This time we will deviate from the digitalization of corporate processes and look at how the state administration is doing. What steps has the government taken since 2009, when eGovernment was first discussed in the Czech Republic? And what should it still work on?
What is eGovernment?
eGovernment, or digitalized state administration, covers communication between the government, public and private institutions and citizens of the state using information systems. The goal is to reduce the need for personal visits to offices and paperwork . This will significantly speed up and also make the handling of routine operational matters cheaper. It should work automatically without the need for intervention by officials.
The implementation of eGovernment in the Czech Republic has been going on for more than 10 years and so far, in most cases, it is only at the level of converting existing "paper" processes into digital form. Communication with authorities is faster, but a unified online system that could be called digital public administration is missing.
However, we observe that official procedures are changing and we will look at 8 points that our government has succeeded in the field of digitalization and make life easier for citizens and companies.
What has been achieved in the Czech Republic?
- Czech POINT as a pre-stage of digitalization
Czech POINTs are universal places for communication with the state administration . When you need to obtain information about the progress of the proceedings or extract some data from the system (e.g. an extract from the criminal record), you do not have to go around the offices. Czech POINTs can usually be found at the post office and are a convenient alternative for obtaining or storing documents if you do not have your own data box or access to the Citizen Portal. They will speed up the work, for example, for seniors who are not familiar with the Internet.
- Citizen portal
The Citizen Portal is a basic signpost for entering other portals that enable secure communication with the state. From the comfort of your home, you can check the validity of documents, establish or change a business, sign an e-Petition or even view the land register.
- Banking identity
One of the options for logging in to the Citizen Portal (and therefore all associated portals) is through your online banking site. The state has cleverly taken advantage of the fact that your bank has already verified your identity . Unfortunately, this form is not yet fully supported by all banks in the Czech Republic.
- Data mailbox
An electronic repository through which you can exchange documents with the state administration since 2009. For example, if you found out in the Citizen Portal that your ID card has expired, you can send a request for a new one via the data box. You can also file a tax return, apply for parental allowance, or send a property transfer tax here.
Data mailboxes are mandatory for legal entities and voluntary for individuals . However, once you set one up, public authorities are obliged to send you documents in this form as a priority. Most often, these are various notifications and notices.
- Online tax forms at mojedane.cz
The My Taxes portal functions as an online tax office . You can find forms for tax returns, property tax, and value added tax, among other things. You can also check the status of your tax account there.
- CSSA ePortal
On the portal of the Czech Social Security Administration you will find services for employers, self-employed persons and entrepreneurs. If you are self-employed, you simply submit an overview of your income and expenses. The informative pension application will calculate, for example, the estimated amount of your old-age pension or how long you still have to work to be entitled to it.
- Web portals of health insurance companies
VZP, ZPMV, OZP and ČPZP have an online interface where you can check costs or arrears on insurance premiums and medical care provided. You can also calculate your old-age pension there and have an overview of your pension insurance records.
- eRecipes
In the eRecept application, you can see your entire history of issued (and unissued) prescriptions and vaccination records. Parents can also track their children's prescriptions in the application. The doctor will issue you an electronic prescription even without the application activated - it will come to you in the form of an SMS message. This will make time easier, especially for chronic patients who need to issue the same prescriptions repeatedly.
Cities are launching separate portals
Prague has the Pražana Portal – a so-called digital office where Prague residents pay for resident parking, waste and dog fees. The Brno iD system does not allow payments for dogs, but it is connected to the transport company and you can buy public transport tickets and monitor inspector checks through it. These applications make life in the city much easier.
Where should the state advance in digitalization?
As you can see, there are many useful digitization projects, but in many ways we are still at the beginning. The main obstacle that Czech eGovernment should overcome is not only to submit requests via the Internet that go to officials, but also to ensure that the system itself recognizes what kind of document it is and is able to process it digitally .
We regret that only one of the mentioned portals and functions is available to users as a mobile application (ePrescription). If other departments were inspired, many tasks could be completed even faster.
The state could also work on clear and unambiguous communication . Since portals are created separately by individual departments, each one looks different. Interfaces are often confusing and unnecessarily complex, and instructions are written in official language that is incomprehensible to the average person. It is therefore not surprising that someone prefers to physically go to an office where an official "clicks" for them.
We have a specific complaint, for example, about logging in to the Citizen Portal (via Citizen Identity), which can be done in several ways. In a certain respect, it is nice that everyone chooses what suits them, but the state no longer clearly states that the chosen login method limits what actions you can perform, because there are different levels of trustworthiness . The least secure method is considered to be logging in with a name and password. In contrast, the state has high trust in logging in with an identity card issued after July 1, 2018, which has a chip.
How is electronic data exchange in the B2G sector doing in the Czech Republic?
The European Union has been supporting electronic data exchange with state authorities of member states since 2014. Some states, such as Germany, have introduced mandatory electronic invoicing between companies and the state. As a result, large companies that trade in these markets have started to switch to EDI, followed by small and medium-sized enterprises that want to keep pace and keep up with the market.
However, we do not see any major support or development of digitalization in B2G from the Czech government. Since April 2020, Czech state institutions have been obliged to accept invoices in electronic form, but this is not yet the standard.
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