PARIS, 23 Nov. - (ANA) - This report reviews the implementation of national strategies and policy initiatives by EU Member States to foster the development and uptake of artificial intelligence (AI), in line with the European Union Coordinated Plan on AI. It draws on findings from an ad-hoc survey and interviews with policymakers conducted in 2024. It maps policy actions related to data, infrastructure, research, firm support, and skills, as well as Member States’ initiatives in five high-impact sectors: mobility, health, agriculture, the public sector, and climate and environment.

 

 

Executive Summary

 

 

The European Union (EU) Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a strategic initiative by the European Commission and EU Member States to promote AI development, investment and co?operation. Launched in 2018 and revised in 2021, the plan seeks to increase annual AI investments from both public and private sectors to at least EUR 20 billion by 2030. It focuses on mobilising investments across the European Union; aligning policies across EU Member States; and reinforcing the global position of the European Union in developing sustainable, secure and trustworthy AI technologies. This report takes stock of implementation of the national strategies and policy initiatives established by EU Member States in line with the EU Coordinated Plan on AI.

 

Nearly all EU Member States have adopted AI strategies. While they vary, most draw on the Coordinated Plan and broader frameworks such as the EU Digital Agenda. Several EU Member States have revised or are revising their strategies in response to regulatory developments, rapid technological advancements, and shifting policy priorities.

 

Monitoring and evaluation of national AI strategies vary widely. Some EU Member States have structured frameworks with key performance indicators, while others rely on broader digital transformation metrics or EU Digital Decade targets. Few have conducted external evaluations or ensure regular public reporting, making assessment of collective progress difficult. Establishing common EU-level indicators would enhance comparability and facilitate monitoring progress towards shared AI objectives.

 

Tracking AI-specific public investment remains challenging. In most EU Member States, AI funding is embedded within wider digitalisation strategies, making it difficult to isolate dedicated expenditures. Less than half of EU Member States have dedicated budgets for national AI strategies, while others finance initiatives through sectoral ministries or targeted programmes. EU programmes support national AI activities, but the absence of AI-specific tagging complicates budget monitoring and cross-country comparisons.

 

Across the EU, countries are pursuing initiatives to leverage data as a driver of innovation, efficiency and growth. National data strategies link data governance to administrative modernisation, promote open data policies, and create secure environments for data sharing. Although not always AI-specific, these initiatives underpin AI development by improving data availability, interoperability and access to high-quality datasets.

 

As AI systems grow more sophisticated, the demand for secure, high-performance digital infrastructure is accelerating. EU Member States are enhancing data processing, storage and cloud capabilities to meet AI’s computational needs. Efforts include cloud-first approaches, sovereign cloud models and federated data infrastructure for digital services. High Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure is becoming a central component of national AI ecosystems, supporting advanced model training and deployment. Simultaneously, countries are strengthening semiconductor design and production capabilities to reduce dependencies. These efforts are supported by EU initiatives like the Euro HPC and Chips Joint Undertakings and the Important Projects of Common European Interest.

 

EU Member States are strengthening AI research through broad-based initiatives, targeted sectoral programmes and AI excellence centres. Many have launched large-scale, multi-year AI research and development (R&D) funding schemes, while a growing number focus on specific areas and sectors. More than half have established national AI centres serving as innovation hubs, some integrated into formal networks. These are complemented by smaller, university-led institutions specialising in niche or interdisciplinary domains. However, cross-border co?operation remains limited.

 

Many EU Member States focus on broad digital literacy, gradually including AI-specific education. Efforts include embedding AI concepts in school curricula, offering adult reskilling programmes, and introducing AI-focused training programmes. While less widespread, dedicated AI education programmes are emerging.

 

Efforts to attract AI talent remain limited and primarily focused on academia. About one-fourth of EU Member States reported programmes to attract and retain AI researchers and postgraduate students through scholarships or grants. Despite private sector demand, only one country reported an initiative supporting non-academic institutions in recruiting AI professionals, indicating a significant gap in addressing broader workforce needs.

 

AI adoption remains uneven, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To address this, EU Member States combine infrastructure, financial support and capacity-building. European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) provide SMEs with technical expertise, training, testbeds and AI-specific support services, while grants, vouchers and advisory programmes offer financial support to lower barriers to AI uptake. EU Member States are also developing testing and experimentation facilities that enable companies to design, validate and scale AI solutions, while navigating regulatory requirements.

 

EU Member States are supporting innovative AI start-ups and scale-ups through various initiatives, often as part of broader innovation programmes. These include national VC initiatives, equity financing, early-stage grants and deep tech funds. Some countries also run AI-specific programmes offering technical expertise, R&D funding, and commercialisation assistance, and promote collaboration between academia and industry.

 

EU Member States are increasingly prioritising AI in sectors of national strategic importance. Healthcare and the public sector are the most consistently targeted in national AI strategies, followed by mobility, climate and environment, and agriculture. Other priority sectors reflect national economic structures and signal efforts to harness AI for sector-specific transformation.

 

Despite these efforts, EU Member States face common challenges, including fragmented policies, limited cross-border co?ordination, and underdeveloped data-sharing frameworks:

 

- In healthcare, AI’s transformative potential remains underutilised due to fragmented cross-border policies, varying interpretation and application of EU legislation, and limited co?ordination. Enhanced collaboration – e.g. through the European Health Data Space (EHDS) – could help create a more resilient, safe and innovative EU AI health sector.

 

- Environmental AI applications are rising, but efforts to address AI’s environmental footprint remain limited. Few EU Member States report initiatives to optimise AI’s energy use.

 

- Public sector’s AI use focuses on workflow automation, citizen services and tax administration. Greater investment in skills and workforce training is nevertheless required.

 

- In the mobility sector, although a few countries have developed federated data spaces, most lack structured frameworks. Strengthening interoperability and open data protocols could enable smoother AI integration across national and cross-border transport networks.

 

- In agriculture, AI use is being supported through testbeds, innovation hubs and agri-tech start-ups. Efforts to improve farmer access to AI tools, particularly through the EDIH network, are growing, but data-sharing initiatives remain limited.   - (ANA) -

 

 

For he full report, visit: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/11/progress-in-implementing-the-european-union-coordinated-plan-on-artificial-intelligence-volume-1_bb04a5b6/533c355d-en.pdf

 

AB/ANA/23 November 2025 - - -