Global economy increasingly responds to trends of industrial digitization and start to develop their own digitalization strategies e.i. through application of Industry 4.0 concepts. Thereby, initiatives and developments are often carried out on a company-, industry- or country-level, which can result in a lack of international co-operation and utilization of synergy-effects. To analyse the Industry 4.0 development status on a macro level and to enhance transnational developments, in the first part of this study we introduce the national Industry 4.0 platforms of three EU member states – the frontrunner Germany, the solidly rising Austria and Hungary that is in the process of catching up. Our analysis are carried out in four dimensions: economic background, country-specific Industry 4.0 interpretation, and local platforms as well as initiatives. To analyse the actual Industry 4.0 development status of industrial enterprises and of development platforms, existing Industry 4.0 maturity models form all three countries are presented and compared. Our analysis helped to capture the different phases of digitization and Industry 4.0 in Germany, Austria and Hungary in regard to defined goals and strategies and further of resulting problems with respect to Industry 4.0. Building on our comparison-studies and captured problems, decision makers should be enabled to carry out transnational Industry 4.0 projects and initiatives more effectively.