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eGovernment in Slovakia

[golf SK, 2-2007]
  

 
We talked to Martin Gálik, manager of the IT division of Centire, s.r.o. about eGovernment.
 

 

  • Please let me begin with one “sports” question. Do you play golf? If so, what is your HCP?

I recently started working on my green card.

  

  • Your team of colleagues has been working in the field of eGovernment in Slovakia for three years now. In your opinion, why is the computerisation of public administration important?

The computerisation of public administration services should primarily improve the quality of services offered to citizens and companies, above all save citizens’ time and public administration’s money and increase transparency when providing services. By applying information and communication technologies (ICT), certain standards are introduced into the state’s internal order, enabling a significant rise in transparency in decision-making processes, as well as in public finances. Out of the large number of services offered by public administration, the EU assesses the computerisation of 20 selected specific categories of services. Our analysis showed that in these 20 categories of services, approximately 70 million decisions are made in Slovakia every day. Only a minimum of these services offered are in electronic form. Imagine this mountain of paperwork, the huge amount of work behind it, and the time of citizens and businessmen spent in public offices.

  

According to a survey we carried out in 2005, on average every citizen spends altogether five working days per year in public offices! This is time which we could definitely spend in a more enjoyable way (playing golf, for example).

  

  • At present, information and communication technologies are applied in most management processes at the level of the organisation itself (human resources and payroll, accountancy…), and also partially in operational processes. In decision-making and administration, it is a rare occurrence. Where do you see reserves in these spheres?

It was more in the past than in the present that information systems were introduced “in the simplest and most accessible way” to support organisations’ internal management. However, these only related to certain departments, and not to the whole organisation, as is the case with the introduction of information systems which resolve the complex support of administration or decision-making within an organisation, section or between sections. The implementation of such complex solutions requires political, institutional, information and realisation support, which is not always a matter of course, including the provision of indispensable financing.

  

I am convinced that where there’s a will, there’s a way. For example, when insurance companies wanted to be better than their competition, they thought of ways of making the lives of us, their clients, easier. For example, they deal with a simple insurance claim such as a shattered windscreen in a garage with which they have a contract; they don’t send us first to their branch for a check, then to the garage for another paper and then back to their branch. They set up a process to save time and costs for themselves and for us, and thus gained a competitive advantage over the others.

  

  • But this is the commercial sphere...

In the commercial sphere, it’s clear: a rational, direct solution – changing a process, defining responsibilities, signing contracts, huge economies of time, money, increased customer satisfaction. And exactly the same logic applies to the public sphere. Of course, in many cases, procedures apply which have been smothered in legislation for many years, and many responsible people justifiably argue that legislation simply does not allow many rational and direct solutions. But once again, the statement that “where there’s a will, there’s a way” also applies, and this is why a change in legislation, which is indispensable for eGovernment, will have to be possible.

 

  •  Are there successful examples from public administration?

Imagine that immediately after the birth of a child, the hospital registers him/ her directly in the Register of Inhabitants and the Social Insurance. Based on this registration, the child’s documents are automatically issued and benefits are allocated and paid – does this sound like science fiction to you? No, it’s reality in countries like Finland, Holland or Iceland.

  
Or here’s another example: you’ve bought a new car and registered it directly at the seller’s. To register, all you need is your driving licence and a signed declaration that you agree to register via the seller; you take away your number plate along with the car – does this sound unrealistic with our experience of having to take at least half a day off to carry out this procedure in Slovakia? It’s reality in Holland, for example.
   

  • Let’s suppose that the ideal level of computerisation of public administration is reached. What specific advantages stem from this fact for citizens?

-    People will no longer have to prove to the public offices facts that are mentioned in one of the information systems of public administration, such as declaring a change of address to various institutions.
-    Services offered by public administration will be focused above all on citizens. Related information will be provided all “under one roof”, which will mainly be appreciated by those who need to contact several institutions to obtain the required information.
-    People will be able to access services offered by public administration by means of various service points in any town; they will be able to use the Internet, a call centre, a mobile phone, digital television etc.
  
The simplest thing would be to compare it to situations when we used to go to the bank 10 or 15 years ago. We could only go there when the branch was open, we had to queue up, or we had paper account statements. Banks gradually found various ways of communication, they came towards us to our “home”, it’s possible to communication with them by email, telephone or SMS. And exactly the same can be done with public administration. Why should be rush from one institution to another just because public administration has one part of its records here, and another there?
 

 

  • The Ministry of Finance of the SR, as the central institution for the computerisation of society, is preparing a national concept for the computerisation of public administration. What is its goal?

The MF SR has a primary goal: to start off realistically the computerisation of public administration in Slovakia. It has to define the contents of what will be computerised in public administration, define the direction, the procedure for carrying it out as quickly as possible, and the costs in order for the computerisation of public administration to become a reality as soon as possible, including the long-awaited benefits for all participants in community life: citizens, businessmen, as well as the elements of public administration themselves; in order for computerisation to become a managed process which can be measured; in order for politicians to know how billions of crowns are spent, in order for citizens to know when they can finally stop taking papers with them to public offices. And then when they completely stop going there. Personally, I haven’t been to a bank for two years. I use Internet banking, I phone my bank specialist, I pay by card.
  

  • In your opinion, what steps should be taken in turn when introducing eGovernment?

We need to begin where other successful countries began, i.e. by defining services, linking up key systems and records, specifying shared services and then carrying out projects to introduce the e-services themselves.
     
We should take our cue from the best (Austria, Estonia, Sweden and Norway are at the top of the ladder among European countries). For me personally, I find Denmark very attractive, which did a huge amount of work to change processes, people’s thinking, to change overall the organisation of public administration in order to meet the government’s vision: to have one of the most effective operational public administration systems in Europe. Introducing eGovernment must go hand in hand with real processes in public administration; only then does it bring real benefit in the shape of increasing quality, lowering costs and increasing accessibility.
   

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