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Citizens to have access to public digital services and government services

07/12/2021 09:05

Cyprus Government aspires to give its citizens the potential to have online access to public digital services and government services as of 2022 through a Portal (gov.cy) the construction of which is now being promoted by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy.

Speaking on Monday at a press conference on the work of the Deputy Ministry during 2020-21, and for the presentation of the planned main policies and actions, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Kyriakos Kokkinos, said that “our aim is to have in 2022 the public sector on one screen and to offer an easy and quick search and navigation system. I am absolutely convinced that we will make it.”

Kokkinos noted that a Portal is being set up in cooperation with the UK Government Digital Services, adding that an inter-state agreement for the provision of advisory services amounting to 1,5 million Euros was reached to this end and that gov.cy will operate in the same way as gov.uk in the UK.

The Deputy Minister said that a total of 214 services that will be included in the Portal have been identified so far, adding that the Digital Services Factory, which is the team responsible for the Portal, is currently being trained by UK experts.

Moreover, Kokkinos underlined that Cyprus can and must play its role as a technological capital in the Eastern Mediterranean, noting that the Deputy Ministry’s vision is for research, innovation and Information and Communication Technologies to serve as a catalyst for a new, viable and resilient growth model, a dynamic and competitive economy, a modern and effective public administration and a thriving and inclusive knowledge society.

Kokkinos also said that the digital ID and the digital signature are being promoted and the citizens will be able to have in a wallet on their mobile telephones personal certificates as their ID, passport and birth certificate, in digital form.

Referring  to new online services to be introduced in 2022 he noted that these concern the Labour Ministry (Social Insurance Services, applications for allowances and pensions), the Town Planning and Housing Department, the Tax Department, and the Commerce Ministry.

Moreover he underlined the multidimensional contribution of the Deputy Ministry as regards he management of the COVID-19 pandemic, both as regards tools to address the public health crisis and the use of technology with a view to facilitate business operations and serve citizens.

More particularly he referred to the issuing of more than 2,4 million digital certificates for domestic and cross-border movement, and more than 2.3 million Cyprus Flight Passes as well as the creation of the Vaccination Portal through which 700 thousand appointments for vaccinations have been arranged.

Kokkinos also said that they worked for the CovScan and the CovPass applications and supported the procedure for the tracing of contacts of people who have been COVID-19 positive. He noted that a Portal was set up within three weeks for the allowances handed out to support citizens facing the repercussions of the pandemic, adding that 500 applications have been paid through it and 950 million euros were given.