The Ministry of Communication and Information Society (MCSI) and the Timiș County Council organised the “E-commerce Interactive Dialogue Conference”, held on 14 May at the Timișoara Administrative Building, in the context of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council (PRES RO 2019).
The proceedings of the Conference were opened by Minister of Communications and Information Society Alexandru Petrescu, and the Chairman of the Timiș County Council Călin Dobra.
“We have made important steps in drafting public policies with regard to electronic commerce for the benefit of Romanian people and companies. We have therefore adopted the Public Policy and the Action Plan regarding electronic commerce, integral parts of the Digital Agenda National Strategy for Romania 2020, two essential components for increasing Romania’s competitiveness. The two documents set forth a clear and coherent vision for eliminating legal, technological, institutional and human capability obstacles to the digital development of Romania in terms of electronic commerce,” said Minister of Communications and Information Society Alexandru Petrescu.
The conference gathered electronic commerce experts and covered topics related to the situation of the e-commerce market, its growth in Romania compared to Europe, successful business models and future trends.
During the event, the Romanian Presidency of the European Union Council coordinated the debate on aspects of the new legislative changes related to electronic commerce and the prospects of international growth (new markets, cross-border commerce, new promotional methods, varied portfolio of payment methods etc.).
Additionally, the conference also covered the future of national postal operators and their contribution to the development of electronic commerce, as the postal and delivery industry is undergoing a continuous transformation due to the fast and widespread adoption of electronic commerce throughout the world, the automation of operational processes, territorial networks reconfiguration and a constant evolution of client demand.
Expert level debates on the benefits and importance of electronic commerce focused of four key topics: Electronic commerce as the promoter of European cohesion; New business models for supporting start-ups; European regulatory framework; Opportunities and challenges for European postal services in the context of electronic commerce.
“Implementing the Public Policy in electronic commerce will create a framework with multiple benefits for companies that sell online products and services, for providers of related postal and delivery services, as well as for the citizens that use online commerce. By the end of the year my Ministry will promote, through a Government Decision, the National Strategy on electronic commerce, which will provide the framework for implementing the measures stipulated by the Action Plan for Public Policy and in the Governing Programme,” said Minister Alexandru Petrescu.
The next day after de Conference, on 15 May 2019, a meeting on the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) took place.