Assessing the level of digital maturity in the Three Seas Initiative countries

The dynamic development of the global economy, associated with the implementation of the Industry 4.0 idea, significantly affects the policies of individual countries and regions. Changes connected with this process include the digitalization of not only economy but practically all areas of life. In order to keep pace with this development and thus meet the growing competition on the global market, it is necessary to quickly adapt to the changes in question. This applies not only to all kinds of enterprises, but also to individual countries and regions. The following article assesses the level of digital maturity in a group of the EU countries that established the so-called Three Seas Initiative in 2015. These countries, like the EU as a whole, are taking a number of actions to modernize and adapt their businesses and economy to the global level. Based on a selected set of 20 determinants, characterizing the most important 9 technologies related to the idea of Industry 4.0, a comprehensive study was conducted to assess the level of digital maturity among these countries in terms of Industry 4.0 technologies implemented by enterprises and to determine their similarity in this regard. In order to achieve these objectives, a multi-stage research methodology was developed. In the first stage, statistical analyses of the adopted determinants were carried out (descriptive statistics, the Gini index, the Lorenz curves). Then, by means of the CRITIC and Grey Relational Analysis, the level of digital maturity in the use of Industry 4.0 digital technologies among these countries and their enterprises was assessed. Based on the determined values of the digital maturity index and its standard deviation, the digital maturity level classes of these countries were created. Their similarities, on the other hand, were identified using the Kohonen artificial neural networks. In addition, the Tau Kendall rank correlation coefficients were calculated between the economic parameters of studied countries and their digital maturity indicators. This comprehensive approach allowed for a reliable assessment of the digital maturity of studied countries, taking into account the most important digital technologies. Based on the results, the highest level of digital maturity in terms of the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in enterprises was found for the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Estonia, and the lowest level for Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. The results should also be used when developing a common economic policy for countries in similar groups and for the whole Three Seas Initiative. The research carried out fills the research gap in assessing the digital maturity of a large group of EU countries located in its central and eastern parts and presents a new original research methodology in this area, also in terms of the links between the level of digitalization of enterprises and the level of economic development of countries.