kathimerini.gr
Greece Lags EU in SME Digital Adoption
Greece ranks second-to-last in the EU for SME digital intensity, with 46.6% scoring poorly according to Eurostat, compared to the EU average of 27.1%, indicating limited investment in digital technologies among Greek SMEs and hindering competitiveness.
- How does the low digital intensity among Greek SMEs relate to their economic performance and sector distribution?
- Greece's low digital intensity among SMEs reflects limited investment in digital technologies, hindering competitiveness and contributing to activity in low-value-added sectors. This contrasts with countries like Finland (7.5%), Denmark (9.5%), Sweden (13.4%), and Portugal (25.7%), which show significantly higher digital intensity.
- What is the extent of digital technology adoption among Greek SMEs compared to the EU average, and what are the immediate implications?
- In Greece, 46.6% of SMEs score poorly on the Eurostat digital intensity index, second lowest in the EU after Bulgaria (50.1%). This significantly lags the EU average of 27.1%. Only 2.9% of Greek SMEs exhibit very high digital intensity, compared to the EU average of 6.2%.
- What policy interventions are needed to enhance digital adoption among Greek SMEs, and what are the potential long-term consequences of inaction?
- The disparity between Greek SMEs and their EU counterparts highlights the need for targeted policy interventions to promote digital adoption. Failure to address this could exacerbate economic inequality and limit growth potential, as digitally advanced businesses gain a significant competitive edge. Increased investment in digital skills and infrastructure is crucial.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The framing emphasizes the negative aspects of the situation, highlighting Greece's low ranking and the high percentage of SMEs with low digital intensity. While this is factually accurate, it could be balanced by including more positive examples of successful digital adoption among Greek SMEs, or exploring initiatives to improve the situation.
Language Bias
The language used is mostly neutral and factual. However, phrases like "almost an unknown word" and "do not invest in their adoption" could be considered slightly loaded, implying a lack of initiative on the part of SMEs. More neutral alternatives might be "limited adoption" or "low levels of investment".
Bias by Omission
The analysis focuses primarily on the low digital intensity of Greek SMEs compared to other EU countries. While it mentions that some Greek SMEs do have basic digital adoption and a small percentage have very high digital intensity, it lacks a detailed exploration of the reasons behind this disparity. Further investigation into factors like access to funding, digital skills training, and government support for digitalization in Greece would provide a more comprehensive understanding. The comparison with other countries is limited to a few examples, which doesn't allow for a full picture of the diverse approaches to digitalization across the EU.
False Dichotomy
The analysis doesn't present a false dichotomy, but it could benefit from acknowledging the diversity within the SME sector. The text lumps all SMEs together, while there might be significant differences in digital adoption across various industries and sizes of businesses.
Sustainable Development Goals
The article highlights that Greece significantly lags behind the EU average in the adoption of digital technologies by SMEs. This hinders innovation, productivity, and competitiveness, thus negatively impacting progress towards SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) which aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.