Reinventing public managers in the digital age: competencies and innovative governance models across the European Union

The digital revolution is reshaping public administration across the EuropeanUnion, demanding new forms of leadership and innovation. The Public Manager 5.0represents this new generation of leaders — professionals who blend technology, ethics, andempathy to create smarter and more inclusive governance. Through initiatives such as e-Estonia, AuroraAI in Finland, or MindLab in Denmark, EU states are proving that digitaltransformation is not only about efficiency but about building trust, transparency, and publicvalue in the digital age. This research aims to explore and compare the evolution of digitalmaturity of public administration and the public manager in the digital age in a few selectedmember states of the European Union (EU). The other objectives were to design thecompetency profile of the public manager 5.0, to present the main changes recommended tothe EU countries for increasing the digital transformation of their public administrations andinnovative governance, and to set up the steps needed for the Romanian public administrationto move on in the digital context. The methodology is based on a comparative documentaryanalysis of digital transformation practices in selected EU countries, as well as the EU'sstrategies in the field of digital governance. The empirical study was conducted based on theinternational databases: OECD Digital Government Index (DGI), United NationsE-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2024 and Eurostat. The results indicatesignificant differences between countries in terms of digital maturity, managerial culture, andpublic competencies adopted by public managers. The conclusion emphasizes the need foran integrated reform of managerial competencies in European public administration, focusingon digital, ethical, innovative, and sustainable public management.