The European Commission has released a new index aimed at measuring how 'digital' each country in the EU is. The tool gives snapshots, per country, of connectivity (how widespread, fast and affordable broadband is), internet skills, the use of online activities from news to shopping, and how key digital technologies (e-invoices, cloud services, e-commerce, etc) and digital public services such as e-government and e-health are developed. The data is mostly from 2013 and 2014 and will be used in developing the next Digital Agenda scorecard, due out this summer.
Andrus Ansip, EC Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said the data also will help in preparing the new digital single market strategy, to be unveiled in May by the commission. The results of the index still show significant differences across EU countries. Out of a maximum index score of 1.0, Denmark scored the highest with a figure of 0.67, while Romania came last with a digital performance score of 0.31.
The Digital Economy and Society Index combines more than 30 indicators and uses a weighting system to rank each country based on its digital performance. Connectivity and digital skills ('human capital'), considered as foundations of the digital economy and society, each contribute 25 percent to the total score. Integration of digital technology accounts for 20 percent, as the use of ICT by the business sector is one of the most important drivers of growth. Finally, online activities ('use of internet') and digital public services each contribute 15 percent.
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Quelle/Source: Telecompaper, 24.02.2015
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