The first edition of the Digital Romania International Forum — Industry 4.0 was organized under the auspices of the Romanian Government in 2016. The Forum was keynoted by Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania; Dacian Ciolos, Prime Minister of Romania; and Gunther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. The 2016 forum focused on three key areas for the future of digitizing Romanian industry: smart/connected cars, smart cities, and agritech. The 2016 edition also marked the public launch by the President and Prime Minister of the Manifesto for a Digital Romania.

In 2017, the Digital Romania International Forum II tackled domains in full bloom at an international level: eHealth, Smart Manufacturing, Smart Cities, Smart Defense. Another topic discussed was The role of industry and entrepreneurship in the context of Romania’s Presidency of the EU Council. The 2017 edition looked to help catalyze the digitization of Romanian industry, to stimulate projects in energy, e-health, fintech and smart cities, to bring startups at the forefront of the conversation on digitalization, as well as to advocate for the establishment of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH).

Romania has the second highest representation of women in the digital sector in the EU, at 26.3% as of 2016. It is time for this subject to become a national, regional, and European priority — and Romania, alongside the Three Seas member states, can lead the way, contributing to the development and progress of the Union.