The penetration of fiber optic networks in homes and businesses (FTTH or FTTP) in Greece was set at 38.4%, a figure that improved by 10 percentage points compared to the previous year, but which falls short of the European average (64%).
According to data published yesterday by the European Commission, despite the aforementioned progress in connectivity, the number of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) specialists remains low, while Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have a relatively moderate level of innovation and a low level of digital maturity. On the contrary, Greece is making satisfactory progress in the digitalisation of public services.
The above figures are data (for 2023, to be released in 2024) from the second Digital Decade report, which examines progress made in Member States towards achieving the 2030 digital targets under the Digital Decade Policy (DDPP).
It should be remembered that the EU’s objective is that by 2030 all citizens will be able to enjoy Internet connection speeds of 1 Gbit.
The Commission’s analysis across Member States shows that performance so far falls short of the EU’s ambitions. Gaps identified include the need for additional investment at both EU and national level, notably in the areas of digital skills, high-quality connectivity and the uptake of digital technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics by businesses, semiconductor manufacturing and the development of start-up ecosystems.
The report highlights that the EU is far from achieving the connectivity targets set by the DDPP: fibre networks, which are vital to providing gigabit connectivity and enabling the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), reach only 64% of households.
Greece’s Roadmap for the Digital Decade
The report, in its full text, also refers to the roadmap that Greece presented to the EU for the Digital Decade.
The roadmap, according to the EU report, contains a detailed analysis of the current situation and a comprehensive set of measures and initiatives aimed at achieving the Digital Decade goals to transform the country into a digitally advanced and inclusive society by 2030.
It should be added that the financing of the digital transformation is largely based on EU funds (funding from the RRF and Cohesion Policy). Total public funding for the 104 metres of the roadmap is estimated at €5,230.2 million (around 2.37% of GDP).
The priorities concern the digital transformation of the public sector, including the health sector, the digital transformation of the economy and the adoption of advanced digital technologies.
corporate technologies.
The roadmap also provides a rough estimate of private investment in data centers and gigabit connectivity in the coming years of €6.9 billion.
As regards the rest of the data for Greece, with a score of 86.2, Greece performs above the EU average (85.4) in the digitalisation of public services for businesses (annual growth of 17.5%). In digital public services for citizens, although Greece performs slightly below the EU average (75.9 versus an EU average of 79.4), it also records an annual growth of 17.5%.
Media scanning
By 2023, only 43.3% of SMEs had at least a basic level of digital maturity, below the EU average (57.7%). Companies in Greece also have a low level of adoption of advanced technologies, with 33.5% of them having adopted AI (artificial intelligence), cloud or data analytics, below the EU average (54.6%).
However, as noted, the dynamic start-up ecosystem continues to be a positive sign of a growing digital ecosystem.
Digital skills and ICT specialists
As stated in the European Commission report, Greece has not yet responded to the challenge of educating its population to the required digital skills. In 2023, only 52.4% of the population had at least basic digital skills (EU average 55.5%), showing no progress since the previous data collection in 2021.
At the same time, the number of ICT specialists as a percentage of employment is 2.4%, well below the EU average (4.8%), despite growing demand.
Digital rights and principles
At the same time, data from the Special Eurobarometer “Digital Decade 2024” were published yesterday, providing insight into EU citizens’ perception of digital rights.
In Greece, only 33% of respondents believe that the EU protects their digital rights well (+1% compared to 2023), significantly below the EU average of 47%.
Concerns are growing, with 62% worried about children’s online safety (+2%) and 51% about control of personal data. Overall, Greek respondents appear to be more concerned about their digital rights and principles than the EU average. The EU notes that these findings highlight the need to strengthen digital rights at national level.
Recommendations for Greece
The recommendations accompanying the Report call on the country’s government to monitor progress on gigabit coverage to identify any remaining investment gaps to meet the 2030 target.
It also calls for improving and strengthening the framework so that more SMEs embrace the digital transition and all companies benefit from the data economy through the adoption of advanced technology (AI, cloud, data analytics).
It is also recommended to examine whether additional measures aimed at educating the population are sufficient, as well as to strengthen measures to increase the number of specialists employed in ICT.