Filenews 24 October 2021 - by Eleftheria Paizanos
The electronic services received by citizens during the coronavirus pandemic have surpassed all records, which forced the competent services to proceed earlier in the digital transformation of the state.
Through the electronic government platforms, millions of certificates were issued and hundreds of thousands of allowances were paid. During the lockdown and the strict lockdown measures taken to contain the virus, it would essentially paralyse the state without the digital tools given to citizens. The operation of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy coincided with the onset of the health crisis. However, from the very first moment, the Deputy Ministry provided support services to businesses and citizens, most of whom were stuck in their homes, due to the unprecedented situation that the country and the world were experiencing.
According to a note from the Deputy Ministry of Innovation, in view of the discussion of its budget in parliament, it proceeded, among other things, to the development of a platform / services for covid19 allowances, for the interim justice solution - iJustice - and the SMS service (8998), for the exceptional movement of citizens. Also, the CyprusFlightPass platform was launched, to check the implementation of travel instructions, the Covid19 vaccination portal was developed to facilitate the implementation of the vaccination program and the European Digital Covid Certificate (EUDCC), for a quick return to normality.
At the same time, the call centre 1474 operated, which informs citizens about the decrees of the Minister of Health and about the procedures for issuing a CyprusFlightPass and arranging appointments through the Covid19 Vaccination Portal. In the period immediately after March 2020, the call centre served an average of 3,000 requests per day.
According to data from the Deputy Ministry of Innovation, between June 2020 and September 2021, approximately 2.4 million Cyprus Flight Pass were issued. Also, within four months, 1.2 million European digital certificates were issued, for travel and domestic mobility purposes.
Through the vaccination gate, despite the technical problems that had occurred at the beginning and had caused a stir in public opinion, more than 600,000 appointments for vaccination were closed. At the same time, through the Covid19 support allowance management system, which actually worked in just a few weeks, about 480,000 people were evaluated for applications for allowances, of which about 35,000 were approved and the relevant allowances were paid electronically.
More than half a million payments have been made
In addition to the services that operated during the health crisis, the Deputy Ministry implemented a number of other digital services. Among the services he developed are the electronic confirmation of student registration, the registration of recruits, the child/single-parent allowance.
At the same time, automation and digitization projects are being implemented in key government services. For example, the Ministry of Labour implemented the Ergani project, for undeclared work and for electronic payments of Social Insurance. Through the new social insurance system, more than 560,000 payments were processed, over a period of nine months.
In the field of education, 70% - 80% of secondary and primary education students, respectively, confirmed their enrolment in public schools electronically.
The Hippodamus project is implemented in the Department of Town Planning, where the application has been digitized as well as the procedure for securing planning permission, with a direct impact on the citizen and businesses. The Cadastre Department provides a large number of digital services.
The next bet
The coronavirus crisis was only the beginning for the deputy ministry, which in the coming years will have to win the bet of the state's digital transformation program. This will help create jobs, strengthen the education of entrepreneurship, boost competitiveness and innovation.
For the past 10 months, a study has been underway, which will be completed by the end of the year, on the organization of the structures, the organizational and administrative model, as well as the operational procedures of the Deputy Ministry, with the aim of accelerating the country's digital transformation.
An important role in boosting the digital transformation of Cyprus will be played by the National Recovery Fund, through which the country will raise an amount of €1.2 billion by 2026. Specifically, an amount of €282 million, which corresponds to 23% of the total investments in the "Cyprus tomorrow" programme, concern actions for the digital transition. In addition, €64 million in funds will also be paid out for the implementation of reforms for the preparation of an integrated national research and innovation strategy and the introduction of incentives to attract investments and human resources to Cyprus.
The whole state on a screen
According to a note from the Deputy Ministry of Innovation to the Parliament, the digital strategy of Cyprus 2020-2025, which concerns digital governance, digital infrastructure, the digital economy and society, has been completed. For the implementation of public digital services, the Digital Services Factory (DSF) team has been set up at the Deputy Ministry, where in cooperation with the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), new methodologies for the development of digital services are being prepared, which will be citizen-friendly. Last summer a partnership was signed with England's electronic services at a cost of 2022. The project has begun and will be completed at the end of 2022. In the coming years, more than 300 digital services are expected to be developed with the ultimate goal of fully digitising public services. A focal point is the new digital portal gov.cy, which will function as a service centre for all transactions between citizens and businesses and the public sector, hosting all state digital services, but also as an information centre and a single online presence of the government, hosting, under one umbrella and with all state websites having a single identity. The aim of the deputy ministry is for the entire state to fit into one screen, single, easy to use and functional.
Service Center for the communication of the public with the Public
At the same time, the Service Centre will be implemented, through which citizens will communicate with the public and will be informed about the requests they submit. A start will be made with the Ministry of Labour, for which there are hundreds of complaints from citizens that it is not possible to communicate in a timely and fast manner with the competent services. The rest of the public sector will follow.
€300 million will be spent for the upgrading of information systems and strategic e-government projects, which concern areas such as education, health, justice, as well as for the implementation of new information systems in the Department of Taxation, the Department of the Registrar of Companies and Customs, the Town Planning and the Cadastre. In addition, the National Broadband Plan 2021-2025 has been drawn up, which determines the expansion of access and connectivity to ultra-high-speed networks, as well as the development of modern broadband networks, fibre optic and 5G throughout Cyprus.
In relation to the digital economy, the action plan for the development of reliable artificial intelligence and its promotion in the public and private sectors has been completed. The legislative framework governing the use of blockchain technology is also being prepared. The main priority of the Deputy Ministry is the establishment of Cyprus as a regional telecommunications and data hub.
Among other things, the Deputy Ministry is considering incentives to facilitate the establishment of data centres in Cyprus. Regarding the digital society, the national action plan for the creation of the Digital Academy has been designed, which aims to develop the digital skills of the whole of society, and includes education and training programs for professionals in the public and private sectors, to bridge the gap between supply and demand in the market. It also includes interventions to upgrade the digital capacity of the general population.
