Regional Patterns and Drivers of the EU Digital Economy

This paper examines the progress made by the EU regions on the path of digitalisation and growth of digital economy, by analysing the dynamics and drivers of a selected number of specific indicators, based on Eurostat data running from 2001 to 2016. The study is conducted at regional level, and finally aims to identify policy measures that could enhance the growth of digital economy in the EU area. Moreover, the paper investigates whether a common set of economic and social policy measures is effective in improving several indicators of digital economy, in the New Member States (NMS) as well as in the Old Member States (OMS), given that they still exhibit different patterns of digital transformation at regional level. The increase in tertiary education attainments together with the increase in the number of issued patents are found to be policy measures that generate positive effects for several indicators of digital economy, as well as for the NMS and OMS.