In terms of measurable ‘strength’ indicators, Slovakia stands out regionally in its adoption of online shopping. In 2024, 85% of internet users in Slovakia shopped online, placing it among the higher-performing Central/Eastern European countries cited in EU-wide comparisons. In the Commission’s Digital Decade assessment, Slovakia is described as having high ambition (targets aligned mainly with the EU goals) and being on track on most monitored trajectories (as summarised in the 2025 State of the Digital Decade annexe material).
Czechia’s digital profile is anchored by dense interconnection and steady last-mile upgrades, Prague’s NIX.CZ ranks among Europe’s larger neutral IXPs (209 members; 2023 peak >2.8 Tb/s), keeping a large share of national traffic local and low-latency. The National Plan for Very High-Capacity Networks (VHCN) guides gigabit build-outs through 31 December 2027, while the Czech Telecommunication Office (ČTÚ) serves as the country’s Digital Services Coordinator for the EU DSA.
On services and computing, the state rolled out eDoklady, a mobile digital-ID app, starting 20 January 2024 to streamline high-assurance login and in-person checks. For cloud, most workloads combine domestic colocation with nearby hyperscale regions, strengthened by the Azure ‘Austria East’ launch (three availability zones in Vienna, Aug 2025). Research and AI training lean on IT4Innovations’ KarolinaEuroHPC supercomputer in Ostrava.
2Governance is comparatively mature and still tightening. The National AI Strategy 2030 (NAIS) was approved in 2024, and a new Cybersecurity Act transposing NIS2 is slated to take effect on 1 November 2025, expanding obligations for essential and important entities. Together with the DSA setup and the VHCN plan, these measures place Czechia near the regional frontier on practical enablers: interconnection density, close-by cloud regions, national digital ID, and an up-to-date cyber/legal framework.
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Germany’s digital profile is anchored by core internet infrastructure that is among Europe’s strongest. Frankfurt’s DE-CIX, one of the world’s leading internet exchanges, set a new global peering record of 25 Tb/s in April 2025, underscoring Germany’s role as a continental traffic hub. Frankfurt’s data-centre market also crossed a structural milestone in Q2 2025, exceeding 1 GW of operational colocation supply, only the second European city to do so, reflecting deep interconnection and cloud capacity.
On connectivity, Germany is close to universal 5G household coverage. The European Commission’s 2024 Digital Decade country report cites 98.1% 5G coverage of households, placing Germany near the top of the EU on this metric (while acknowledging remaining FTTP gaps).
In high-performance computing, Germany operates JUPITER, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer, inaugurated on 5 September 2025 at Jülich. This positions the country at the forefront of European computing for AI training and large-scale simulation.
Commercially, Germany is one of Europe’s largest e-commerce markets by revenue. After two weak years, online retail grew 1.1% to €80.6 bn in 2024, with the national trade association forecasting about €92.4 bn in 2025, indicating a return to steady expansion at scale.
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Brunei’s digital profile combines very high connectivity with a relatively centralised policy model. The UN’s 2024 E-Government Development Index ranks Brunei 75th out of 193, with a strong Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (0.9868). Public datasets also suggest near-universal connectivity with 99% internet penetration in early 2025.
At the strategy level, national digital transformation is framed by the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025, which sets the direction and enablers for ‘Smart Nation through Digital Transformation.’ For the public sector, Brunei’s Digital Government Strategy outlines a programme-based approach to modernising government processes and services, including cross-agency coordination aims. Delivery is supported by government-wide infrastructure, such as EGNC’s One Government Network (OGN), which connects agencies through a secure WAN.
Connectivity policy and rollout have been relatively explicit. Brunei adopted a National Broadband Policy as an overarching framework for broadband development. On mobile, Brunei announced nationwide 5G availability from 22 June 2023 via a joint release involving AITI, UNN and operators. AITI’s published sector statistics also track indicators of high mobile/broadband penetration and network coverage.
On ‘trust’ governance, the major recent shift is privacy law: the Personal Data Protection Order (PDPO) 2025 establishes private-sector data protection obligations, including cross-border transfer conditions.
PDPO: Brunei’s privacy pivot
Brunei’s Personal Data Protection Order (PDPO) 2025 marks a clear shift from fragmented privacy expectations to a single, enforceable framework for how private-sector organisations handle personal data, covering collection, use, disclosure, security, retention and cross-border transfers. A Government Gazette commencement notice appointed 1 January 2026 for key operative parts of the law, effectively turning ‘privacy readiness’ into a near-term governance test for companies, platforms, and service providers. In practice, the PDPO pushes organisations to formalise accountability, including a designated compliance contact, document their data practices, and treat data incidents as operational risks rather than PR noise. For consumers, it strengthens expectations of transparency and control over personal data in everyday services, especially in e-commerce, finance, telecoms, and digital government adjacencies, while also raising questions about how cross-border data flows will be managed in a small, highly connected economy.
