Playing the EU Game: Learning the Digital Rules by Getting in the Game
From grants to governance, the EU’s digital world is a maze. I dove in—starting with DG CONNECT, DIGITAL, and the logic behind the rules.
I’ve never been good at learning new games just by reading the rules. Whether it’s a board game or a policy framework, I tend to get stuck in the margins, trying to understand every nuance before I make a move. But as with most things, the best way to learn is usually to start playing.
This also turned out to be true for understanding the European Union's digital strategy.
From Tenders to Terrain
Earlier this year, I decided to find out how our agency, Schmuki, might get access to Dutch and European tenders related to digital innovation. We work in AI, automation, and digital transformation—mostly in complex, public-facing domains like education, health, and government. It seemed obvious that Europe would have a programme for this.
But where to start?
The EU is vast and opaque, even for someone who follows digital regulation closely. I knew about GDPR, the AI Act, the Digital Services Act. But I wanted to go deeper: who’s actually behind these policies? How is money distributed? Where do you go if you're an SME wanting to contribute?
Finding the Ministry of Digital
So I started mapping the EU’s online presence. Slowly, a pattern emerged: the URLs and subdomains follow a logic. Once I realised that the EU works with "Directorate-Generals" (DGs) that act like ministries, it became easier. One of them—DG CONNECT, or “CNECT” in short—is responsible for communications, networks, content, and technology.
If the EU has a ministry for digital and AI, this is it.
DG CONNECT runs programmes like DIGITAL Europe and co-funds local ecosystems such as European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). There’s also funding for AI Factories, datasets, cloud infrastructure, and retraining initiatives. Suddenly, I wasn’t just browsing jargon—I was seeing strategy. Digital capability as industrial policy. AI as public infrastructure.
The Game Comes Into Focus
As I started to follow the links and drill into the programmes, a structure emerged:
- DIGITAL Europe isn’t just policy—it’s a €7.5 billion fund.
- EDIHs aren’t just consultants—they’re local entry points for SMEs to access the EU ecosystem.
- Projects aren’t only cross-border—they are co-designed with member states, often aligned with national missions.
Now, instead of scanning endless PDF files with glazed eyes, I began to ask smarter questions:
Which Dutch organisations are listed as EDIHs? Who's received funding in the past two years? What are the open calls on the Funding & Tenders Portal? How do local and EU strategies align in AI for education or health?
The game board was suddenly visible. The rules started to make sense.
Rinse, Repeat — and Play
There’s still a lot I don’t know. But I’ve realised that learning to work with the EU is not about waiting until you understand everything. It’s about playing while learning. Reading the terrain, talking to partners, mapping the namespace. Acting, then adjusting.
That doesn’t mean I’m sold on the EU’s tempo or structure. The orderliness, the layered policies, the public dashboards—none of it feels remotely close to the speed or informality of Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. The rules here are visible, often admirable, but also heavy. And the gap between regulation and execution remains large.
Still, we don’t play by the rules just because we must. There’s a sincere belief—at least in our work—that there’s value in a more ethical, democratic way of shaping technology. Even when it slows things down. Even when it constrains entrepreneurial freedom.
This is the board we're given. So yes, we play by the rules. But we move fast, we experiment, and we build. That’s how you stay in the game—and how, maybe, you win.
Rob Hoeijmakers
Rob Hoeijmakers
