World Bank: The digital sector in Romania can help to the entire transformation of Europe

Romania’s digital sector can contribute to the digital transformation of Europe in its entirety, and especially of the surrounding region, because there is a lot of energy and entrepreneurial spirit in the IT field, said Juan Navas-Sabater, manager of the Digital Development Global Practice department at World Bank.

“Digital transformation has reached a point where it is no longer about the introduction of technologies in existing processes, but a complete transformation and innovation of the way the economy works. It’s about the way the government functions, by transforming itself into a digital economy, a significant transformation of the way we work. There are new paradigms: open data, 5G technology, artificial intelligence – the center of innovation – this is an opportunity make a leap in terms of the way the economic activity unfolds,” said Navas-Sabater.

Juan Navas-Sabater also noted that the digital sector has an important share in Romania’s GDP. “There is a lot of energy here, there is an entrepreneurial spirit in IT, and the digital sector in Romania can truly contribute to the transformation of Europe in its entirety, and especially of the surrounding region,” the WB representative said.

The World Bank runs a series of programs focused on innovation in governance and digital transformation, at both the regional and international level.

“Why is the World Bank interested in this subject of innovation in governance and digital transformation? Because for us as a development institution, digital transformation is a decisive factor for economic and social development. We published our world report on digital dividends and it shows how digital transformation must combine digital infrastructure and applications with those who put it into action without being a digital specialist. Based on this, the World Bank has developed a number of programs: the Digital Development Partnership, the Initiative Disruptive technology, etc.,” said Juan Navas-Sabater.