President Iohannis: Low digitalization of economy, reality which Government needs to urgently address

President Klaus Iohannis declared on Monday that the Government needs to urgently take measures concerning the digitization of the economy and public administration. 

"The low digitization rate of the economy and public administration is a reality which needs to determine the Government to take urgent measures. We can see in the statistics that we have a high internet speed, which is a good thing, without a doubt. On the other hand, Romanian society is not doing all that well when it comes to digital skills," the head of state said during the "Innovation Labs 2018. Demo Day" event, which took place at the National Theatre of Bucharest. 

He said that the Government has planned, and it ought to make the right steps towards this direction, for 35 percent of citizens to use the E-govern systems, but pointed out that this seems like an overly optimistic objective, in the context in which the 6 percent milestone has barely been reached. 

The head of state also talked about the deficit of qualified personnel in the IT sector and the fact that the education system is already outdated by the accelerated dynamic of changes, unable to cover the ever-increasing demand of specialists in this field. 

"The education system needs to rapidly integrate digital education, starting with primary school, in order to improve this situation," Iohannis highlighted. 

He also showed that this field is facing a lack of predictability, generated by the initiatives and measures, oftentimes uninspired by Government decision-makers. 

"The digital sector is a vital component of Romania's growth model which I wish to promote, a model based on innovation, competitiveness and entrepreneurship," Iohanis added. 

The President highlighted that the Romanian IT industry has had a sharp development in the past decade, indicating the fact that the IT&C field is rapidly growing, with an yearly average rate of 15 percent, exports registering annual increases of over 20 percent, and currently, this IT segment, along with the field of communication technology, cumulate 6 percent of the GDP. 

"Creative and start-up industries based on modern technology are the cornerstone of a dynamic and competitive economy on a global scale. It is essential that Romania backs the entrepreneurs that develop high-end products in the digital industry," Iohannis added.