From Stamps to eSick Leave: NALED’s Alliance for eGovernment Marks a Decade of Digital Reforms
Ten years ago, stamps, paperwork, and visits to multiple government counters were part of everyday life. Today, an increasing number of interactions with public administration are completed electronically, and NALED’s e-Government Alliance is marking a decade of work dedicated to building a more efficient state.
Established in 2016 with 20 ICT companies, the Alliance now brings together more than 90 members and is NALED’s largest expert working body. Over the past decade, it has contributed to the development of the institutional, regulatory, and strategic framework for eGovernment, as well as to reforms such as the abolition of the mandatory company stamp, the Local eGovernment Index, and the wider use of the eInbox in the business sector.
“When the Alliance was established, the goal was to move as many administrative procedures as possible into electronic form. Today, citizens and businesses expect services to be available without paperwork or visits to government counters, and digital communication with public administration has become part of everyday life,” said Violeta Jovanović, Executive Director of NALED.
Among the key reforms highlighted were CEOP, the abolition of the mandatory company stamp, eCounter, eInspector, the Seasonal Workers Portal, ePayment, the Local eGovernment Index, and the Freelancer Portal. In 2026, eSick Leave was also introduced, enabling the electronic exchange of documentation between doctors, employers, and the Republic Health Insurance Fund (RFZO).
Dr. Mihailo Jovanović, Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, noted that many of the achievements of the past decade were made possible through cooperation between the public and private sectors.
“Today, we are no longer talking only about the digitalization of individual procedures, but about building an efficient, interconnected, and proactive public administration that saves citizens time and reduces the administrative burden on businesses. The results of this work are best reflected by citizens themselves: today, more than 3 million users are registered on the eGovernment Portal and use over 150 electronic public services on a daily basis. This demonstrates that eGovernment has become part of everyday life and a standard that citizens and businesses expect. In the coming period, our focus will be on the further development of electronic services, the application of artificial intelligence in public administration, and the delivery of services that are even more accessible and user-friendly for all citizens of Serbia,” said Jovanović.
One of the most recent examples of change in everyday interactions with public administration is the Plati (Pay) system. Since September, all cities and municipalities have registered administrators within the system, while the new rules provide that authorities themselves verify completed payments instead of requiring citizens to submit paper proof. The reform is expected to connect records of taxes and fees with administrative procedures and enable the wider use of electronic payments.
“From the first strategic and regulatory steps to the development of numerous digital public services, together we have helped make eGovernment the standard rather than the exception. A new phase now lies ahead, in which artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and new generations of digital services will shape the next decade of Digital Serbia,” said Dragana Ilić, President of the Alliance for eGovernment.
The Alliance’s anniversary celebration was hosted at the premises of Yandex, one of the sponsors of NALED’s reform activities in 2026, supporting initiatives in the field of eGovernment and digital services.
“Our cooperation focused on the application of new technologies in local governments through training programs in AI, machine learning, information security, and smart cities, as well as through the Smart Growth Initiative, which produced recommendations for smart city development and showcased practical technological solutions,” said Madina Temirova, Director of Government Relations at Yandex Serbia.
As a reminder, the work of the Alliance for eGovernment is supported by the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden.
