Page 13 - COMPASS - COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 2022 - COUNCIL OF COMPETITIVENESS IN GREECE

“COMPASS” REPORT 2022 – COUNCIL ON COMPETITIVENESS OF GREECE 11

Digital Economy and Eco Innovation
Society Index (DESI) Index

Greece ranks 25th among 27 EU member states, according According to the European Commission’s Eco Innovation
to the 2022 edition of the European Commission’s Digital Index 2021, Greece still ranks 16th in the EU-27, as it did in
Economy and Society Index (DESI). According to the report, 2020. However, our country achieved the third-best annual
the country has progressed well in recent years compared performance in terms of score improvement, climbing six
to other EU member states, proving that it is catching up, places in the last decade among the EU-27 (from 22nd in
after lagging in previous years. Progress is seen primarily 2012). Greece performed best in the Eco-Innovation Inputs
in indicators concerning e-government and digital skills, dimension, in which it ranks 9th in the EU-27, up from 18th
while there is still room for improvement in networks and in 2012. Nevertheless, the country is significantly below the
the digital intensity of SMEs. Progress has been made in the EU average in Eco-Innovation Outputs, Eco-Innovation Re-
Connectivity dimension, particularly in very high capacity source Efficiency Outcomes, and Eco-Innovation Activities.
networks (VHCN) and 5G coverage; however, take up of
at least 100 Mbps fixed broadband must yet increase, as it It should be noted that the ranking of countries based on
remains low (9%) compared to the EU average (41%); 5G relevant indicators produces a historically lagging record of
coverage (66%) can also be further improved to ensure current conditions. Therefore, the need arises for a national
access throughout the country. competitiveness observatory in every country, able to keep
up with the impacts of current events. Recent important
In Digital Public Services, the number of active users of developments and threats emerging from a volatile energy
e-government services (69%) has increased since last year landscape (for example, Russia’s war in Ukraine and rising
and is 4% higher than the EU average, while Greece also energy costs), as well as recent reforms cannot be easily
made progress in the percentage of the population who recorded.
have at least basic digital skills, which at 52% is very close to
the EU average of 54%. Greece is still lagging in Integration With this report, we have endeavoured to analyse Greece’s
of Digital Technology into business activities, performing be- competitiveness, considering the impact of the main pillars
low the EU average. Only 39% of SMEs demonstrate at least of competitiveness and the positive feedback from key ele-
a basic level of digital intensity, compared to the EU average ments shaping innovation, such as the legal framework and
of 55%. However, 20% of SMEs in Greece sell their goods research potential, in order to highlight a number of factors
and services online, a figure that exceeds the EU average of that positively impact the ecosystem and competitiveness in
18%, counterbalancing other challenges at the local level. general.