The European Commission's Annual Progress Report on the Digital Economy and Society acknowledges Bulgaria's contribution in implementation the EU's pan-European goals in the field of eHealth. This was commented by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev on the occasion of the published document. He said that according to the report, Bulgaria is one of the first countries in the European Union to introduce a digital green certificate.
After being identified as the most lagging country in last year's analysis, we are now ahead of Romania and on a par with Greece in digital progress, the minister added, which is a step towards overcoming the digital divide.
Above the European average is the country's performance in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as the digitalization of public services for business. The introduction of open data is equal to the EU average.
Bulgaria stands out as a leader in the EU in the share of women among specialists in the sector of information technology and communications. Bulgaria's performance in the ICT indicator for environmental sustainability is above the average European level – 68% compared to the EU average – 66%. The launch of several promising initiatives in the field of innovative technologies has been reported.
4G coverage in our country also remains slightly above the European average. It is noted that a significant catch-up has been achieved for 5G – from zero level in 2020 to 20.55% to current moment at the European average – 39%.
The areas in which efforts should be made are also outlined – digital skills; connectivity, integration of digital technologies in enterprises.