A new study conducted by Edge Institute in partnership with AtlasIntel — presented at the 2025 Digital Governance Summit held at the Cotroceni Palace under the High Patronage of the President of Romania — reveals that Romanians expect a modern state capable of reducing bureaucracy through effective digital transformation.
Most Romanians already use online public services
According to the findings, 76.4% of Romanians used at least one digital public service in the past 12 months. This widespread adoption gives citizens a clear perspective on what works and what still needs improvement.
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Digitalization is associated mainly with fewer trips to physical counters and simpler administrative procedures. Citizens’ key expectations include:
- 68.7% want to submit requests entirely online
- 61.4% expect documents to circulate automatically between institutions
- 57.1% believe database interoperability should eliminate the need for certificates and redundant paperwork
People also associate digital progress with tools such as electronic signatures (43%), modern institutional websites (36.2%), and, to a lesser degree, a stronger presence of public institutions on social media (17.2%).
A modernization process perceived as slow
However, 65% say public institutions are poorly digitalized, while 84% believe progress is too slow. Corruption remains the top concern (77%), and responsibility for modernization is placed mainly on the Government and Prime Minister (75.5%).
Presenting the findings, Robert Berza, Executive Director of Edge Institute, emphasized that digitalization is not the goal itself but a means to restoring institutional efficiency and trust:
“People want efficient public services, without unnecessary bureaucracy, and a state that values their time. Digitalization is merely the tool — the real issue is trust.”
The study was conducted on a representative sample of 2,240 adults, digitally recruited between November 12–19, 2025.
Photo: Inquam Photos
