If Europe is in decline, it is partly because it does not invest enough in the internet and the development of the digital economy, thereby leaving much of the business potential and economic growth offered by the web unexplored. Out of 35 European countries, only 9 have at least half their companies on the internet, and a very high percentage of the companies throughout Europe that went bankrupt in 2013 had no online presence at all.

The correlation between a lack of digital outlets and bankruptcy is food for thought: according to the Internet Barometer of Email-Brokers, the Belgian database management and interactive marketing company that published the data, there is a very clear cause and effect at work: “With Europe facing economic challenges” says William Vane Wiele, CEO of Email-Brokers, “the web may be the key that opens up new opportunities for companies, making them more dynamic and ensuring their long-term survival”. The proof, says Vane Wiele, lies in company bankruptcy statistics for 2013: 87% of German companies that went under had no web presence, compared with 86% for the Netherlands, 84% for Spain, 83% for Italy, 82% for Belgium and 81% for France.

Read More