Martin Mateev: Bulgaria is losing ground in terms of digital competitiveness due to a lack of strategy

Bulgaria notes a decline in its development, in terms of digital competitiveness, in the world ranking of the Institute for Management Development (IMD) - Switzerland for 2023. In the field of digital technologies (WDCR), the country ranks 55th out of a total of 64 countries considered, falling seven places in the ranking compared to 2022. The ranking is part of a long-term study, measuring and tracking the relative economic competitiveness of more than 60 economies, assessing the capacity and attitudes of countries to adopt and implement new technologies to transform business models, government and administrative processes, as well as the functioning of civil society.

In the "General and Factors" category, Bulgaria is in 55th place out of 64 countries, with a drop of 7 points compared to 2022. The Knowledge and Technology domains also saw a drop of 5 points. The biggest drop, of as much as 8 points, is observed in the category "Future readiness", which should direct our attention to the urgent need for more active actions to adopt and adapt to new technologies.

"Despite the well-developed IT sector in Bulgaria and the specialists we have at our disposal, our country is significantly lagging behind in terms of digitization, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and state administration. The lack of timely action in recent years, when other countries have been developing effectively in this regard, has led to lags in technology deployment and gaps in the skills to handle it. The main problem is the lack of a long-term strategy, which should focus on securing funding, implementing technologies and increasing qualifications and skills", commented Martin Mateev - executive director and founder of a Bulgarian startup company, and the main ideologist for the creation, successful launch, and development of the innovative software solution for business finance management Nula.bg.

Bulgaria is also in second last place among the countries of the European Union, according to the share of the population with basic digital skills, according to the latest research by Eurostat. The analysis is based on collected data on the use of information and communication technologies in households and covers 27 member states of the European Union, as well as Switzerland and Norway. The results show that last year 56% of the continent's residents between the ages of 16 and 74 had a basic digital culture. The highest proportion of computer literates is in the Netherlands (83%), followed by Finland (82%) and Denmark (70%). The lowest results are shown by Romania (28%), Bulgaria (36%) and Poland (44%), where the smallest part of the population has the skills to cope in a technological environment. The Digital Skills Indicator is one of the key performance indicators in the context of the Digital Decade, which defines the European Union's vision for digital transformation. The 2030 target is for 80% of the continent's citizens aged 16-74 to have at least basic digital skills.

Martin Mateev is the founder and executive director of the Bulgarian startup company Nula.bg. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the Internet startup industry in New York, USA. Martin Mateev is the main ideologue behind the creation, successful launch and development of the innovative software solution for business finance management Nula.bg, guided by his mission to support the digitization and modernization of the business environment in Bulgaria.