Today, digital transformation constitutes one of the basic pillars of the European Union's Next Generation EU program for, among other milestones, modernizing the industrial fabric and carrying out cutting-edge initiatives in areas such as mobility, science and innovation, infrastructure or public administration.

Along these lines, the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan approved by the Council of Ministers on April 27 includes -among its four cross-cutting axes- digital transformation, which is projected in one of its “lever policies”: “Modernization and digitization of the ecosystem of our companies ”.

For its part, within the framework of the digitization of Public Administrations, the Official State Gazette of March 31, 2021 published Royal Decree 203/2021, of March 30, which approves the Regulation of action and operation of the public sector by electronic means.

In the session that Fide organized last May 19 intervened Angel Sanchez Aristi, General Director of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, and Diego Perez Martinez, Director of the Legal-Institutional Division of the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) and State Attorney.

The General Director of Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, began by exposing the state of affairs and the future of digitization of SMEs, and training in digital skills.

29% of the investments in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan are destined for digital transformation and include the SMEs digitization plan, the National Digital Competences Plan and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

The General Director focused his presentation on the Digital Toolkit Program (DTK) and on the FUTUR @ Plan (Youth Employment Shock Plan - Digital Skills).

The Digital Toolkit Program (DTK) aims to implement the granting of subsidies to companies in non-competitive competition, until the funds are exhausted, for the implementation of certain basic digitization packages, called DTK Packages, which allows them a significant advance in their Digital Maturity Level. The following DTK Packages have been initially identified: (i) Digital Marketing; (ii) Electronic commerce; and (iii) Digital company administration.

The facilitating agents of the DTK Program are the AceleraPyme Offices, Chambers of Commerce, Digitalization Support Networks, public-private consortia, sector associations, etc.

Regarding the FUTUR @ Plan (Youth Employment Shock Plan), it foresees several initiatives for the training of young people in digital skills to facilitate their integration into the labor market.

For his part, the Director of the Legal-Institutional Division of the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) explained the essential lines of the new Royal Decree 203/2021, which approves the Regulation of action and operation of the public sector by means of electronic This Regulation seeks to: (i) improve administrative efficiency to make a fully electronic and interconnected Administration effective; (ii) increase the transparency of administrative action and citizen participation; (iii) guarantee easily usable digital services; and (iv) improve legal security.

Royal Decree 203/2021 regulates: (i) Internet Portals, electronic General Access Point and electronic headquarters. Internet portals, the electronic General Access Point and the electronic offices; (ii) the procedure and administrative file by electronic means; and (iii) relations and collaboration between Public Administrations for the operation of the public sector by electronic means.

After the initial interventions, a discussion was opened with all those attending the session who made various interventions, with suggestions and contributions, among which the following should be highlighted:

• Although large digital transformation projects can be especially relevant, technology upgrade and renewal projects should also be promoted, so as to help all SMEs to improve their level of digital development.
• In relation to the Digital Toolkit Program (DTK), it is necessary that the criteria to determine the level of digital maturity of companies (nickel, bronze, silver, gold and platinum) are made public and are generally known.
• In the area of ​​the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the implementation of digital projects with the collaboration of private companies requires respecting the principles of publicity and competition.
• As for the electronic applications and services of the state public sector, there must be a real and effective interconnection, which guarantees their compatibility.