Stuck on paper: why parts of Europe still struggle to digitalise

Europe is on the path to digitalisation, but it does so at a very uneven pace. Some countries rush to adopt all sorts of digital tools, while others lag behind, clinging to paper, manual routines, and systems that have barely changed in decades. These differences affect how companies work, make decisions, and switch to new software that replaces long-standing habits.

According to EU data, digital skills are still at unequal levels on the continent. These inequalities shape how employees handle their daily tasks, how easily organisations adopt new solutions, and how quickly new products can enter different markets. Before looking at the numbers, it is worth remembering one point: digitalisation is not only about technology, it depends on people, skills, and everyday behaviour.

Europe’s digital divide in numbers

Looking at the DESI indicator, the split is clear when it comes to basic digital skills across five competence areas: information use, communication, content creation, safety, and problem solving. These are not advanced abilities, but baseline skills that show how prepared individuals are to use digital tools at work and at home.

Individuals’ level of digital skills (from 2021 onwards), Eurostat, DESI indicators

The ranking splits countries into two broad groups. The Netherlands, Finland, and Ireland are among the strongest performers, with large shares of the population able to complete essential digital tasks. In such markets, digital tools in the workplace are common and expected. Romania and Bulgaria are at the other end, where many people lack even basic proficiency. Several Central and Eastern European countries sit closer to this lower tier, which means large parts of their workforce could struggle with everyday digital tasks. This gap is more than just a statistic. It dictates how quickly firms modernise and how comfortable workers feel when new tools are introduced.

Why parts of Europe remain slow to digitalise?

The reason why digitalisation is low in some regions is not the unavailability of technology. Much of it comes from work culture and established routines. In certain markets, lower levels of English proficiency make navigation of many software tools difficult, slowing down onboarding and requiring more training. Many companies are still using legacy software that is hard to integrate or update, which forces teams to keep old workflows even when they know these are inefficient.

Research on CEE markets shows that digitalisation challenges are strongly related to organisational maturity. Some companies work in fragmented processes, where different departments use different tools, and there is no consistent approach. Others rely on long-standing habits such as printed worksheets or verbal instructions. This behaviour is often driven not by resistance to change, but by uncertainty. Paper routines feel comfortable and predictable. They do not require new skills, and they carry little perceived risk. The result is that adoption becomes slow and uneven, even while businesses are under pressure to modernise.

Economic differences also play a part. More mature economies tend to invest earlier in training, infrastructure, and software. Markets with lower digital literacy take longer to make the transition because both companies and employees need more time to build new habits. Together, these factors explain why Europe continues to move at different speeds.

The role of digital maturity in go-to-market execution

Digital skills shape how companies enter and expand in various markets. A strategy that works well in one part of Europe may be ineffective in another, simply because users engage with digital tools differently.

In higher-digital markets:

• Onboarding is faster, and adoption requires fewer adjustments
• An inbound-led or product-led approach is more likely to succeed

In lower-digital markets:

• Buyers need more education and hands-on support
• Sales cycles are longer and rely more on in-person communication

These differences affect the entire go-to-market process. Funnel design, sales motion, pricing expectations, and support models all shift depending on digital maturity. A single pan-European approach usually performs poorly. Instead, companies need to adapt to the specific reality of each market rather than assume that users behave in the same way everywhere. In practice, that often means moving from a product-led playbook towards a relationship-led one in markets where digital habits are weaker.

Obstacles in markets where digital tools face the most friction

Interviews with professionals working in the region point to concrete barriers that hold back digital adoption. As shown in research conducted by Magoom, one of Lithuania’s top marketing and SEO agencies, digitalisation challenges in CEE markets stem not from technology itself but from skills, habits, and organisational maturity.

Lower English proficiency creates a practical problem because many tools, guides, and interfaces are built for an English-fluent user. This adds friction during onboarding and daily use. A strong preference for local suppliers is another factor, especially in markets where long-term business relationships sit at the centre of decision-making. Trust develops through familiarity and face-to-face contact, and remote communication alone is rarely enough.

Legacy systems remain one of the biggest hurdles. Many organisations still use older ERPs or custom-built software that cannot be easily integrated with modern tools. Upgrading is complex and expensive, so companies delay changes or implement only partial improvements. Market fragmentation adds yet another layer. Norms, expectations, and ways of working can vary even between neighbouring countries, which means that what works in one market may not translate directly to the next. In some verticals, field workers have low confidence in digital tools and prefer phone calls, handwritten notes, or messaging apps. The weaker the digital habits, the more gradual and resource-intensive the shift to structured digital workflows.

Where the gap is most visible: field service operations

This divide is most pronounced in field service operations, where teams work outside the office and rely on timely communication. Field workers in more digitally mature markets commonly use mobile apps, automated scheduling, and digital work orders to coordinate tasks and collaborate with others.

Field teams in high-maturity markets are more likely to use digital work orders and mobile applications with automated planning. Many teams in lower-maturity markets still depend on paper sheets and handwritten notes, spreadsheets, messaging apps, or phone calls.

These differences show up directly in daily operations. Manual processes create delays, information gaps, and inconsistent task tracking. Updates arrive late to the office, data is harder to consolidate, and managers have limited visibility into ongoing work. The immediate impact falls on service quality, response time, and operational cost. As long as digital skills remain uneven, field service operations will continue to show the clearest contrast between Europe’s more advanced and less mature markets.

Europe’s digitalisation gap shapes how workers use tools, how companies adopt software, and how long manual routines remain part of daily operations. The EU aims to raise basic digital skills significantly in the coming years, but until progress is felt across all regions, organisations expanding within the continent will need to tailor their plans to the specifics of each market and rely on what is happening on the ground, not on assumptions taken from more advanced markets.