Beyond COVID‑19

Digital technologies have spread rapidly in recent years and found new applications in many dimensions of our societies, whether in health, education, communication, the business sector or the delivery of government services. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated these trends, and digital solutions have helped households, firms and the public sector cope with repeated lockdowns and continue their operations. In the process of digital adoption, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face a clear opportunity to introduce fundamental changes to the way they do business, experiment with new technologies and ultimately increase productivity. Nevertheless, digitalisation comes with its own specific set of challenges, such as widening inequalities caused by digital divides, and there is an important role for policy in creating an enabling environment that helps SMEs succeed on their digital journeys. This report analyses the current state of digitalisation in the Eastern Partner countries and presents a “blueprint” for policy makers to design the building blocks of policy instruments to support the digital transformation of businesses in the Eastern Partner (EaP) countries. It has been developed in the context of the “EU4Business: From Policies to Action” project with funding from the European Union, Poland and Romania.