Romania remains, despite a fast Internet connection and relatively high penetration rate, on the last place in the EU in terms of progress towards a digital economy and society, pulled down by the lack of skills and low confidence in the online services, MEDIAFAX informs.
The 2015 edition of the Digital Economy And Society Index(DESI) developed by the European Commission ranks Romania last in the EU, with an overall score of 0.31 points, slightly up from 0.28 points in 2014. The maximum score is 1 point and was not obtained by any of the EU Member States.
DESI Index is a composite index that integrates a set of relevant indicators, structured around five dimensions: connectivity, human capital, use of the Internet, the integration of digital technology and digital public services.
Denmark ranks first in the EU, with a score of 0.68 points, followed by Sweden (0.66 points), the Netherlands (0.63 points), Finland (0.62 points) and Belgium (0.59 points ).
Romania belongs to the group of countries with poor results, along with Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Compared to the last year's edition, Romania has made progress in terms of Internet connectivity, an increasingly important percentage of the population subscribed to faster broadband networks. Currently, 59% of the fixed Internet subscriptions are subscriptions to fast Internet connections, compared to 54% in 2013, placing Romania second in this regard, the report of the Committee reads.
The Commission notes that only 20% of the Romanians have basic digital skills, Romania having the lowest percentage of specialists in information and communication technology (ICT) in the overall employment in all EU countries, only 1.3%.