For Romania's Government digitalisation is an essential strategic direction for strengthening national resilience and the strategy is an integrative one, because we cannot have a modern administration without a robust innovation ecosystem and a competitive economy without secured digital infrastructure at the highest standards, Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacsu said on Tuesday.

'For Romania's Government, digitalisation is in 2026 an essential strategic direction for strengthening our national resilience. Our strategy is integrative, because we cannot have a modern administration without a robust innovation ecosystem and a competitive economy without secured digital infrastructure at the highest standards. Technology is responsibility, governance and foundation of digital sovereignty. We live at a time in which technological developments directly influence the manner in which economy, public institution and society, as a whole, work. Artificial intelligence, advanced digital infrastructure and new data analysis capabilities become essential elements for competitiveness, but also for the resilience of a state,' Neacsu said at the Digital Innovation Summit Bucharest 2026 (DISB 2026).

In this context, he underscored that the state's ability to develop its own competencies, to have access to critical infrastructures and to actively participate in the development of emergent technologies becomes an important component of its strategic autonomy.

'For Romania, strengthening digital sovereignty means both investment in infrastructure and skills, as well as active participation to the European Union initiatives which seek to develop a strong and interconnected European technological ecosystem. For the Government, digital transformation brings a clear responsibility, that of creating a strategic and institutional framework which allows the capitalisation of emerging technologies, ensuring, at the same time, security, transparency and protection of public interest,' the Deputy PM said.

He conveyed that the Executive endorses the strengthening of national capabilities in the artificial intelligence area, cybersecurity and digital infrastructures through public policies and investment programmes designed to create functional links between research, industry, public administration, education and innovation ecosystems.

According to Deputy PM Neacsu, digital transformation is by its nature a complex process, with profound interdependencies and, this is why, it is essential to strengthen the institutional coordination mechanism, because no institution or sector can manage this transformation alone.

'Its success depends on the collaboration between public administration, academia, private sector and international partners,' Marian Neacsu pointed out.

He signaled that Romania has the advantage of having a valuable human capital in the technology and research areas, this resource forming the basis for developing our capabilities in the area of AI and digital infrastructure.

'Research, the academia and the IT industry are already contributing to the development of innovative solutions and to strengthening a competitive technological ecosystem. At the same time, Romania's participation in European initiatives dedicated to artificial intelligence and advanced computing infrastructures facilitates the integration of this ecosystem into the European technological architecture. Projects such as RO AI Factory represent concrete steps in this direction by developing the infrastructures necessary for research, innovation and the application of artificial intelligence in the economy. In the current context, it is all the more important that technological development is accompanied by a solid governance framework capable of ensuring a balance between innovation, security, economic competitiveness, social development and the protection of citizens' rights. (...) Romania's Government remains a firm partner in the endeavour to capitalise on technological potential as a driver of development, resilience and progress, which can transform Romania into a strategically relevant hub on the eastern flank of the European Union,' the Government official added.

The National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (ICI) Bucharest is organizing between 10 and 12 March, at the Palace of Parliament, a new edition of the Digital Innovation Summit Bucharest 2026 international event.

The DISB 2026 agenda will cover topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, protection of critical infrastructures, blockchain, digital governance, digital education and international cooperation in the area of emerging technologies. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Gherasi; EN - writing by: Rodica State)