State of the Digital Decade Report 2026 Published

The report highlights Croatia's progress in connectivity while emphasising the need for continued investment in digital infrastructure

ZAGREB, 10 July 2026 - On 17 June 2026, the European Commission (EC) published the State of the Digital Decade Report 2026, which assesses the progress made by the European Union and its Member States towards achieving the Digital Decade targets for 2030.

According to the report, the European Union (EU) has made progress in several areas, including connectivity, the digitalisation of businesses and the deployment of shared digital infrastructure. However, the European Commission concludes that the scale, pace and coordination of implementation must be significantly strengthened if the Digital Decade targets are to be achieved.

The report identifies several areas in which substantial gaps remain, including the development of key technologies, computing capacity, cybersecurity, the uptake of advanced digital technologies, digital skills, and the capacity of innovative businesses to grow. The Commission also warns of the risk of disruption to investment resulting from the gradual phasing-out of funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Member States are therefore encouraged to identify concrete measures and reforms to address these shortcomings when updating their national Digital Decade roadmaps, scheduled for December 2026. The report also highlights the need to align national roadmaps more closely with the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework and the future EU Competitiveness Fund.

Croatia's progress in connectivity

The country report for Croatia highlights the country's strong performance in connectivity and certain strategic technologies, alongside rapid improvements in fixed and mobile network coverage.
In 2025, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) coverage in Croatia reached 77.9%, compared with the EU average of 74.1%. Basic 5G coverage stood at 97.8%, compared with an EU average of 96.8%.
Coverage by Very High Capacity Networks (VHCN) reached 82.7%, compared with 85.5% across the EU. Croatia recorded annual growth of 4.8%, exceeding the EU average annual increase of 3.7%.
The availability of high-capacity networks in rural and island areas, as well as in other areas where there is insufficient commercial interest to support investment, remains a challenge. Extending coverage to these areas will require substantial financial resources.

The European Commission recommends that Croatia ensure the continuity of funding for the deployment of gigabit networks in such areas and continue the roll-out of high-capacity 5G networks, including through the use of the 3.4-3.8 GHz frequency band.

Development of strategic technologies

The report notes that Croatia is strengthening its position in Europe's strategic technology sectors through the development of quantum communication infrastructure and the Croatian Competence Centre for Semiconductors. These achievements have been supported to a significant extent through EU co-funding, in particular under the digital strand of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital) for quantum communication and large-scale 5G projects.

The State of the Digital Decade Report 2026, including the country reports for the Member States, is available on the European Commission's website.