In his work with refugees in Bulgaria, Felix Engdal meets people daily who lack basic digital skills and he believes that neither the EU nor NATO is taking the problem seriously. It is not just an integration issue, but a security policy challenge that Europe cannot afford to ignore, he believes.
In my work with refugees in Bulgaria, I meet people with very limited digital skills on a daily basis. Many of the children have never used a computer. For us in the humanitarian sector, such as the UN or the Red Cross, this is nothing new. There is a clear skills gap today and it is about people lacking the basic skills required to function in everyday life: being able to search for information, assess credibility and use digital services safely.
Being able to navigate the internet, handle digital communications securely or access authorities is fundamental to being integrated into society. But it is not just a question of integration. Both The European Union, according to their digital strategy, and NATO highlights in their latest safety assessments that digital skills are crucial to strengthening society's resilience against disinformation, AI-driven propaganda campaigns and cybercrime.
Ramandhany and others shows with their research that individuals who lack these tools are at greater risk of being victims of online fraud or other cybercrime. In another study, points out Shkuropadska and others that society's resilience to cyber threats can be weakened if incorrect information is inadvertently spread due to low digital understanding.
Despite this, there is no systematic coordination between the EU, NATO and humanitarian actors on digital skills specifically for refugees. A study by GSMA, a global organization of mobile operators, shows that 43 percent of the global population still does not use mobile internet, and among those who do, skills are often limited. Among refugees, the consequences of lack of skills risk being even greater.
Europe lacks statistics on the digital skills of newcomers, meaning their needs are often overlooked in digital education and resilience strategies. Improved access to digital devices also does not automatically translate into real skills. In a study by Muge Satar It is clear that many refugees rely on mobile phones but lack the skills to critically examine information, protect their accounts or use public services digitally. The European Commission points out that since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, disinformation and AI-powered propaganda tools have become increasingly sophisticated, increasing the risks for already vulnerable groups.
The current system is therefore inadequate for those who are most in need. EU Action Plan for Digital Education and NATO's strategy for societal resilience lacks concrete goals and action plans for newly arrived refugees. For humanitarian organizations, this means we have to improvise. The lack of a clear formulation on digital competence also means that NGOs have to create their own definitions, resulting in lower impact for refugees moving across EU borders.
Basic skills need to be taught with limited resources, without common guidelines, quality assurance or the possibility of systematic follow-up. In practice, this means that many refugees remain dependent on informal information channels and lack both access to reliable information and real opportunities to act independently in digital environments. Strengthening digital competence is of course complex, not least among refugee groups, which is why the EU and NATO should also seek help from the humanitarian sector to adapt the needs to the target groups.
Do not let refugees become a weapon in the hybrid war. If the EU and NATO are serious about strengthening the digital skills of their citizens, the following measures should be implemented:
- The European Union Action Plan on Digital Education should be complemented by a specific track for newly arrived refugees, with earmarked funding, common objectives and systematic data collection on digital skills.
- NATO should integrate digital literacy for refugees into its work on societal resilience and hybrid threat prevention, including guidelines on how education can reduce vulnerability to disinformation and digital exploitation.
- Humanitarian actors should be responsible for needs analysis, implementation and local adaptation of educational interventions, based on refugees' actual conditions, language and access to technology.
- The EU should establish a permanent coordination mechanism between EU institutions, NATO and humanitarian organizations to harmonize standards, share data and scale up working models.
- Training programmes should be offered in reception centres, within local integration initiatives and in digital hubs, with standardised but flexible modules that combine practical skills, information criticality, digital security and knowledge of civil and institutional systems in line with the UN refugee agency UNHCR. UNHCR's guidelines.
A clear division of responsibilities would enable more effective and long-term interventions. It would strengthen refugees' autonomy while contributing to Europe's collective resilience against hybrid threats.
Investing in digital skills is not only a humanitarian ambition, but also a strategic issue for the future. It strengthens integration, promotes social cohesion and reduces vulnerability to external influence operations.
Digital literacy should therefore be seen as a fundamental part of both integration and security policies. For refugees, it is a prerequisite for independence, inclusion and security, and for Europe, an investment in a more resilient society.
This is a debate article. The author is responsible for analysis and opinions in the text.
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