eGovernment for All: Project Launched to Advance Digital Development of Local Governments
Ten local self-governments in Serbia will have the opportunity to enhance their digital capacities and bring electronic services closer to citizens through expert and technical support — within the new project “eGovernment for All,” launched by the Office for Information Technologies and Electronic Administration (ITE), with the support of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, NALED, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The call for applications from municipalities and cities is open until July 18.
Although Serbia has reached a high level of eGovernment development, as evidenced by nearly 2.5 million registered users on the eGovernment Portal, the project comes at the right time, since the local level sometimes lags behind in terms of digital transformation, says Mihailo Jovanović, Director of the Office.
- Digitalization must be accessible and evenly implemented across all parts of the country. We want every citizen, whether living in a large city or a smaller municipality, to have access to efficient, fast, and modern electronic services that save citizens’ time. Therefore, the goal of this project is to support the digital transformation of 10 pilot local self-governments by strengthening the capacities of officials to provide electronic services and use existing information systems and software solutions, as well as providing support in improving existing digital infrastructure, Jovanović emphasizes.
As part of the project, a digital transformation team will be formed, consisting of experts and mentors who will provide support both on-site and remotely — by phone, email, and through training sessions. Their tasks will include identifying the needs of local governments, conducting trainings, developing promotional materials, and assisting in the implementation of specific services such as eZUP, eInbox, ePayments, eDelivery, and others.
- We are launching the ‘eGovernment for All’ project with the aim of supporting local governments that want to take a step toward a modern, efficient, and citizen-friendly administration. Through this initiative, we offer concrete support — from introducing key digital solutions such as eRegistry, ePayments, the Service Generator, and the data exchange system, to strengthening the capacities of employees and promoting electronic services. We want local administrations to be available 24/7 — without queues, paperwork, or counters. With this project, we are building not only a technically modernized system but also a new work culture in public administration, where knowledge, digital literacy, and readiness for change are as important as technology, stated Snežana Paunović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.
Data from the Local eGovernment Index (LEI), conducted by NALED, shows that most municipalities and cities only have moderately developed digital services, while only a small number have achieved a high level of digital maturity.
- We see every day how much local governments need support to keep pace with digitalization. We cannot talk about efficient public administration if a citizen in one municipality can complete everything online, while in another they have to take a day off just to deal with one piece of paper. eGovernment must be equally accessible to everyone, and our goal is to provide cities and municipalities with the knowledge, tools, and people to make this happen, stresses Vladislav Cvetković, Chairman of NALED’s Managing Board.
For the United Nations Development Programme, this initiative is an important step toward greater inclusiveness and sustainability of digital services across the country.
- Together with national partners, we will help local governments improve electronic services according to the needs of citizens and businesses in their communities, so that everyone equally benefits from the progress brought by digital technologies. This initiative builds on our long-standing cooperation with ITE in implementing digital transformation, especially in involving citizens in all stages of developing electronic public services, said Jakup Beriš, UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia.
