The AI continent action plan: Europe’s roadmap to trustworthy artificial intelligence
How the European Union aims to strengthen innovation, competitiveness, and democratic values through human‑centric AI
In April 2025, the European Commission presented the AI Continent Action Plan, setting out a clear course for strengthening Europe’s position in the global development and use of artificial intelligence (AI). The plan responds to the rapid acceleration of AI worldwide and the need for Europe to move faster in adopting these technologies across its economy and public sector. While AI is already being used in areas such as healthcare, energy, and mobility, adoption within the EU remains uneven, especially among small organisations and public administrations.
Rather than introducing new legislation, the AI Continent Action Plan brings together concrete policy actions and investments to support the next phase of AI development. It focuses on five key areas: scaling up computing infrastructure through AI factories and future AI gigafactories, improving access to high‑quality data, accelerating AI uptake in strategic sectors, strengthening skills and talent, and supporting the practical implementation of the AI Act. Together, these measures aim to support AI development across its full lifecycle, from research and training to deployment in real‑world settings.
Access to data is a central pillar of the plan. Developing and validating AI systems requires datasets such as language resources, benchmarking datasets, and administrative data from public services. Through initiatives like the upcoming Data Union Strategy and Data Labs connected to AI factories, the EU aims to make such data easier to access, combine, and reuse across borders. Platforms like the European Data Portal contribute by improving access to open public sector data, supporting transparent and accountable AI development.
Published as part of the EU’s broader digital strategy, the AI continent action plan outlines a long‑term vision in which Europe moves from experimentation to large‑scale, trustworthy AI adoption. Explore the full plan on the European Commission’s website and discover how open and reusable data on the European Data Portal supports Europe’s path towards becoming a leading AI continent.
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