Brussels, June 17, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Commission on Thursday warned that Portugal is lagging behind the other member states of the European Union in terms of the adoption of advanced technologies by businesses, cautioning that this could jeopardise the country’s “digital competitiveness”.
In a report published today on progress towards the targets of the Digital Decade Programme, the European Commission notes that Portugal “has good connectivity infrastructure across the country and is a leader in digital public services for citizens and businesses”.
“However, the country faces a number of challenges in achieving successful digitalisation within businesses through advanced technologies, as it continues to lag behind its European partners in the adoption of cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) by businesses,” the Commission states.
Whilst reiterating that Portugal is showing “consistent progress in its digital innovation and business growth ecosystem”, the European Commission warns that the “efforts of the Portuguese authorities in this area may be hampered” by the “slow adoption” of advanced technologies by businesses.
“This low rate of adoption could undermine the country’s digital competitiveness, as businesses with low levels of digitalisation are unable to take full advantage of the productivity gains offered by digital tools, nor to capitalise on opportunities to access new online markets,” it warns.
Among the targets analysed by the European Commission, it is noted that the rate of AI adoption among Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) stands at 11.54%, below the European average of 19.95%, with an annual growth rate of 33.7% since 2023, which is also lower than that recorded in the rest of the EU (48%).
The same is true for companies with more than 250 employees: the AI adoption rate in Portugal stands at 49.15%, compared with a European average of 55.03%, with annual growth also lower (17.3% in Portugal, compared with 33.7% in the EU).
The picture is similar for the adoption of cloud technologies: the rate stands at 34.11% among SMEs, compared with an EU average of 46.69%. For large companies, the adoption rate is 74.15%, compared with 78.32% in the EU.
In light of these figures, the European Commission considers that Portugal “needs to step up its digital transformation efforts to close the gap with the EU average”.
“Particular attention should be paid to cloud computing and AI, areas in which both adoption rates and growth rates are significantly below the European average”.
However, when it comes to digital public services, Portugal is at the forefront of the EU, with the European Commission noting that the country’s performance in this area makes a “significant contribution to meeting the targets of the EU’s Digital Decade Programme”.
The European Commission states that Portugal’s overall score for digital public services for domestic users is 99.85 out of 100 (compared with a European average of 94.01); this figure drops to 90 when the services are aimed at businesses, though this is still above the European average of 88.59.
This report was published today as part of the European Commission’s annual review to assess whether member states are meeting the targets set out in the Digital Decade Programme, which aims to ensure that the EU strengthens its competitiveness and digital sovereignty by 2030.
At European level, the European Commission notes that progress has been made, particularly in terms of 5G coverage and, unlike in Portugal, in the adoption of technologies by businesses.
However, it warns that problems persist, particularly with regard to semiconductors: the EU “accounts for only 9% of the global semiconductor market, far short of the 20% target for 2030”.
TA/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
