Foreword by EDWARD ZAMMIT LEWIS Parliamentary Secretary We live in a competitive world. We can buy products from around the corner or thousands of miles away. And what we make we can sell in the local shop or to a market of millions. This is the global economy. Barriers have come tumbling down. We can be continents apart yet communicate in an instant. The world is more inter-connected and that is the way it will stay. In both government and business there has been recognition of the need to understand new technology and utilise it. But could we be doing more? The answer is yes. We would be foolish to allow ourselves to lag behind our competitors. The Digital Malta Strategy sets out how everyone can learn, broaden their skills and make good use of technology. It sets out what we should be doing for the next few years, but it is also flexible in that it recognises how fast technology changes and puts us on alert for future developments. The young are born into modern technology and have never known a world without gaming, mobiles and the Internet. Grandparents may not be so enthusiastic with gadgetry yet they still delight in video chats with their grandchildren on the other side of the world. And everybody else is constantly living in an online world of email, social media and the web. Government has increasingly put its services online and there can be few businesses not powered by technology. Technology matters to us all, and that is why the Digital Malta Strategy is so important. It is the way forward for all Maltese. National Digital Strategy 2014 – 2020 5