businesses and public administrations, as well as reinforce and foster links between existing artificial intelligence testing and experimentation facilities in Member States.
·Ensure that the essential capacities needed to secure the EU's digital economy, society and democracy are present and accessible to the EU's public sector and businesses, and inprove the competitiveness of the EU's cybersecurity industry.
·Ensure that the current and future labour force can easily acquire advanced digital skills, notably in high performance computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, by offering students, graduates, and existing workers the means to acquire and develop these skills, no matter where they are situated.
·Expand the best use of digital capacities, notably high performance computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, across the economy, in areas of public interest and society, including the deployment of interoperable solutions in areas of public interest and facilitate access to technology and knowhow for all businesses, notably SMEs.
• Consistency with existing policy provisions
The Programme will support, inter alia, the policy initiatives announced by the Commission on high performance computing under the Euro HPC initiative 10 , FinTech Action Plan of March 2018 11 , artificial intelligence under the Communication on AI 12 , Regulation on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services and a Decision setting up an Observatory on the Online Platform Economy of April 2018 13 , and the data package of April 2018 14 , cybersecurity under the cybersecurity package of 15/9/2017 15 , digital transformation of health 16 and education 17 , the New Industrial Policy Strategy of September 2017 18 , the Digitisation of European Industry of April 2016 19 and the Skills Agenda for Europe.
The Programme links to existing investment instruments. Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) investment in digital technologies made under H2020 and previous Framework Programmes have enabled Europe to remain competitive in key sectors e.g. robotics, telecom equipment, and sensor technology. Financing for RDI now needs to be continued and reinforced in the next multiannual financial framework. The Digital Europe programme clearly builds on the successes of the H2020 programme making it possible to move technologies such as high performance computing and artificial intelligence into deployment.
Investments in frameworks, standards, interoperable solutions and pilot cross-border services under the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF) and the programme for interoperability solutions and common frameworks for European public administrations, businesses and citizens (ISA²) have enabled public sector administrations to test the digital transformation in a real setting and to start the move from eGovernment to digital government 20 . The deployment of interoperable solutions within the Digital Single Market has shown the value of EU-level action. These are important achievements to build on for wider scale implementation of interoperable digital services across Europe. The programme will build on the achieved Digital Services Infrastructures deployed under the current CEF programme and will support the further evolution and wider implementation of the policy elements such as European Interoperability Framework (EIF).
• Consistency with other Union policies
The Digital Europe programme complements and works together with a number of other instruments proposed in the post-2020 multiannual financial framework, notably: Horizon Europe, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Creative Europe Programme (including Media), InvestEU Fund, COSME, Single Market Programme, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Social Fund Plus (including Youth Employment Initiative, health strand and basic digital skills), European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), Erasmus, European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (basic and advanced digital skills), Integrated Border Management Fund, Internal Security Fund, Environment and Climate Action (including Energy Efficiency) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
Synergies between the programmes will allow for economies of scale, make investments more consistent and provide better value for citizens and economics actors. They will amplify the impact of EU-level digital investments on the ground, while national and regional digital investment will be better able to complement the EU-level action.
By increasing the impact and efficiency of public funds through practical linkages between the different programmes, the EU will tackle digital challenges in a more targeted and streamlined way, build or re-inforce ecosystems supporting digitisation, creating more jobs, increasing growth and boosting competitiveness. During the implementation of the Digital Europe programme, attention will be paid to preserving competition within the internal market.
The section below briefly presents the main complementarities and synergies between the Digital Europe programme and the instruments that are most relevant in the digital context, notably Horizon Europe, CEF, ERDF and the EU Values programme as well as the Single Market programme.
Several thematic areas addressed by Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe programme overlap in that both will cover high performance computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity; the type of actions to be supported, their expected outputs and their intervention logic are different and complementary. Horizon Europe will be the sole centrally-managed EU programme supporting research and technological development and the main programme for demonstration, piloting, proof-of-concept, testing and innovation including pre-commercial deployment. The Digital Europe programme, on the other hand, will focus on large-scale digital capacity and infrastructure building, with the objective of wide uptake and deployment across Europe of critical existing or tested innovative digital solutions.
