American Chamber of Commerce Proposes Establishment of Ministry for Digital Transformation

The American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia (AmCham) has announced a new position advocating for the establishment of a Ministry for Digital Transformation in Croatia. As stated in their press release, the strategy for a digital Croatia for the period until 2032 has set goals for reaching the EU average in the level of digitalization and positioning Croatia in the middle of the Digital Decade Index. In anticipation of the formation of a new Government, AmCham believes it is necessary to seize the opportunity and improve the institutional framework that will facilitate Croatia’s achievement of strategic goals.

The jurisdiction of the new Ministry for Digital Transformation should include priority areas defined by the EU Digital Compass, namely digital skills, digital business transformation, secure and sustainable digital infrastructure, and the digitalization of public services.

Many EU member states already have separate ministries responsible for digital transformation, including Denmark, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain. Additionally, the Bulgarian government has a Minister of E-Government, while Portugal has a State Minister for Economy and Digital Transition.

– “Digital transformation is comprehensive and affects all spheres of society and the economy. To ensure strategic alignment of all stakeholders involved and the successful implementation of digital initiatives, it is crucial to have a dedicated ministry that would provide leadership on digital issues. This approach would ensure that digital topics are represented at weekly government meetings, which would help raise the importance of digital transformation,” states AmCham in the press release, along with the proposal to establish a new ministry or transform the existing Central State Office for the Development of the Digital Society into a ministry.

– “The powers over digital issues are currently distributed across multiple institutions in Croatia. The current structure makes it difficult for the business community to monitor and implement relevant legislative changes. This creates unnecessary administrative complexity, dilutes communication on digital issues, and slows down project implementation,” they believe at AmCham.