Belgrade and Serbia are the epicenter of digital transformation in the region

For two days, the Palace of Serbia, once the symbol of Yugoslavia, was the epicenter of digital transformation in the region, hosting 4,000 participants from over 30 economies, 206 speakers, 3 parallel conference programs, over 80 companies and 50 startups, with 73 presentations and panels. One of the most important events in the country this year is the best example that in spite of all the challenges, misunderstandings, different priorities and perceptions in this part of Europe, we continue to work on regional cooperation and see the future in the light of the development of science and technology, digital connectivity and focusing on innovations.

Proof that there is a strong political will in Serbia and the region for the digital transformation of the entire Western Balkans is the signing of the Regional Roaming Agreement, as well as the agreements between Serbia and Montenegro on mutual recognition of qualified services (in Serbia) and certification services for electronic transactions (in Montenegro). It was high time for us to be able to use mobile phones in region at affordable prices, for qualified trustworthy services to overcome the borders and enable easier, safer and more massive e-business for citizens and the economy.

This event was opened by the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union Houlin Zhao, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, whose vision of digitalization of the society, along with already proven results in the country, begun to produce obvious results on the regional level, and whose wise political decision to sign a Regional Roaming Agreement proves Serbia's determination to move towards the better future. What attracted special attention of visitors were the robots - Titan successfully entertained guests, while Sofia enchanted many with her artificial intelligence, and perhaps even worried some about what the future, which has obviously arrived, holds for us.

Ministers in charge of the Digital Agenda in the region, representatives of international institutions, companies, social organizations, and academic circles had the opportunity to discuss and propose innovative approaches to politics, display the latest technologies, exchange ideas and discover the latest digital trends in the field of digital skills, security and services of trust, networking, digital economy and society, as well as blockchain technology, fintech and eGovernment development.

Where is eSerbia? Since the last Summit, held in Skopje, Serbia has definitely achieved fantastic results in developing electronic services, infrastructure, setting up legal frameworks for e-commerce and eGovernment. In one year, electronic services, developed according to the "one-stop-shop" principle, experienced a real boom. In that period, our focus was on the development of services where it is enough for citizens to come to the counter once, and then employees in state administration and local self-government practically do all the work and collect all the necessary data through various eGovernment information systems. Simply, we are transforming public administration and its employees in a way that serves the citizens and the economy. Thanks to this principle, significant results have been achieved in the development of eGovernment, primarily in the number of electronic services it provides, which explains the affirmative evaluation of citizens in Serbia who see the positive results of eGovernment.

Special attention was given to the Serbian panel, eSerbia, where four Serbian ministers - Nebojša Stefanović (Ministry of Internal Affairs), Nela Kuburović (Ministry of Justice), Branko Ružić (Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government) and Zoran Đordjević (Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs) presented the results of digitization in their sectors, of which much more technologically advanced countries would be proud.

The general conclusion is that the regional exchange of knowledge and ideas, as well as regional networking and the provision of electronic services within the region, is of paramount importance for the further development of each of the economies and the region as a whole.

As one of the large number of people who, in the opinion of all, masterfully organized this Summit, I am proud that we sent a clear message of regional cooperation and progress from Belgrade, but also of the fact that the region goes with the trends and times in which we live. To understand, above all, the time of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which the entire Western Balkans has the opportunity to, if we are clever, reasonable and dedicated, catch up and change our destiny. I firmly believe in that!

Assist. Prof. Mihailo Jovanovic, Ph.D., Director of the Office for Information Techologies and eGovernment