The Digital Competency Framework for the Public Administration – Distilled Version and Lessons Learned From The Design Process in Romania

• June 2, 2026
• Andrew

Digital transformation has fundamentally reshaped what public administrations do and how civil servants must perform their roles. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, automation, cloud infrastructures and digital platforms have moved from peripheral tools to core mechanisms through which governments design policies, deliver services, manage risks and uphold democratic accountability. Public administration employees are now expected not only to operate digital systems but also to understand their implications, safeguard public data, cooperate across institutions, and adapt to rapidly evolving regulatory and technological environments. In this context, digital competence has become a universal capability rather than a specialist function, inseparable from the effective exercise of public authority.

The European Union (EU) has progressively established a strategic and legal architecture that elevates digital competence to a core capability for modern public administration. The Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, the European Skills Agenda and the Pact for Skills articulate an ambitious vision of digitally mature administrations. EU legislation such as the Open Data Directive, the Data Governance Act, the Data Act, the Interoperable Europe Act, and the Single Digital Gateway Regulation require civil servants to work with data in interoperable, secure, and reusable formats and to communicate digitally in an accessible and citizen-centric manner. At the same time, the AI Act, GDPR, NIS2, and eIDAS 2.0 impose concrete obligations for AI literacy, human oversight, data protection, and cybersecurity across public administrations. These requirements make clear that digital capability is now essential for public administration performance, institutional resilience and trust.

As the scope and ambition of digital and AI-driven reforms in public administration continue to expand, the need for a clear and shared understanding of the digital competencies required from public administration employees has become increasingly important. DigComp offers a structured baseline for individuals’ digital empowerment, but its orientation does not reflect institutional mandates or the accountability of public office. The e-Competence Framework defines competencies for ICT professionals but does not cover the broader population of public officials who increasingly make decisions shaped by technological, data and cybersecurity considerations. Several Member States have already developed adaptations of digital competency frameworks for the public administration, confirming both the usefulness of these instruments and the need for a framework tailored to administrative realities.