As an example of their synergies, novel digital technologies developed by Horizon Europe will progressively be taken up and deployed by Digital Europe. By the same token, capacities and infrastructures developed under Digital Europe will be made available to the research and innovation community, including for activities supported through Horizon Europe. Initiatives of Horizon Europe supporting the development of digital skills, including those delivered at the co-location centres of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s EIT Digital, shall be complemented and scaled-up by Digital Europe-supported capacity-building in advanced digital skills. EIT nodes bring together students, researchers, engineers and business developers to co-design and collaborate on the implementation of innovation projects and business creation and support. To ensure strong coordination mechanisms for implementation, the operating procedures for both programmes will be aligned.
The Digital Europe programme complements the actions set in the Digital Education Action Plan, in particular those that require advanced digital skills for the fields of high performance computing, big data analytics, cybersecurity, distributed ledger technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence.
Connecting Europe Facility will provide the physical infrastructure for the high capacity broadband networks necessary to enable the deployment of digital services and technologies proposed in the Digital Europe programme. As CEF will support critical infrastructures across sectors needing the appropriate level of cybersecurity, it will thus rely on the deployments made under Digital Europe. In the future only the Digital Europe programme will support the deployment of digital services in areas of public interest.
The ERDF aims to foster the economic, social and territorial cohesion in all EU regions with a focus on less developed regions. The ERDF fosters innovation-led economic development involving the digitisation of industry as set out in the smart specialization strategies 21 (including complementary investments in building up and improving Digital Innovation Hubs). The ERDF also supports the deployment of digital solutions, including cybersecurity, as part of the delivery on EU priorities in the areas of modernization of public administrations, sustainable transport, improvement of the health and care systems, energy transition, circular economy and education. 22 Through this, it contributes to the completion of the Digital Single Market in particular at regional and local levels. Digital Europe will complement local investments to open up facilities for the rest of Europe through networking and mapping of digital capacities.
Furthermore, Digital Europe will indirectly contribute to achieving the objectives of the communication "A stronger and renewed strategic partnership with the EU's outermost regions" 23 , which recognises that digital accessibility and skills are key conditions for the development of these regions.
There are clear synergies between the Digital Europe programme and the Creative Europe Programme, in particular in its MEDIA and cross-sectoral strands. MEDIA supports targeted actions (e.g. access to content, promotion and audience development) fostering the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors, in particular the audiovisual sector and their adaptation to the digital environment. The cross-sectoral strand aims, among other priorities, at a better understanding of the dynamics of digital media and at the digital transformation of the European news media sector. The Digital Europe programme will support these strands by providing wide access to cutting-edge technologies, standards (where needed) and infrastructure necessary for capacity building.
Coherence between the Digital Europe programme and the Single Market programme should be sought. For example, consumer protection is to be achieved by design notably when it comes to product safety in relation with the digital economy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Both programmes should be complementary in considering the entities involved and the type of new risks posed by these emerging technologies. Research into digital markets undertaken from both programmes should also be mutually supportive.
The Digital Europe Programme will promote development of advanced digital skills, focusing on those related to its scope, namely cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and high performance computing. As such it will be complementary to the European Social Fund Plus, which will support education and training in the area of basic and medium skills, and European Global Adjustment Fund, which will fund IT training for laid off workers across all skills levels.
Synergies and complementarities between the Digital Europe Programme and the Erasmus Programme should be ensured to the benefits of both programmes. The Erasmus programme contributes to the development and acquisition of skills through learning mobility and cooperation in the area of education, training, youth and sport.
Finally, as concerns the participation of entities established in non-EU countries, implementation of the Digital Europe programme will be coordinated with external financing instruments such as the Instrument for Pre-Accession and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument.
The Commission proposal for the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework set a more ambitious goal for climate mainstreaming across all EU programmes, with an overall target of 25% of EU expenditure contributing to climate objectives. The contribution of this programme to the achievement of this overall target will be tracked through an EU climate marker system at an appropriate level of disaggregation, including the use of more precise methodologies where these are available. The Commission will continue to present the information annually in terms of commitment appropriations in the context of the annual draft budget.
To support the full utilisation of the potential of the programme to contribute to climate objectives, the Commission will seek to identify relevant actions throughout the programme preparation, implementation, review and evaluation processes.
The Programme's actions should be used to address market failures or sub-optimal investment situations, in a proportionate manner, without duplicating or crowding out private financing and have a clear European added value. This will ensure consistency between the actions of the programme and EU State aid rules, avoiding undue distortions of competition in the internal market.
2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY
This programme is presented for a Union of 27 Member States, in line with the notification by the United Kingdom of its intention to withdraw from the European Union and Euratom based on Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union received by the European Council on 29 March 2017.
