Baku, Azerbaijan, May 20
Trend:
The European Union launches a new project, EU4Digital, aimed at supporting the digital economy and society in Georgia, Trend reports with the reference to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.
The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.
The presentation of the program was held in the Technology Park. The event was opened by Lasha Mikava, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, and Carlo Natale, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation in Georgia.
The Deputy Minister said that the initiative is of a great advantage for small and medium businesses, as they will have unlimited access to markets and to information about European digital markets.
As it was said at the presentation, the EU4Digital aims to spread the benefits of the unified digital market of the EU, which will result in economic growth, creation of more jobs, improving the living standards of the population and strengthening business.
In particular, through EU4Digital, the EU will support Georgia in reducing roaming tariffs, developing high-speed broadband to stimulate the economy and expand electronic services, and harmonizing digital structures in areas from logistics to healthcare and cybersecurity.
The EU4Digital program will operate from 2019 to 2021. Covering all six eastern countries-neighbors of the EU (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, and Ukraine), it has total budget of 12 million euros.
The program will provide technical assistance in the following areas: telecommunications rules including the independence of national regulators; spectrum harmonization; broadband development; harmonization of roaming tariffs; and e-trade including e-commerce, e-customs and e-logistics.
It will also address digital trust and cybersecurity and support the development of digital skills, innovation, start-up ecosystems and e-health.