Poland’s Digitalization Strategy until 2035 is the first comprehensive document in the country’s history that organizes the country’s digital transformation around one goal – improving the quality of life of citizens thanks to digitization. It was developed by the Ministry of Digitization, and in October 2024 it was submitted for public consultations as a project replacing the Integrated State Computerization Program.
The document organizes activities around four horizontal areas:
- cybersecurity,
- coordination of digital transformation,
- electronic communication,
- competences of the future.
They are complemented by detailed areas divided into three levels: state (including e-services, digital identity, cloud computing, open data), people (safe digital space) and economy and technologies (including artificial intelligence). In this structure, cybersecurity plays the role of a foundation that crosses other areas, and the credibility of all e-services depends on it.
The strategy sets out an increasing path of expenditure on digitalization: from approximately 0.8% of GDP in 2025 to 2% of GDP in 2030 and ultimately 5% of GDP in 2035, which corresponds to approximately PLN 100 billion annually after 2030.
Security teams will feel the effects of the Strategy very concretely. It announces:
- establishment of a central institution responsible for cybersecurity based on the Joint Cybersecurity Operations Center (PCOC),
- development of national and European certification schemes as a tool for supply chain security,
- mechanism for identifying and limiting high-risk suppliers (DWR),
- national migration plan to post-quantum cryptography,
- monitoring the compliance of IT projects with the State Information Architecture.
In the following, we explain what the Strategy is, what it covers, what its schedule is and how to translate its provisions into the priorities of security teams.
What is the Polish Digitization Strategy until 2035?
Poland’s Digitization Strategy until 2035 is a cross-sectoral strategic document in the field of state computerization, which for the first time covers the digitization of the country as a whole – not as a separate ministry, but as a process permeating almost all areas of functioning of society, the state and the economy. The primary goal of the document is to improve the quality of life of citizens through digitalization by 2035
The strategy was prepared by Ministry of Digitization in cooperation with other government administration offices and with the participation of social and business stakeholders. It replaces the Integrated State Computerization Program and is intended to constitute a strategic basis for spending European funds intended for digitalization, setting the direction of negotiations for the upcoming financial perspective.
The document’s objectives are developed in related sectoral documents, including:
- Cybersecurity Strategy of the Republic of Poland for 2025-2029 (adopted in March 2026, replacing the strategy for 2019-2024),
- National Broadband Plan,
- Digital Competence Development Program,
- Data Opening Program,
- Artificial Intelligence Development Policy in Poland until 2030.
The conclusion for security managers is obvious: the general provisions of the Strategy will be detailed in sectoral regulations, which will directly affect the everyday work of IT and security teams. Tracking these documents is not a formality, but a source of specific obligations.
Why was the Strategy created?
The State Digitization Strategy was created to organize the development of digital services, which have so far been built in isolation from each other, without a common direction. As Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Dariusz Standerski put it, the document “ends this era of fragmented development of digital services” and for the first time “defines our digital plan for the next decade.”
We set specific goals – in ten years, Poland will be the leader in the digital development of Europe. By 2030, 100% of key public services will be available digitally, 85% of Poles will have basic digital competences by 2035, and we will allocate 5% of GDP to digitization.
The document responds to a specific ambition: Poland is to become the leader of digitalization in the European Union, and not remain a recipient of other people’s technologies. This is achieved by measurable goals with deadlines and indicators, including:
- full digital availability of key public services,
- universal fiber optic and 5G coverage by 2030,
- increase in digital competences of citizens, popularization of AI in offices and expenditure on digitization of the order of 5% of GDP by 2035.
The strategy also clearly defines what digitalization should not do: make people dependent, disinform or exclude. Protecting citizens’ digital rights, protecting children and young people against harmful platform mechanisms and building technological sovereignty are treated on an equal footing with the development of e-services. The whole thing fits into the EU agenda “The Road to the Digital Decade” by 2030.
What does the Polish Digitization Strategy cover?
The strategy organizes the country’s digitalization in two dimensions: four horizontal areas, which constitute the foundation of the transformation, andthree levels containing detailed areas.
