欧盟推动的数字化转型为中东欧成员国转变经济增长方式，进一步向西欧国家趋同提供了契机。对中东欧国家数字经济发展态势的考察发现，当前中东欧国家普遍还是数字经济小国，数字经济规模较小，数字技术与传统产业的融合程度不深，数字化转型程度与欧盟领先成员国之间的差距较大，数字经济发展水平在欧盟成员国中基本处于中后位。但中东欧国家数字经济发展速度很快，与欧盟领先国的差距在缩小。此外，中东欧国家之间的差异很大，个别国家已经跻身欧盟数字化领先者的地位，在多项指标上居于欧盟前列。从发展前景来看，当前仍有诸多因素制约着中东欧国家的数字化转型，包括网络连通性较差，特别是5G的覆盖率低、公民数字技能较低、风险投资不发达、先进技术公司和独角兽企业少、数字技术能力有限等。虽然中东欧国家在信息通信技术专业毕业生数量上具有相对优势，然而，如何留住这些人才，使其为本国的数字化产业服务，而不是流向西欧国家，对中东欧国家来说却是一大考验。中东欧国家要抓住数字化转型的机遇，实现对西欧的趋同和赶超，还需要付出很多努力，制定和实施更有利的政策。
The digital transformation promoted by the European Union provided an opportunity for CEE countries to transform their growth modes and converge with Western European countries. The investigation of digital economy in CEE countries revealed a general state of underdevelopment. The digital economy was small in size and not integrated in traditional industries，lagging far behind leading EU member states. The digital economy of these countries was generally in the middle and lower ranks among EU members. However，it was developing rapidly，and the gaps with leading EU countries was narrowing. In addition，there were large differences within CEE countries，with some becoming digital leaders in the EU in multiple indicators. In prospect，there were still factors restraining the digital transformation of CEE countries，including poor network connectivity，especially low 5G coverage，low digital literacy of citizens，underdeveloped venture capital，few advanced technology companies and unicorns，and limited digital capabilities. Although CEE countries have a comparative advantage in the number of ICT graduates，it is a challenge for them to retain these talent，who often move to Western Europe. To seize the opportunity of digital transformation and achieve convergence with Western Europe，CEE countries still need to implement favorable policies.