• Legal basis
In view of the broad nature of the intervention under the Digital Europe programme, it is based on the following provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU):
·Article 173(3) TFEU with regard to most of activities undertaken under this Programme;
·Article 172 TFEU, notably with regard to the digital transformation of areas of public interest;
• Subsidiarity
The Programme aims to exploit the synergies brought by the sum of essential fundamentals of the digital economy: smart computing and data infrastructure, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, advanced digital skills and applications in industry and in areas of public interest. Supported under a single coherent mechanism these pillars will lead to a thriving data economy, promote inclusiveness, catalyse innovative projects 24 and ensure value distribution.
Digital Europe is a response to a new political will to address cooperatively what were previously mainly domestic concerns as no one Member State or business acting alone can make critical digital investments at the scale required or scale them up to a successful level. If the EU does not engage, these investments will not happen to the extent needed and the EU risks losing its competitiveness.
The intervention at the EU level is necessary to plan, jointly finance, and coordinate actions on a scale capable of meeting these challenges, and ensure that the benefits of new digital technologies are fully shared across Europe. Multi-lateral coordinated action can also avoid duplication, capitalise on synergies by linking funding with framework conditions, safeguard interoperability, and avoid blind spots or a major geographical digital divide.
Taken together, this will lead to faster deployment and diffusion of the new technologies, strategic advantages to European businesses, better public services for EU citizens and a greater capacity to achieve breakthroughs in solving societal challenges (health, detection and diagnosis of diseases, climate change, resource efficiency, etc.), generally improving the quality of life in every area throughout the Union.
• Proportionality
There is an evident willingness on the part of the public sector to deal with the digital transformation at European level, as well as a willingness to co-invest in building and strengthening the EU's digital capacity. In addition to the strong political support for intervention from the European Council, this has also been reflected by the Council and European Parliament, which have repeatedly called for the urgent completion of the Digital Single Market and its individual files. 25 26 27 28
The Parliament expressed particular concerns that resources allocated to digital policies in the EU budget were insufficient to make a real impact and recognised the need to boost the European economy through productive investments. 29 30
At EU level, in March 2017, 29 countries engaged to cooperate on connected mobility, 31 and 16 Member States have committed so far to work together and with the Commission to acquire and deploy an integrated world-class high performance computing infrastructure. 32 In January 2018, the Commission proposed a Council Regulation to establish the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking 'EuroHPC'. 33
At the second Digital Day on 10 April, 2018, 28 European countries 34 committed to work together in artificial intelligence in order to reinforce the EU technology and industrial capacities in this field and to bring its benefits to all citizens and businesses 35 . European countries also committed to develop together advanced solutions for public services (e.g. through the development of a European blockchain infrastructure for services 36 ), personalised medicine 37 and data-driven health and care and common monitoring of the progress of digital investments. All Member States are today engaged in the EU digitisation of industry initiative, with clear commitment to further collaborate in making the best use of digital in businesses.
Stakeholder consultations also show that a set of critical investments are best done at EU level. The areas addressed by the Programme are those where scale is essential to succeed, be it for acquiring the necessary capacities or for their wide use across the EU. Given that knowledge and expertise in advanced digital fields is not available in all regions in Europe, EU-level action, notably through networking digital innovation hubs, can ensure that such expertise is made available in every region.
Given the urgency of the situation and the scale of the investment required, there is a strong case for EU intervention to jointly finance and coordinate actions on a scale capable of meeting the challenges brought by digital transformation. This should ensure that the benefits of new digital technologies are fully shared. Coordinated action can avoid duplication, capitalize on synergies by linking funding with framework conditions, safeguard interoperability, and remove blind spots or a major geographical digital divide.
The call for increased investment now needs to be translated into action in the EU's investment framework. Companies and citizens need a clear message that the EU is investing in their future, that predictability is ensured and support mechanisms are put in place to deal with the complex process of digital transformation. It is Europe's responsibility to act and be visible throughout the process.
As the digital transformation has become an essential factor for growth, social development and transition to a sustainable economy, a critical gap has been exposed in the way the EU and Member States allocate digital funding. The current investment framework has not been designed for EU-wide digital capacity-building and its optimal use. The EU therefore needs a new, integrated and ambitious financing programme to support the deployment and optimal use of the digital capacities that underpin innovation in areas of public interest and business.
• Choice of the instrument
The Programme is implemented through a Regulation.
