Europe must transition from being a consumer of technology to becoming a global creator of the technologies of the future, with Member States such as Romania playing an active role in this transformation, said Victor Negrescu, Vice President of the European Parliament, at the conclusion of the fourth edition of Romanian Digital Day, event organised at the European Parliament at his initiative.
This year’s edition brought together nearly 400 participants and over 70 speakers from European institutions, the business community, the public sector, universities, professional organisations, and the technology sector from Romania, across the European Union and the United States, creating a platform for dialogue on Europe’s digital future and technological competitiveness.
“Europe and Romania must move from consuming technology to creating the technologies of the future,” Victor Negrescu emphasised, noting that the development of artificial intelligence and global technological competition require more ambitious investments in innovation and research.
The five sessions of Romanian Digital Day 2026 explored topics such as artificial intelligence, innovation, cybersecurity, robotics, digital skills, and Europe’s technological future were addressed. Participants also had the opportunity to discover startups and innovative projects, many of which were developed with European support, demonstrating how cooperation between institutions, academia and industry can accelerate innovation.
The Vice-President of the European Parliament warned that the European Union risks falling behind in global competition if it does not accelerate investments in key areas of digital transformation.
“If we miss out on the technological revolution driven by artificial intelligence, we risk falling behind in global competition. We need greater investment in research, innovation, digital infrastructure, and skills, as well as European policies that turn ambitions into concrete results,” he said.
He stressed that Europe’s technological sovereignty will depend not only on investment, but also on its ability to mobilise talent, strengthen cross-border partnerships and fully harness the innovation potential of all Member States.
In this context, Victor Negrescu emphasised that Romania has the necessary resources to become a key player in Europe’s digital transformation, but success depends on the ability to capitalise on these strengths and act in a unified manner.
This effort is also reflected in the declaration adopted at the conclusion of Romanian Digital Day, which calls for a stronger European digital ecosystem and sets out five priorities for the coming years: developing digital skills and using artificial intelligence, strengthening the European Digital Innovation Hubs network, supporting the digitalisation of SMEs, enhancing cybersecurity, and supporting deep-tech innovation.
Victor Negrescu emphasised that digitalisation must be treated as a strategic priority, coordinated at the government level, given its impact on all sectors.
He also highlighted that the European Union already provides unprecedented opportunities through programmes supporting artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital infrastructure and high-performance computing, making cooperation between public authorities, research institutions and industry essential.
”There are many opportunities at the European level, and to take advantage of them, we must develop large-scale projects. That is our goal in organising this event: bringing together people with different expertise and experiences to build substantial projects. There are calls for proposals for AI Gigafactories, funding for semiconductors, and new tools dedicated to digital sovereignty. There are many opportunities, but only large-scale, well-supported projects involving strong partners can win these competitions,” Victor Negrescu stated.
The initiatives promoted during Romanian Digital Day are part of Victor Negrescu’s broader efforts to strengthen Europe’s artificial intelligence ecosystem by encouraging stronger participation from Romania and other Member States.. In this context, the Vice-President of the European Parliament helped gather key institutions, universities, the business community, and the research community into a national platform dedicated to Romania’s participation in the European EuroHPC – AI Factories programme, an initiative that led to the formation of the consortium that secured funding for RO AI Factory, the first national artificial intelligence infrastructure.
“Europe has the talent, research capacity and entrepreneurial potential needed to become a global digital leader. Every Member State has a contribution to make, and Romania is ready to be part of this common European effort. By working together and investing strategically, we can strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, technological sovereignty and long-term prosperity,” the Vice President of the European Parliament concluded.