For emerging tech, Brunei is using targeted, lighter-weight instruments: AITI has issued a Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, voluntary guidance for organisations developing/using AI. Cloud and infrastructure policy signals include government workstreams such as ‘Developing Sovereign Cloud Policy’ in the Digital Brunei transformation materials, while UNN markets locally hosted cloud as compliant with data-residency requirements. International connectivity is supported by subsea diversity. UNN states it is the consortium owner of SEA-ME-WE 3, AAG, and SJC, and that interconnection is via Borneo-IX, powered by DE-CIX.
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Brunei’s permanent mission to the UN:
Brunei’s Permanent Mission in Geneva represents the country to the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) and other international organisations based there, and is listed in UNOG’s official Blue Book directory. The UN listing identifies the Mission’s National Day as 23 February and names H.E. Ms Dk Mazlizah Pg Hj Mahalee as Permanent Representative, while the mission’s official UN page provides its Geneva contact details and location at the International Centre Cointrin (ICC).
In Bulgaria, digital governance is often discussed through the lens of trust and resilience, shaped mainly by the 2019 National Revenue Agency (NRA) data breach, when unauthorised access led to the online spread of extracted taxpayer data affecting millions (NRA stated ~5.1 million people), a defining stress test for state data stewardship and incident response.
Institutionally, Bulgaria has sought to reduce fragmentation by creating a dedicated Ministry of e-Government and consolidating responsibilities previously split across bodies and ministries. Such a centralisation is reflected in the the EU’s digital public administration monitoring, which is a key governance reform intended to strengthen coordination and delivery.
On cybersecurity, Bulgaria’s most recent headline shift is legislative: Parliament adopted major Cybersecurity Act amendments on 5 February 2026 to align with NIS2, expanding regulated sectors and strengthening obligations and supervisory powers, an important compliance and enforcement upgrade for both public and private operators.
On AI governance, Bulgaria’s main national policy anchor is the Concept for the Development of AI in Bulgaria until 2030 (approved in December 2020), complemented by EU-wide rules (AI Act) and domestic oversight via existing regulators and governance bodies. the EU ‘AI Watch’ summarises Bulgaria’s strategy focus on infrastructure and data, skills, adoption, and trust.
Bulgaria’s AI Act watchdogs step in
Rights on the algorithm: On 18 June 2025, Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers adopted a decision, reported as Decision No. 398, designating seven national bodies to help safeguard fundamental rights under the EU AI Act, including the right to non-discrimination. Under Article 77, these bodies can request and access relevant documentation about high-risk AI systems when needed to carry out their mandates, an important bridge between ‘AI compliance’ on paper and real-world oversight. The move matters because it signals that AI governance is not only about innovation policy, but also about protecting people who may be disproportionately affected by automated decision-making (for example, in services, employment, education, or policing). At the same time, broader effectiveness will depend on how clearly responsibilities are divided, how well these bodies are resourced, and whether their findings inform enforcement and remedies as AI systems scale across the economy.
Digital infrastructure is a regional strength: the EU’s Digital Decade 2025 profile notes that Bulgaria has a well-developed connectivity infrastructure (while flagging challenges in skills, SME uptake, and cybersecurity). Interconnection is concentrated in Sofia. BIX.BG reports operations across 10+ data centres and publishes traffic/peering stats, while internationally, the Kardesa Black Sea submarine cable plan would add route diversity with a first landing in Bulgaria planned for 2027.
On the ‘rules + platforms’ layer, Bulgaria’s data protection regime is GDPR-based with enforcement by the Commission for Personal Data Protection (CPDP) under the national Personal Data Protection Act; open data is delivered via data.egov.bg and tracked in the EU Open Data Maturity reporting; and the Electronic Commerce Act provides the domestic legal frame for online services, alongside the EU consumer and platform rules, where the Commission issued a reasoned opinion (7 May 2025) citing gaps in Bulgaria’s DSA enforcement setup (DSC empowerment and penalties).
Bulgaria’s Permanent Mission in Geneva represents the country at the UN Office at Geneva and other international organizations based there, supporting Bulgaria’s positions in multilateral diplomacy across areas such as human rights, humanitarian affairs, health, migration, trade-related work, and international standard-setting. The mission is listed in UN Geneva’s official ‘Blue Book,’ including its Geneva address and contact details, and is headed by a Permanent Representative accredited to UN Geneva.
The Senegalese government has developed various strategies to kick-start digital transformation in the public sector, aiming to extend the benefits of digitalization to rural and disadvantaged population groups. Despite these efforts, the pace of digitalization in Senegal remains slow, and the country’s digital strategy lacks green approaches for the simultaneous promotion of digital transformation and sustainability, known as the ‘twin transition’.
