IT news

The European Commission has adopted a revised Communication on State aid for broadband networks (‘Broadband Guidelines'). The revised Broadband Guidelines set out the rules under which the Commission will assess State aid measures notified by Member States to support the deployment and take-up of broadband networks in the EU. The new rules contribute to the EU's strategic objectives of ensuring gigabit connectivity for everyone and 5G coverage everywhere by the end of the decade, which is essential to achieve the digital transition of the Union. The new Guidelines will enter into force the day following their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, which is expected in January 2023.

On February 21, 2025, the Commission and the HRVP presented the Joint Communication to strengthen the security and resilience of submarine cables. It introduces a range of measures to bolster the resilience of this critical infrastructure, addressing prevention, detection, response, recovery, and deterrence.

Communication cables connect several Member States to one another, link islands to the EU mainland, and connect the EU to the rest of the world, carrying 99% of intercontinental internet traffic. Subsea electricity cables facilitate the integration of Member States' electricity markets, strengthen their security of supply, and deliver offshore renewable energy to the mainland.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications held the Third ELRC Workshop in Bulgaria online on 24 November 2022. The event takes place within the European Language Resources Coordination (ELRC) project, in cooperation with the Institute for the Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The project is funded by the Connecting Europe Facility Telecom.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a European strategy for data. The results of this study will be included in possible Commission initiatives on data access and reuse in the coming months. Participation in the consultation is done by filling out a survey.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications organized Third National ELRC Workshop in Bulgaria, which will be held online on November 24, 2022, at 9:30 am. The event takes place within the European Language Resources Coordination (ELRC) project, in cooperation with the Institute for the Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Тhe European Commission has monitored Member States’ progress in digital and published annual Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) reports. The DESI Index ranks Member States according to  their level of digitalisation and analyses their relative progress over the last five years, considering their starting point.

The global data volume is growing very fast. Whereas cloud computing happens mostly in large data-centres today, by 2025 this trend will reverse: 80% of all data is expected to be processed in smart devices closer to the user, known as edge computing.

The availability of both edge and cloud computing is essential in a computing continuum to ensure that data is processed in the most efficient manner. Energy-efficient and trustworthy edge and cloud infrastructures will be fundamental for the sustainable use of edge and cloud computing technologies.

During this year's Internet Governance Forum in Berlin, #IGF2019 a roundtable discussion took place at the EQUALS initiative of the International Telecommunications Union.

Participants from the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications (MTITC) were invited to participate by sharing Bulgarian initiatives for women's equality and women's participation in ICT in particular. ЕQUALS‏ @equals Nov 26

The fifth edition of the South Eastern European Dialogue on Internet Governance will take place on 07-08 May in Bucharest. An expert from the Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications, IT Directorate, will  participate in a roundtable dialogue on Internet multilingualism in South Eastern Europe and the neighbouring area (SEE+).

You can find more information about the event here and here.

Broadband is recognised by the European Commission as one of the main tools for improving of the economic and social well-being of the population. It is becoming an increasingly important factor not only for the competitiveness of the enterprises, but also for supporting social inclusion and enables the development and use of e-government services. The spread of high-speed connectivity can lead to a significant increase in gross domestic product, employment, the competitiveness of national economies on the international scene and the quality of life.

Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishes Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for the period 2021 to 2027. The budget for the seven-year period is over 86 billion euros to strengthen the EU's scientific and technological bases and to stimulate innovation, competitiveness and job creation in Europe.

On February 9, 2021, was held a seminar of the Broadband Competence Offices (BCO) Network, at which representatives of the National Broadband Competence Office (BCO Bulgaria) were invited to share experience and good practices in promoting the initiative of the European Commission WiFi4EU developed under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to build free high-speed and high-quality wireless internet connection in public areas. 

The event entitled "Working together for connectivity" took place online on October 26, 2021. The Annual Conference marked the BCO Network's five-year milestone and everything achieved in this period, working in the specialized Support Mechanism of the European Commission.

The participants reported the success and intensive activities of the Network with a large number of members and conducted over 55 specialized trainings on various topics in the field of connectivity.

Best Practice Forums (BPFs) are an intersessional programme of global IGF intended to complement other IGF community activities. BPFs offer substantive ways for the IGF community to produce more concrete outcomes.  BPFs are approved by the MAG (Multistakeholder Advisory Group) per year basis with the aim of enriching the potential of the global IGF results.

The BPF allows for experts and stakeholders to exchange on policy challenges and best practices experiences and has launched a survey to get insight in the community’s views on the use and of IoT-Big Data-AI applications to address societal challenges. The survey can be found here.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organize a  Roundtable on “The Telecommunications industry in the post-COVID-19 world”, to be held on 4 February 2021, 14.00-16.00 CET.

The objective of this Roundtable is to understand and further take stock on some of the changes and potential funding challenges within the telecommunications sector in the post-COVID-19 world, focusing on:

What are the new business and operating models required to connect everyone?

The working group on switching cloud providers and data porting ('SWIPO') presented the first copies of two data portability Codes of Conduct to the Council and the Commission, as foreseen in the Regulation on the Free Flow of non-personal Data.

The ‘SWIPO’ cloud stakeholder working group has finalised the development of two Codes of Conduct on data portability and cloud switching.

This handbook aims to assist public authorities in planning, implementing, and monitoring broadband projects within their territories.

By Decision No 555 and Decision No 556 of the Council of Ministers of 6 August 2020, an updated National Broadband Infrastructure Plan for Next Generation Access "Connected Bulgaria" and an Updated policy in the field of electronic communications of the Republic of Bulgaria were adopted.

The WSIS Forum 2020 will be held from 6 to 9 April 2020 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The overall theme for WSIS Forum 2020 is "Fostering digital transformation and global partnerships: WSIS Action Lines for achieving SDGs”. 

By Decision No 493 of 21 July 2020 a national strategic document "Digital Transformation of Bulgaria for the period 2020-2030" was adopted. The document sets out the principles of digital change in the main areas of economic life. The aim of the widespread use of digital technologies is to reduce the use of energy and resources.