PwC: No authority in place in Romania directly tasked with coordinated implementation of economy digitalization startegy

Romania doesn't have an authority in place that is directly responsible for the coordinated and consistent implementation of the economy digitization strategy, concludes a Survey on national digital governance by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) presented on Thursday at a specialist conference organized by the Romanian Banks Association.

According to the document, the implementation of digital governance has been negatively influenced by existing legislation gaps, as national law, such as the Electronic Signature Act, is not yet harmonized with European regulations. This would require incorporating in Law 455/2001 a chapter on the measures taken to implement the EU Regulation to facilitate the introduction of systems that allow the use of electronic signatures.

The authors of the survey also show that Romania is further lacking basic digital skills, which should allow the use of advanced technologies by both the citizens and public sector employees.

The relatively high cost of digital services in Romania compared to the purchasing power is yet another gridlock source. In this regard, the PwC study notes that for the issuance and renewal of digital certificates the fee is about 40 euro, while in Estonia the service is free of charge for individuals.

On the other hand, there is no authority in Romania directly responsible for the coordinated and, above all, consistent implementation of the strategy for the digitization of the national economy.

The PwC survey also highlights the fact that Romania needs a one-stop shop online platform to integrate all personal documents (birth certificate, driving license, digital licenses, public or private sector information) into a single portal. The set of measures also includes: the online registration of companies and the creation of an online portal for public procurement.

According to the cited source, in various international studies that look at the countries' digitization levels, Romania is lagging far behind. Thus, in a relevant 2018 UN survey, Romania is placed 67th out of 193 states, but last among the EU member states.