A Commission staff working document published on 24 June 2026 as part of the Digital Decade 2026 country reports finds that Ireland's strong digital assets in connectivity and basic digital skills are not fully translating into economy-wide digital transformation. The report, issued by the Council, highlights lagging SME digitalisation, slow growth in ICT specialists, and uneven digital public services as key weaknesses.
Ireland set 11 of 14 possible national targets, achieving 91% alignment with EU 2030 goals, and 60% of its 2025 trajectory points are on track. The country allocated 33% of its recovery plan (EUR 0.3 billion) and 4% of cohesion policy funding (EUR 0.04 billion) to digital priorities. Very high-capacity network (VHCN) coverage stands at 88.98%, above the EU average of 85.54%, but annual growth of 2.1% trails the EU's 3.7%. 5G coverage reaches 96.31%, near the EU average of 96.79%, though coverage in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band is 65.66%, below the EU average of 74.75%.
SME digital intensity is 79.3%, above the EU average of 71.4%, but growth is slower than the EU average. AI uptake among businesses is 19.6%, just below the EU average of 20.0%. Basic digital skills among individuals are 82.8%, well above the EU average of 60.4%, while ICT specialists make up 6.2% of employment, above the EU average of 5.0% but declining. Access to electronic health records stands at 44.0%, far below the EU average of 86.5%.
The report recommends that Ireland strengthen the ICT specialist pipeline, accelerate e-health transformation, boost SME digitalisation, enhance cybersecurity, support advanced connectivity use, scale up indigenous semiconductor firms, and align digital growth with the green transition. The document is part of a broader Commission assessment of member states' progress toward the Digital Decade 2030 targets, which the Council will discuss in upcoming formations.