As part of an online conference on December 17, 2020, the study “The Digital Leap. How COVID19 Transformed the Digital Future for the Western Balkans” was presented.
This study examines the digital transformation in the Western Balkans in times of corona, with a clear positive trend: the pandemic is accelerating digitalisation in the Western Balkans.
The study was commissioned by five companies – including aconium GmbH – together with the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for digital services and infrastructure has also skyrocketed in the six countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The new study, which was commissioned by the five companies aconium, Klett, Nokia, SAP and Telekom together with the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, examines how the digital transformation in the Western Balkans has developed during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the study, the increased demand for digital services is having an impact on the six countries in that it is considered essential for the further expansion of digital infrastructure that policymakers remove structural barriers and include disadvantaged population groups.
The study was prepared by the Center for South East European Studies at the University of Graz under the direction of Prof. Florian Bieber in order to highlight the effects and the resulting opportunities and deficits of corona in the Western Balkans. The study is based on an opinion survey conducted by IPSOS in October 2020.
aconium GmbH, which was involved in the study, focused on the development potential.
“The study has confirmed that a clear majority of citizens in the Western Balkans want to use online services even after the pandemic. In order to enable these online services, such as digital education, e-government and much more, a robust digital infrastructure is required, especially in rural areas,” says Tim Brauckmüller, Managing Partner of aconium GmbH. He added: “We look forward to working with other stakeholders to drive forward the digitalisation of the Western Balkans.”
You can find more information here:
https://digital-wb.eu/index.html#about