The Competition Council analyzes the barriers to the digitalization of SMEs

published in November 27, 2023

The Competition Council has launched an analysis to identify possible barriers to digitalization that affect the free competition of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

"Our goal is to improve the business environment by stimulating competition and, at the same time, to align ourselves with the strategies of the European Commission and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In this regard, we will collaborate with all actors interested in the improvements generated by digital transformation and who want businesses that are resilient in the face of challenges," said Bogdan Chirițoiu, President of the Competition Council.

Thus, the competition authority will identify the barriers that hinder the digitalization of SMEs and, implicitly, affect the increase in their competitiveness in relation to large companies, in the context in which SMEs concentrate half of Romania's added value, while also employing two-thirds of the Romanian workforce.

At the end of the analysis, the Competition Council will issue recommendations on streamlining the digitalization process of SMEs in order to contribute both to business development and to reducing the risk of eliminating from the market those that do not adapt to current digital conditions, given that SMEs in Romania are below the European average in this regard.

The authority may also propose measures to remedy, mitigate and prevent any negative effects on competition and, implicitly, on consumers, and if it discovers violations of the law, it initiates the necessary procedures to sanction them.