(Finance) – 350 million euros in three years put in place by foundations of banking origin to try to fill the digital skills gap of Italians: was born on Fund for the Digital Republic which will support projects aimed at training and digital inclusion, proposed by public entities, private non-profit organizations and the Third Sector, alone or in partnership.
The memorandum of understanding signed by Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition, Vittorio Colao, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Daniele Franco, and the President of Acri, Francesco Profumo.
Numbers in hand, in fact, according to the most recent Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) of the European Commission – reads the note released by the two ministries and Acri – 58% of the Italian population between 16 and 74 years (26 million citizens) does not have basic digital skills, compared to 42% of the average EU. This delay has an impact not only on the real “digital citizenship”, that is, on the access to digital services of the public administration by all citizens, but also determines one of the major obstacles to the development of the country. In this context, Italy ranks at 18th place in the EU.
The percentage of Italian online users who use online administration services (e-government), in fact, increased from 30% in 2019 to 36% in 2020, still well below the European average of 64%.
However, it should be noted that in 2020 and 2021 there was a strong acceleration in the adoption of important enabling platforms for digital public services. Booming numbers for the number of digital identities issued (SPID)with a 400% increase compared to April 2019.
Public administrations using SPID are also growing, with an increase of 80% compared to 2020. The catchment area is also improving for the IO app.
And it is precisely in this scenario that the Fund for the Digital Republic intends to intervene in the period 2022-2026, “borrowing from the positive experience of the Fund for combating child educational poverty, established in 2016 thanks to a partnership between Government, Foundations and Third Sector Forum “.