The European Union and the Republic of Korea (ROK) reaffirmed their commitment to deeper digital and technological collaboration during the third Digital Partnership Council held in Seoul. Both sides underlined the strategic importance of their partnership for boosting competitiveness, innovation and resilience, particularly as global competition for leadership in advanced technologies intensifies.

Under the Digital Partnership, the EU and ROK will expand joint research and innovation efforts in semiconductors, 6G, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, which are key areas for future economic security. They highlighted ongoing projects to develop more efficient semiconductor chips, continued progress on 6G connectivity, and new Horizon Europe initiatives supporting quantum research. Regulatory cooperation on AI will also intensify, including discussions on mutual recognition of conformity assessments under the EU’s AI Act, joint work on standardisation, and evaluation of AI safety and trustworthiness.

The two partners will enhance information exchange on data spaces and may create a joint working group to promote interoperability. Cybersecurity cooperation will also deepen through shared threat intelligence, work on software supply chain and IoT security, skills development and potential joint research. Collaboration in international standardisation bodies, such as the International Telecommunications Union, will be strengthened as well.