Together with the Employers’ Association of the Software and Services Industry (ANIS), the Romanian Association of Online Stores (ARMO), the Concordia Employers’ Confederation, Leaders in Tech and Romanian Business Leaders (RBL), we sent President Nicușor-Daniel Dan a letter to accelerate the state’s digital transformation – an open invitation to co-construction, institutional dialogue, and mobilization of civic resources and existing expertise in society.
Download the letter (PDF)
Call for Romania's Digital Transformation
Romania is at a turning point. We have a generation of young IT specialists, with a 6.9% share of graduates in the field, placing us among the leaders of the European Union in this indicator, a high-speed internet network among the best performing in Europe (96% of households covered by gigabit networks), and a society that aspires to modern, fast and transparent public services. However, only 18% of Romanians use digital public services – compared to a European average of over 65% – and only 28% of Romanians have basic digital skills, compared to an EU average of 54%.
This reality does not reflect a lack of technological potential, but the absence of coherent governance and a clear political will to integrate digitalization as a national priority, an aspect confirmed by the OECD report on Romania (2023), which shows that the lack of a coherent digital governance strategy, fragmentation of responsibilities and frequent fluctuations at the institutional level have led to siloed digital initiatives, without continuity or systemic impact.
So far, the low degree of digitalization has fueled certain phenomena, including:
- corruption, reported by over 75% of Romanians as a widespread problem, fueled also by the maintenance of opaque administrative decisions;
- unnecessary and burdensome bureaucracy for citizens and the private sector. For example, Romania ranks 20th in the world in terms of the complexity of doing business;
significant tax losses due to the lack of automation and control: Romania ranks second to last in the ranking regarding tax collection as a percentage of GDP (27%), the EU average being at 40%; - low trust in the state and its institutions: only 41% declare that they have a lot or a lot of trust in city halls, 29.8% in the Presidency, 19.4% in the Government and only 17.4% in Parliament.
We, at Edge Institute, believe that Romania needs real and sustainable economic growth, fueled by digitalization. Digital transformation means more than spending cuts. It means an engine of growth, a new social contract between the state and the citizen, a modern, flexible economy ready to compete globally. In the companies and organizations where we have performed, we have seen how cost adjustment exercises and investments in growth engines go hand in hand. Every time we have cut costs, we have known that we must invest – in people, in processes, in innovation. The same must happen with the state.
From the new Presidential Administration, we want to:
- Allocate resources to guide the digital transformation, by appointing a Presidential Advisor for Digital Transformation, who would facilitate the dialogue between state institutions, the private sector and civil society, represent the Administration in relevant European and international forums, contribute to strengthening Romania’s position as a regional actor in the digital economy and to promoting digitalization as a national strategic priority, and coordinate the Presidential Commission for the Digital Transformation of Romania, which would function as a space for articulation between state institutions and the civic/private coalition with a clear mandate, regular meeting framework and defined objectives.
- Integrate digital transformation into diplomatic action, including by establishing the Diplomatic Network for Digital Transformation, consisting of diplomatic and consular personnel posted in key European and global capitals, to facilitate the adoption of good practices from host countries, prioritizing the identification of emerging technologies applicable to Romanian public services;
- Support a reform of the governance of digital transformation within the Executive, with the objective of clearly delimiting the attributions and responsibilities, providing them with the necessary legitimacy for inter-ministerial coordination in the field, accompanied by a clear mandate for efficiency;
- Initiate a National Pact for the Digitalization of Romania, signed by political parties, central and local public administration and civil society, to ensure continuity and a coherent implementation framework.
