On Tuesday 23 February, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) will publish a review of what the EU has done to increase digital skills among adults, and what is planned for the 2021-2027 period.
ABOUT THE REVIEW
In today’s world, digital skills are increasingly important and the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted their relevance. Adults with higher digital competence find jobs more easily and earn more than their less skilled peers do. However, figures show that in 2019 more than 75 million European adults of working age (25-64) did not have at least basic digital skills.
This review looks at the development of basic digital skills among adults in recent years in the context of EU action in this area since 2010, particularly in the last five years.
The auditors are expected to show that the EU has long recognised the importance of basic digital literacy for all citizens, but that there have been relatively few EU-funded projects focusing on digital upskilling for adults. This review – which is not an audit – aims to shed light on this issue as the 2021-2027 programme period starts.
FOR THE PRESS
Journalists can contact
press@eca.europa.eu to receive embargoed copies of the review and to organise interviews with the reporting ECA member Iliana Ivanova and the auditors.
The ECA’s reviews cover different EU-related policy and management topics, and their objectives vary. They may provide scene-setting description and analysis based on the ECA’s published audits, often from a cross-cutting perspective. They are also used to present the ECA’s analysis of areas or issues not yet audited, or to establish facts on specific topics or problems.