3. RESULTS OF RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
• •Retrospective evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation
Given that the Digital Europe programme is a new programme, this proposal is not based on a dedicated mid-term evaluation. Instead, lessons learnt draw on evaluations of closely related programmes and initiatives, notably the mid-term evaluation of CEF 38 and the Digital Single Market (DSM) mid-term review 39 .
Of particular importance though is the result from the CEF mid-term evaluation that concluded that the effort devoted in the programme to digital capacities and infrastructures could only support the very first steps towards an EU wide digital transformation of areas of public interest 40 . It highlighted that available funding levels under CEF have so far allowed current needs only to be partially addressed, and moreover, that the CEF framework limits the programme's ability to adapt to the latest technological developments and emerging policy priorities (for example cybersecurity-related challenges). The evaluation also showed a strong willingness from Member States to engage together in the digital transformation.
• Stakeholder consultations
A mix of consultation activities have been run as part of the Impact Assessment work to ensure stakeholder views are systematically accounted for in the process of formulating the post 2020 EU programme for the Digital Europe programme. These consultation activities ranged from stakeholder conferences and events, to expert groups, an on-line consultation, workshops, meetings and seminars and analysis of position papers.
Results of the stakeholder consultations show support for a more efficient, less fragmented approach to maximise the benefits of digital transformation to all European citizens and businesses in the EU. This is particularly pertinent for the key domains of the Digital Europe programme, i.e. high performance computing, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence as well as advanced skills and digital transformation of areas of public interest.
• Impact assessment
The impact assessment report was examined by the Regulatory Scrutiny Board on April 25 2018. The Board gave a negative opinion.
Following the Board's negative opinion, the report was thoroughly revised and restructured to better describe how the proposal builds on existing programmes related to Digital. Several examples of similar interventions in third countries or in Member States were given. The details of the delineation with Horizon Europe as agreed with DG RTD were also added. The intervention logic and questions on market failures and upstream investment gap in the various areas were also clarified. More details were also given on delivery modes for each of the proposed actions. New sections explained in more detail what is to be achieved with an increase in funding that cannot be achieved with current intervention mechanisms in the various pillars. Some examples of similar successful policies in the US and in Europe were given. A revised Impact Assessment was resubmitted on 5 May 2018.
The positive opinion 41 (with reservations) of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board was received on 8 May 2018 on the understanding that the impact assessment report would be revised to take into account the Board's recommendations. The report has been revised accordingly: the text has been reviewed to clarify what the proposal builds on and what is new and to better explain why the Digital Europe programme is a better channel to support the proposed measures; a new section on Member States engagement has been added to better describe the political endorsement of proposed measures and commitment of Member States; the section related to competition rules and market distortion has been reinforced; a new section has been introduced to provide an example of the envisaged pay per use mechanism.
• Simplification
Full coherence with current and future Financial Regulation has been ensured. The exceptions foreseen, are either duly allowed for in related legal texts or precedents exist. Moreover, the following simplification elements have been introduced:
·Flexibility on budget allocations integrated at the level of specific objectives;
·The scope of the intervention is defined at the level of general, specific and operational objectives. Eligibility criteria, funding rates for grants and other elements of the implementation will be provided for in the work programmes. This flexibility is balanced by ensuring Member States' involvement in the implementation of the Programme under the framework of a High Level Expert Group.
·The funding under the Programme can be implemented in accordance with any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation;
The Programme will be implemented directly as provided for by the Financial Regulation or indirectly with the appropriate entities or bodies referred to in Article 58(1)(c) [new 61(1)(c)] of the Financial Regulation.
Based on the cost benefit analysis done for executive agencies at the start of Horizon 2020 and the mid-term reviews of CEF and Horizon 2020, the default implementation method for the Programme would be one of direct management. The main advantages of using direct management are that these allow for a strong policy steer as well as fast delivery of EU support.
Indirect management should be used as a complementary method of budget implementation tasks provided for in the Programme basic act. While the Commission remains responsible for the implementation of the budget, entrusting entities with budget implementation tasks pursuant to Article 62 (1) c.) of the Financial Regulation shall ensure full cooperation of the entity concerned in the protection of the Union's financial interests. Entrusting entities with such tasks under indirect management will also need to guarantee a transparent, non-discriminatory, efficient and effective process.
