eGovernment Days and Caravan Held in Niš
The eGovernment Days and Caravan were held in Niš, with the aim of introducing citizens to the opportunities and benefits of using electronic services. Trainings were also organized for representatives of public institutions, the business sector, and local governments on how to use the eSickLeave–Employer application and the “Plati” system.
On this occasion, the Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, Dr. Mihailo Jovanović, the Mayor of Niš, Dragoslav Pavlović, the Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia, Fabricio Andreuci, and the Programme Director of NALED, Jelena Bojović, visited the promotional stand in the Niš City Administration building, where they spoke with citizens.
Director Jovanović emphasized that the Office, in cooperation with local governments, continuously works on developing and improving electronic services in order to provide citizens and businesses with faster and easier access to public administration services.
“Our goal is to increase the use of electronic services and encourage local governments to continue their digital transformation efforts. The City of Niš is already achieving significant results in the use of eServices. Through eZUP alone, more than 364,000 data exchanges have been carried out, representing hundreds of thousands of situations in which citizens did not have to carry documents from one counter to another. In addition, more than 256,000 appointments for ID cards and passports have been scheduled via the eGovernment Portal, clearly indicating that citizens increasingly recognize the benefits of modern electronic services,” said Jovanović. He added that this approach brings modern public administration closer to citizens, saves time, reduces costs, and improves quality of life.
He also highlighted that the accelerated digitalization process, along with the growing need for data storage and processing, requires further strengthening of digital infrastructure. In line with the “Serbia 2030” Strategy, plans include expanding the capacity of existing state data centers in Kragujevac and Belgrade, as well as building new data centers in Niš and Novi Sad.
Fabricio Andreuci, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, stated that the eGovernment Days and Caravan are an important initiative aimed at developing and improving electronic public services in line with the needs of citizens and businesses.
“Today’s visit and discussions confirmed the importance of developing new eServices in cooperation with citizens, ensuring that everyone can equally benefit from the advantages that new technologies bring,” said Andreuci.
He also added that UNDP will continue its cooperation with the City of Niš on other joint projects, particularly in the areas of improving healthcare and educational infrastructure.
“During these days in the City of Niš, we are promoting eGovernment. I am pleased that we can present new services to our fellow citizens. This will undoubtedly improve the visibility and accessibility of the state system, reduce bureaucracy in the coming days, months, and years, and enhance access to all services developed by the state,” said the Mayor of Niš, Dragoslav Pavlović.
“Nearly a decade ago, NALED recognized Niš as a champion of local development, and today the city has not only justified but further strengthened that position. According to the Local eGovernment Index, Niš is classified as a city with a more advanced digital administration, demonstrating a high level of citizen engagement (70%), infrastructure development (62%), and quality of electronic services (55%). In the field of innovation, the city achieves significant results thanks to the Niš Science and Technology Park, with which we have been jointly implementing the StarTech Export Hub project for the past two years, providing concrete support to startups in entering international markets,” emphasized NALED Programme Director Jelena Bojović.
The eGovernment Days and Caravan are organized by the Office for IT and eGovernment within the projects “eGovernment for All” and “EDGE,” in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), NALED, the Digital District, and the World Bank.
The aim of these activities is to make eGovernment accessible to everyone, regardless of the size and capacity of local governments, while also providing a unique opportunity for municipalities to improve their services, optimize processes, and become recognized drivers of digital transformation, for the benefit of both citizens and the economy.
