Iohannis: Romania has important stakes in intelligent industries, governments must deliver responsible policies

President Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Tuesday to the "Digital International Forum IV - The Digital Future of Europe" event in which he states that Romania has important stakes in the "intelligent industrial sectors", and governments must deliver "responsible policies". 

"The development of Industry 4.0 brings a huge potential, especially in the automotive industry and in other smart manufacturing sectors. Romania has important stakes in these industries. In this sense, governments have to deliver responsible policies to lead to increasing the resilience of the economy and to abandon populist, short-term measures that impose costs for future generations. Undoubtedly, the digitization of public administration should be a priority for all governments. Technology provides simple and fast solutions to deliver services and to reduce bureaucracy and corruption, to the benefit of both citizens and businesses," says the head of state in the message presented by presidential advisor Cosmin Marinescu. 

Iohannis argues that "the digital revolution is the greatest challenge of our generation," emphasizing that the Single Market is the most important achievement of the European Union. 

In this context, he points out that it is necessary for the Single Market to be further strengthened, mentioning that this was one of the essential objectives of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the European Union. 

The President says that, despite many advantages, Europe risks being overtaken in the global digital race when it comes to encouraging world-class players in the new digital economy, a context in which it is vital to develop a diversified Single Market. He points out that entrepreneurs "play a vital role" in increasing economic competitiveness, which is why the Union must encourage entrepreneurship and risk-taking in terms of innovation. 

He mentions that in Romania, with 6pct of GDP, the digital sector is "an important driver of economic growth and innovation", and Romanian companies and specialists are internationally recognized. 

"Romania has the capacity to become a regional innovation hub. The local digital eco-system is young and dynamic. The number of IT companies exploded in the last 5-6 years, the startups doubled their number and the market can boast annual growth rates of 15pct. The digital products are largely exported, with three-quarters of the production going to partners in the Single Market and the United States," says the head of state. 

President Iohannis also shows that startups need a friendly business environment to grow and prosper.