• Fundamental rights
The proposed rules of the Digital Europe programme ensure the full respect of the rights and principles set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and contribute to the implementation of several of those rights. In particular, the objectives of this programme are to ensure the freedom of expression and information, the prohibition of discrimination, the right to effective remedy and fair trial and as prescribed by Articles 11, 21 and 47 of the Charter. The programme aims also to reinforce the freedom to conduct a business in accordance with European Union law and national laws and practices (Article 16). The protection of personal data shall also be ensured in line with Article 8 of the Charter as well as healthcare in accordance with Article 35 of the Charter and consumer protection in accordance with Article 38 of the Charter.
4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS
In line with the Commission proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 42 (COM(2018)XXX), the financial envelope for the programme is set at EUR 9 194 000 000 in current prices and its indicative distribution shall be as follows (see article 4 of the proposal).
Further details are provided in the Legislative Financial Statement annexed to this proposal.
5. OTHER ELEMENTS
• Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements
Without prejudice to the possibility to provide funding in any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation the intention is to implement the programme as described below. As stated previously, attention will be paid to preserving competition within the internal market:
1. For high performance computing, the continuation of the EuroHPC joint undertaking which is currently under discussion with the Council is deemed to be the most effective and efficient instrument to implement the objectives of the EuroHPC initiative, in particular to coordinate national and European Union strategies and investments in high performance computing infrastructure and R&D, pooling resources from public and private funds, and safeguarding the economic and strategic interests of the Union 43 . The Joint Undertaking is expected to draw budget from both Digital Europe and Horizon Europe.
2. Joint procurement or grants relating to artificial intelligence activities would be awarded through direct management.
3. Cybersecurity related activities would be implemented through direct or indirect management.
4. Funding relating to the development of advanced digital skills would be implemented primarily through the Digital Innovation Hubs, as defined in Article [16] and explained below, and the relevant competence centres. The work programme will be drafted by the Commission in collaboration with the above-mentioned relevant competence centres, which would be able in this way to provide the inputs needed to ensure consistency of interventions in the field of advanced digital skills with the latest technological developments. The aim is thus to provide a swift response to the fast-changing needs of the labour market.
5. Funding relating to the digital transformation of areas of public interest, could continue to be directly managed . European Commission management will continue to be used for development of solutions to ensure common design and architectural interoperability.
Notwithstanding the above, the management of specific sectorial core service platforms could be transferred to the operational management of already existing agencies, if this possibility is already provided for in their remit.
6. The digitisation of industry will be implemented through the Digital Innovation Hubs. Digital Innovation Hubs will diffuse digital capacities notably high performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital skills across the economy enabling the digital transformation of the industry and public sector organisations. Digital Innovation Hubs are providing access to technological expertise and experimentation facilities, enabling organisations to better assess the business case of digital transformation projects. Testing and experimentation services provided by Digital Innovation Hubs may involve other enabling technologies necessary to the deployment of complete digital transformation solutions. A network of Digital Innovation Hubs shall be established, ensuring the widest geographical coverage across Europe. Grants related to Digital Innovation Hubs will be awarded directly by the Commission.
The implementation modes will seek to develop strong synergies between the various components of the Programme. These are further described in annex 4 of the impact assessment as concerns high performance computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Where appropriate, implementation may also leverage other core digital technologies that are reaching market maturity and subject of previous EU level investments such as 5G, IoT, and cloud based services.
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is established as a reference instrument to measure the progress of digital transformation in the EU. The DESI instrument is based on a number of indicators which are derived from rigorous statistical analysis. Data will also be collected from other sources, including special surveys.
Output and impact indicators are defined relating to the main areas of the programme (high performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, deployment, best use of digital capacity and interoperability).
The feedback from yearly monitoring will allow to adapt the programme management and structure depending on the results obtained. Existing indicators can be used from official EU statistics provided by the annual ICT surveys, and from the labour force survey. Special surveys may be carried out. Data collection from DESI will be complemented by information generated by the programme itself.
In line with paragraphs 22 and 23 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 44 , where the three institutions confirmed that evaluations of existing legislation and policy should provide the basis for impact assessments of options for further action, the Commission will carry-out an interim and a final evaluation at pillar and at programme level. The evaluations will assess the Programme's effects on the ground based on the Programme indicators and targets and a detailed analysis of the degree to which the Programme can be deemed relevant, effective, efficient, provides enough EU added value and is coherent with other EU policies. The evaluations will include lessons learnt to identify any problems or any potential to further improve the actions or their results and to help maximise their exploitation/impact. The conclusions of the evaluations accompanied by observations will be communicated to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Court of Auditors.