Four horizontal areas
This is the starting point of the entire Strategy – areas whose condition determines the success of the rest:
- Electronic communication, i.e. universal access to ultra-fast Internet, 5G and 6G networks and sovereign satellite communications.
- Competencies of the future, i.e. digital skills of citizens, the number of ICT specialists and digital hygiene.
- Cybersecurity, i.e. the resistance of the state, institutions and citizens to growing cyber threats.
- Coordination of digital transformation, i.e. State Information Architecture, Committee for Digitization and the end of siloness in administration.
Three levels: State, People, Economy and Technologies
The remaining objectives of the Strategy are grouped into 17 areas on three levels:
- State (6 areas): public e-services, digitization of administrative processes and court proceedings, systems and registers, digital identity, cloud computing, open data and data exchange.
- People (4 areas): safe digital space, digital health, creative industries, digital academy.
- Business and technologies (7 areas): digital transformation of enterprises, artificial intelligence, other breakthrough technologies, space technologies, financing and support for innovation, open source, digital and green transformation.
On what principles is the Strategy based?
The strategy declares the principles according to which digitalization is to take place – and they set the limits of implementation:
- Technorealism – recognition that the development of technology is not the answer to all problems.
- Primacy of security – the introduction of new digital solutions can never be at the expense of security, understood as cybersecurity, fundamental rights and well-being of citizens.
- Just digital transition – social inclusion, accessibility for people with disabilities, workers’ rights and connection with the energy transition.
- Technological neutrality – avoiding long-term dependence on one supplier.
Goals of the Polish Digitization Strategy
The strategy translates the vision into measurable goals, most of which have target values set for 2035. The most important of them:
- 85% of citizens with at least basic and 50% with post-basic digital competences.
- At least 1.5 million ICT specialists (target: 10% share among the working population, including 35% women).
- 20 million digital identity wallets activated.
- 80% of offices and 50% of companies using artificial intelligence.
- 100% of IT projects for public use compliant with the State Information Architecture.
- 100% of matters in public entities handled electronically and 100% of entities providing e-payments.
- All significant cybersecurity incidents reported to CSIRTs in a timely manner.
- Universal access to mobile telecommunications services with a capacity of at least 100 Mb/s throughout the country.
- At least ten times greater computing power for science in the PLGrid infrastructure (ultimately HPC of 1 exaflops and AI of 40 exaflops).
- 100 disease entities analyzed using AI, and all health care facilities exchange medical records electronically.
Schedule of the Polish Digitization Strategy
The strategy spreads the goals over time, from the most urgent institutional changes in 2025-2026 to the target year of 2035. Key milestones resulting from the indicator table:
- 2025/2026 – establishment of a central institution responsible for cybersecurity; launch of an ethical assessment system for AI tools used by the state (2025).
- 2026 – plenipotentiaries for computerization in all ministerial offices and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister; implementing a mechanism to identify and limit high-risk suppliers; designation of the body coordinating counteracting disinformation; mechanism for coordinating AI implementation in administration; broadband coordinators in communes and counties.
- 2027 – legal basis for reference public registers.
- 2029 – the classified cloud reaches full operational capacity.
- 2031 – 100% of households equipped with smart meters.
- 2035 – target date for most goals: digital competences, identity wallets, AI in administration, compliance of IT projects with AIP, timely reporting of incidents.
The strategy is multi-annual, therefore it provides for a permanent management cycle, i.e. review of the document every 2 years and monitoring once a year, with a report to the Committee for Digitization and publication on the website of the Ministry of Digitization.
Summary
The State Digitization Strategy until 2035 combines Poland’s digital development into one measurable plan for the first time, in which cybersecurity is one of the four foundations determining the success of the rest.
For security teams, this is not an announcement of specific changes: a central cybersecurity institution based on PCOC, mandatory sector CSIRTs, a mechanism for identifying and limiting high-risk suppliers, a national migration plan to post-quantum cryptography and linking IT projects with the State Information Architecture.
These directions become binding through related regulations, primarily amendment of the Act on the KSC implementing the NIS2 directive and the Act on the National Certification System cybersecurity. The sooner the organization translates the provisions of the Strategy into its own map of responsibilities, the lower the risk that adaptation to new requirements will become an emergency action instead of a planned one.
