School curricula across the EU should focus on developing the digital and entrepreneurial skills of young Europeans to prepare them for life and work in the digital age. This would help them not only find jobs, but also use technology for their own well-being and civic participation. At the same time, our society would become more resistant to negative trends such as fake news, propaganda and filter bubbles. These were just a few of the conclusions from the conference “Digital and entrepreneurial skills for inclusive, cohesive and innovative societies”, organised by the Bulgarian presidency of the Council on 11 April in Brussels.

“It is essential to equip citizens with skills related to cornerstone technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and blockchain, in order to reap the maximum benefits of new cutting-edge technologies for the European economy and societies. As boundaries between formal and non-formal education are blurring, education systems need to be brought up to date,” said Denitsa Sacheva, Bulgarian Deputy Minister for Education and Science, who opened the conference.

“Educate to create” was another conference held last week within the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency. The event was co-organised by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The conference called attention to the pressing need to raise digital skills and competence levels across Europe. It had both plenary and workshop sessions led by international experts in education and thought-leaders from policy, business and research. European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel delivered the opening speech on the second day of the proceedings.