Digital solutions during the pandemic

In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the European Commission’s Digital Strategy gained importance, as digital tools were used to monitor and help contain the spread of the virus, support research and develop diagnostic strategies, treatments and vaccines, and overall ensure that Europeans stayed connected and safe online. 

While restrictions were in place, and social and economic activities became more digital, citizens and businesses relied on the internet and connectivity. Thanks to broadband networks and digital infrastructure, we could keep on learning, working and socialising. Trust services for businesses, eGovernment and eHealth ensured continuity and the availability of public services, while trusted security systems protected our identities online. 

National contact tracing and warning apps were made available to anyone who wished to install and use them. They were warning users, even across borders, if they had been in the proximity of a person who had been reported to have tested positive for coronavirus. In the case of an alert, the app provided relevant information from health authorities, such as advice to get tested or to self-isolate and contact information. In the fight against coronavirus, most Member States launched a national contact tracing and warning app. 

Some €10 million was made available under the Emergency Support Instrument to link up these national apps to break the chain of coronavirus infections and save lives, even when people were crossing borders. 

The interoperability gateway service provided a European solution that ensured a safe exchange of information between national apps based on a decentralised architecture and a high level of data protection. After a successful pilot phase, the system went live on 19 October. 

Overall, 19 national apps, downloaded 74 million times, were linked through this service.  

Mobile contact tracing apps in EU Member States 

The analytical power of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing were major assets when it came to detecting patterns in the spread of the coronavirus. With their help, public health institutions could monitor the spread of the coronavirus and quickly devise effective response strategies. 

In the healthcare industry, artificial intelligence also plays a part in powering the robots and other tools used when coming into contact with patients, as human interaction should be kept to a minimum. 

Actions in response to the coronavirus pandemic: data, artificial intelligence and supercomputers 

Three powerful European supercomputing centres were engaged in studying and developing vaccines, treatments and diagnoses for the coronavirus. 

By comparing digital models of the coronavirus’ proteins and matching them against a database of thousands of existing drugs, the aim was to discover which combinations of active molecules react to the virus. The supercomputers complemented the classic trial and error clinical approach. A pharmaceutical company and several large biological and biochemical institutes participated by providing access to their databases of drugs. The Exscalate4CoV project, supported by €3 million in EU funding, conducted research using an EU-backed supercomputing platform to check the potential impact of known molecules against the structure of the coronavirus. In just sixty hours, this supercomputer analysed over 71 billion pharmaceutical molecules (5 million simulations per second) that lead to the discovery of Raloxifene as an effective drug in combatting the spread of the Coronavirus. 

On 5 June 2020, the European Commission launched the ‘Rapid Action Coronavirus Earth observation’ in collaboration with the European Space Agency. The Rapid Action tool relied on satellite data to measure the impact of the coronavirus lockdown and monitor post-lockdown recovery at local, regional and global levels. 

With its 30+satellites, the EU Space Programme, notably through its Earth Observation component, Copernicus, and its satellite navigation system, Galileo, offered free and open data/information that helped monitor and mitigate against the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.  

Since the beginning of the crisis, EU satellites monitored traffic congestions at border crossings between Member States and mapped medical facilities, hospitals and other critical infrastructure. Data collected from satellites, analysed with the help of artificial intelligence, provided public authorities at EU and national levels with models to better understand and tackle the emergency more efficiently. 

EU Space response to the coronavirus 

Rapid Action Coronavirus Earth observation too

As EU Member States have introduced social distancing measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic, businesses, institutions as well as citizens switched their activities to the internet. The demand for Internet capacity has increased drastically – be it for teleworking, e-learning or entertainment purposes – thereby straining networks. 

To prevent network congestion and to support the enjoyment of digital services, the European Commission called upon telecom operators and users to take action and met with the CEOs of the streaming platforms. The streaming platforms were encouraged to offer standard rather than high-definition content, telecom operators were recommended to adopt mitigating measures for continued traffic, and users were advised to apply settings to reduce data consumption, including the use of Wi-Fi. 

The Commission and the Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC) set up a special reporting mechanism and monitored the internet traffic situation in each Member State, to respond to capacity issues. 

The experience of COVID-19 pandemics and social distancing has transformed the way we connect, research and innovate at work. To help employers, recruiters and educators ensure that Europeans are equipped with digital skills in the post-coronavirus context, on 13 July 2020 the Commission launched new digital competence guidelines that include practical steps, key actions, tips and online resources for digital users. These help citizens make best use of their digital competences from the perspective of the ‘employability path’ – from education to sustainable employment, and entrepreneurship. Improving digital skills also makes part of the European Skills Agenda, a five-year plan for upskilling and reskilling the European employees, adopted on 1 July 2020. 

The outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe caused significant disruption to the provision of education. New ways of teaching and learning required solutions that are innovative, creative and inclusive. 

The European Commission  adopted a revision of the Erasmus+ 2020 Annual Work Programme, providing additional funding of €200 million to projects supporting digital education and training, digital youth work, and creative skills and social inclusion. 

To help ensure continuity in education and training activities, a wide range of online learning materials was made available: 

• Online platforms 
• Educational materials developed through EU-funded projects 
• Stay at Home Digital Toolkit 
• SELFIE – a free self-reflection tool to help schools make the most of digital tech. The tool can be used to produce a snapshot of a school‘s strengths and weaknesses by gathering anonymous views from students, teachers and school leaders on using digital technologies. SELFIE is available in 31 languages. 
• Coding from home a platform with educational resources to develop digital skills 

^{Disclaimer. The page was last updated in September 2023}