To address these challenges, the Digital Transformation Center Senegal has been established to ensure sustainable and human-centered development, enabling self-determined digital transformation. The center focuses on improving access to online public services, developing interoperable and inclusive digital administrative services, and bridging the digital skills divide by supporting inclusive digital offerings and providing training, particularly for women in rural areas.
In terms of internet connectivity, as of 2024, approximately 60% of the population had access to the internet, with a significant portion utilising mobile broadband services. However, challenges such as the high cost of mobile broadband subscriptions persist, limiting broader access.
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At the core of Samoa’s digital transformation is the Digital Transformation Strategy 2023–2030, supported by the World Bank, which outlines a comprehensive roadmap to enhance broadband access, promote e-government services, and build climate-resilient infrastructure. The strategy complements the ICT Sector Plan 2022–2027, which prioritises infrastructure upgrades, digital inclusion programs, and the establishment of a national Internet Exchange Point to reduce latency and improve the efficiency of internet services. These efforts are reinforced by the Digitally Connected and Resilient Samoa Project, designed to expand access to high-quality digital services and secure connectivity across the country.
Samoa’s legal and regulatory framework for data protection is anchored by the Privacy Act 2013, supported by the Data Protection Guidelines 2020, the Crimes Act 2013, and recent legislation such as the National Digital Identification Act 2024. These instruments collectively safeguard citizens’ rights to privacy and regulate how personal data is managed, shared, and stored. Telecommunications providers are also bound by confidentiality obligations under the Telecommunications Act 2005. While there is no dedicated data protection authority, multiple institutions are tasked with enforcement and compliance oversight.
Cybersecurity is another priority area, reflected in Samoa’s National Cybersecurity Strategy (2016–2021), which laid the foundation for developing secure infrastructure and aligning national laws with international standards. The Samoa Computer Emergency Response Team (SamCERT), established in 2019, plays a central role in detecting, responding to, and preventing cyber incidents.
Samoa’s digital infrastructure is underpinned by two key submarine cable systems: the Tui-Samoa Cable and the Manatua One Polynesia Fibre Cable. These cables provide high-speed international connectivity and are managed by the Samoa Submarine Cable Company (SSCC), which also participates in regional infrastructure projects such as the planned Central Pacific Cable and Google’s Bulikula and Halaihai subsea cables.
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São Tomé and Príncipe, an archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, has been actively advancing its digital landscape to foster economic growth and improve public services. As of January 2024, the country reported an internet penetration rate of 57%, with approximately 133,400 users, and about 63,100 social media users, accounting for 26.9% of the population.
The government has initiated the ‘Digital São Tomé and Príncipe Project,’ supported by the World Bank, aiming to enhance telecommunications services and strengthen data governance. Additionally, the ‘National Strategy for Digital Governance’ seeks to align public policies across sectors to improve digital public services. Furthermore, the government is formulating a National Cybersecurity Strategy and Action Plan to safeguard its digital infrastructure and data.
In education, partnerships with organisations like UNICEF have led to the development of digital learning platforms, such as the ‘Learning Passport,’ integrating technology into classrooms and promoting digital literacy among students.
To bolster connectivity, the country connected to the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable in 2012, significantly enhancing internet access and reducing costs.
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Egypt’s digital profile reflects rapid transformation driven by infrastructure investment, regulatory modernisation, and strategic regional positioning. The country hosts over 10 submarine cable landing stations and carries nearly 30% of global internet traffic through its Mediterranean-Red Sea corridor, making it one of the most critical internet transit hubs worldwide. With 5G rollout underway and broadband speed improvements, the ICT sector grew by 14.4% in 2023–24, contributing over 5% to GDP—placing Egypt among the fastest-growing digital economies in Africa and the Arab world.
Digital transformation is anchored in the ‘Digital Egypt’ initiative and ICT 2030 strategy, which have connected more than 33,000 public institutions and digitised essential services through a national e‑government platform. The country has enacted comprehensive legislation, including the Personal Data Protection Law (2020) and the Cybercrime Law (2018), aligning with global norms. Notably, Egypt has become a leader in fintech growth in emerging markets, with services like InstaPay and Meeza accelerating financial inclusion and mobile wallet adoption across socioeconomic segments.
Emerging technologies are gaining traction through national AI and blockchain strategies, deep‑tech venture studios, and talent pipelines like the Digital Egypt Builders program. Egypt ranks among global leaders in AI workforce reskilling, with 85% of employers upskilling in generative AI and automation. With rising tech startup activity, expanding digital infrastructure, and a strong regional role in data transit, Egypt is positioning itself as a digital innovation hub for Africa and the Middle East.
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