29.07.2022
Cyprus ranks 20th among the 27 EU Member States in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022, up one position from 2021.
According to the European Commission report, the relative progress of the country , given its starting point, is above the expected level, indicating that it is approaching the EU average.
Cyprus has improved in almost all DESI dimensions, although in most cases it is still below the EU average. The most notable progress has been made in connectivity, digital integration and digital public services.
Cyprus ranks above the EU average in mobile broadband usage and has improved Very High Capacity Network (VHCN) coverage. It also has strong 5G readiness (67%) and relative coverage (75%) scores.
However, VHCN coverage is still far from both the EU average and the EU Digital Decade goal of having all European households covered by a gigabit network and all communities covered by 5G by 2030. Thus, Cyprus needs to intensify its efforts in this area.
Although the country has improved its performance in recent years, Cyprus still lags behind the EU average in basic digital skills. Every second Cypriot lacks basic digital skills. The pace of the country’s drive to improve the digital skills of its citizens needs to change significantly, according to the report.
66% of Cypriot SMEs are digital and have at least a basic level of digital intensity, above the EU average of 55%. Cyprus has already laid a solid foundation for its contribution to the EU Digital Decade goal of having over 90% SMEs with at least a basic level of digital intensity.
Approximately 63% of Cypriots already interact digitally with public authorities, just below the EU average of 65%. Cyprus’ performance in Digital Public Services for Citizens and Businesses shows that the country must continue its ongoing efforts to enable it to reach the Digital Decade goal of 100% online delivery of essential public services for EU citizens and businesses by 2030.
It is also noted that the “Cyprus Digital Strategy (2020-2025)”, which is in charge of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (DMRID), should accelerate the digital transformation of Cyprus.
The report also mentions the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), which says that its total cost is 1.2 billion euros, of which 282 million euros are for digital transformation. This means that digital transformation accounts for 23% of its RRP, exceeding the EU’s target of 20%.
