On 13-14 June 2019, Paweł Grzybowski, Mayor of Rypin in Poland and Member of our ECR Group, participated in the EU Digital Assembly that took place in Bucharest, Romania. The event was organised by the European Commission's Directorate for Communications and brought together all the major stakeholders in the field, aiming to draw the contours of a future digital policy.

While in Bucharest, Mayor Grzybowski underlined that it would be crucial to increase people's digital knowledge in order to improve their chances of finding a good job. "In the past digital skills used to make students more employable, but today they are simply indispensable. Most middle-skill jobs and almost all high skill-jobs require digital skills. That is why it is so important that local government, educational establishment and academic services have their own digital strategies".

In 2015, the European Commission adopted the Digital Single Market strategy to make the most of digital opportunities in Europe. Since then, the strategy has made significant strides: businesses and citizens can benefit from 35 new digital rights and freedoms, including the abolition of roaming charges when travelling abroad, enhanced cybersecurity, and more opportunities for online shopping across borders.