Salvatore Capasso, Giovanni Canitano (a cura di)
Mediterranean Economies 2023
DOI: 10.1401/9788815411167/c6
For this dimension, further analysis was carried out by looking at the percentage of individuals who used the Internet, in the last 12 months, for interaction with public authorities (fig. 13). In 2022, France (87.1) was first in the standings, followed by Slovenia (76.8) and Spain (72.7) while Italy (40.4) returned to be last in the standings, after Portugal (58.9) and Croatia (54.9). Greece has substantially stable values over the three years (about 70 per cent). Overall, the various countries are very differently positioned, which suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has not contributed to sustaining the digital convergence of EuroMed countries for this specific indicator.
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Fig. 12. DESI sub-dimension «Digital public services».
Definition: weighted score of the DESI sub-dimension (0-100).
Source: authors’ elaboration on Eurostat (European Union survey on ICT usage in Households and by Individuals), 2022.
Source: authors’ elaboration on Eurostat (European Union survey on ICT usage in Households and by Individuals), 2022.
Fig. 13. Digital public services - the indicator «e-Government Users».
Definition: Individuals who used the Internet, in the last 12 months, for interaction with public authorities (percentage of individuals).
Source: authors’ elaboration on Eurostat (European Union survey on ICT usage in Households and by Individuals), 2022.
Source: authors’ elaboration on Eurostat (European Union survey on ICT usage in Households and by Individuals), 2022.

Conclusions

The detailed analysis carried out in the previous section and based on both the main DESI dimensions and selected basic indicators showed that in order to have a more comprehensive understanding of similarities and differences among EuroMed countries in their level of digitalization trends it is recommended to explore beyond the overall DESI score but also to go into greater depth by analysing at least the main basic indicators of each of the four DESI dimensions, i.e., human capital, connectivity, integration of digital technologies and digital public services.
Indeed, as emerged from the various descriptive statistics provided above, the performance of countries can vary greatly also in specific indicators belonging to the same broad category, reflecting different digital strategies and directions of commitment through specific investments of governments as well as the behaviour of people and businesses. In this respect, the situation related to the level of diffusion of specific digital technologies among enterprises, such as Cloud and AI, is a case in point. Moreover, the imbalance revealed by the analysis of single indicators also helps explain why, despite signs of convergence among EuroMed countries in their overall digitalization performance, such a convergence is not attributable to the same factors for all countries. For example, convergence is not reported for the dimension of human capital, where high variability increased over time among nations for many basic indicators, notably the number of ICT specialists and enterprises providing their staff with ICT training.
From a practical perspective, this study offers insights into how to direct the future implementation of the national digital strategies of EuroMed countries in order to reduce existing gaps and sustain convergence in their digital performance by examining specific factors. Along such lines, it is worth stressing that all EuroMed countries have set up an overall digital national strategy, and several formal measures in the form of plans, programmes and investments have been established that are likely to impact specific DESI dimensions (see box 1).
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), as shown in table 4, represents the main source of investments for digitization. RRF is a financial instrument (within the NextGeneration EU) which aims {p. 218}to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of green and digital transitions.
As emerges from the data in box 1, it is only in the case of Malta that the ambitious digitalization plan implemented in the period 2014-2020 can help to understand the good results and excellent positioning of this nation among the various nations of the Euro-Mediterranean area.
Malta has made good relative progress as regards the overall level of digitalization of its economy and society, and has maintained a comparatively high ranking within the EU over the last five years. Between 2017 and 2022, Malta’s aggregate DESI score grew slightly more than expected from the convergence curve, meaning that it improved at a marginally higher pace than the score of the EU as a whole. In this regard, even if there are delays in the release of the new strategy document, it is safe to assume that Malta will continue to show a serious commitment to further support its digital transformation and defend the position it has hitherto achieved. Malta’s ambitions are nonetheless confirmed by the recently adopted Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2027, which identifies digital technologies as one of the priority areas for investment in innovation over the coming years. Furthermore, Malta’s RRP contributes to the digital transformation of Maltese society and economy with € 80.8 million, equal to 25.5 per cent of the plan’s total budget.
Malta’s various efforts are reflected in its good performance across the different dimensions of the 2022 DESI. Nonetheless, over the coming years, it will be important for Malta to step up measures to close existing gaps and pioneer advanced digital technologies, building on cooperation with other Member States. For example, there are ample opportunities to strengthen the use of digital technologies for environmental sustainability in order to effectively pursue the twin green and digital transition.
In the case of the other countries, the specific targets and the various measures established and capable of positively impacting on the various DESI dimensions, sub-dimensions and basic indicators can with difficulty be related to the data elaborated in the previous section, since they are recent strategies that mainly concern the future. For all these countries, the empirical results {p. 219}produced can therefore constitute a useful reference to verify the consistency of these strategies and measures with respect to the trends recorded by the various countries and to identify relative areas that require more careful analysis or the definition of specific performance indicators and measurable targets.
Notably, with regard to Italy, the EU’s third largest economy, the country’s progress in digital transformation over the coming years is crucial to enable the EU as a whole to reach the 2030 Digital Decade targets. In this respect, it is worth noting that Italy is the EuroMed country that, in absolute terms, will receive the most resources under the RRF. Despite significant improvements made in various digitalization dimensions, there are still gaps in the digital transformation to be overcome. Giving continuity to the initiatives undertaken and leveraging on its many assets would allow Italy to further improve its performance in the DESI. Finally, the future strategic roadmap of Greece, bottom of the ranking of EuroMed countries for its overall DESI score, requires careful attention. In fact, although there are some signs that Greece is catching up, like the ambitious programme included in the «Digital Transformation Bible» presented by the Ministry of Digital Governance or participation in a wide spectrum of European initiatives and programmes, including the Technical Support Instrument (TSI, the Research and Innovation funding programme Horizon 2020) and the European Digital Innovation Hubs, vigilance is required to ensure the swift implementation of the major plans currently in force as it will boost digital opportunities at national level and contribute to achieving the Digital Decade targets.
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