Information Society, a society for all – Romania case Adriana Ţicău Ministry of Communications and IT Romania Secretarz of Stat for IT Pan-European e-Government services For Citizens and Enterprises Brussels, September 2002

Romanian Government priorities with regard to IT&C Coherent national strategy, sustainable and appropriate, for implementation and development of the Information Society with a view to: Securing the improvement of the services for citizens, a better quality of life, a broader access to information, the decrease of bureaucracy, the increase of the social integration degree, faster economic growth and higher economic competitiveness Accelerating the Digital Reform undertaken by the Romanian Government with a view to switch to the electronic governing and ensuring the conditions for the development of the Digital Economy. Opening the competition on the telecommunications market: allowing new operators to act on a completely liberalized market. Integrating the national telecommunications market into the EU market by adopting common regulations and creating similar institutions. Eliminating the regional discrepancies and sustaining the policy of the Romanian Government of economic development and social cohesion.

GPIT(GD 271/2001) Integrator and coordinator GESNSI Private Sector CITIZENS Public Sector National Strategy for The implementation of The Information Society COORDONATION INTEGRATION STRATEGY INVESTORS (Public Sector, Private Sector, Civil Society, Trade Capital, Investment Funds) REPORTS PROGRAMSRESOURCES Return of investments UNIVERSITIES Private Sector Public Sector CITIZENS IMPLEMENTATION National Strategy for Inf. Society UNIVERSITIES Implementing Information Society in Romania

The Group for Promoting Information Technology (ICT Task Force The Group for Promoting Information Technology (ICT Task Force) GPIT is a task-force created in early 2001, led by the Prime-Minister and counting seven Ministers in its ranks. Provides coordination and integration for the major national IT&C projects Encourages the private sector investments GPTI promotes: Universal service for all e-government Security for information and infrastructure Copy-rights

Romanian IT Legislation – initiated in 2001 by MCIT Law for the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of these data Law regarding the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector Law regarding the electronic signature Law on electronic commerce In force

Governmental Ordinance – 20/2002 – regarding e- procurement Governmental Decision – 182/2002 – listing the products and the institutions subject to use e-Procurement – first phase Governmental Ordinance –24/2002 – electronic payment of local taxes The first steps for e-government at national level Romanian IT Legislation - initiated and approved in 2002

e-Government in Romania The expansion of Internet makes it necessary (and also possible) to reinvent the Government. Romanian Government is aiming that, by using the new technologies, to better fulfill its obligations to the citizens: provide education, protect the public, promote economic growth and assure fairness on the market. Technological changes will have thus a huge impact on government in terms of what services are offered, how those services are provided and who provides them.

Accelerating e-commerce: speed-up implementation of the legal framework and expand use of e- procurement Virtual market; IT legislation; Web Invoices, Web Corporate Income Declaration; e Content; e-Readiness - business environment Fast Internet for researchers and students: ensure high speed access to the Internet facilitating co- operative learning and working RoEduNet, ROGRID initiative, RNC, GEANT, IST Smart cards for electronic access: facilitate the establishment of national infrastructure to maximize uptake pilot project: the unique identification of civil servants; e-signature law was adopted in July 2001 Intelligent transport: safer, more efficient transport through the use of digital technologies the implementation of the unified emergency call Government online: ensure that citizen have easy access to government information, services and decision-making procedures on-line – pilot projects: e-referendum, e-Administration Strategy Romanian youth into the digital age: bring Internet and multimedia to schools and adapt education to the digital age Computers and Internet is schools computers, with Internet access; ADLIC – Electronic High School Admission 2001 Cheaper Internet Access: increase competition to reduce prices and boost consumers choice Info-kiosks; Multimedia centers; cheaper tariffs for Internet access - 25% of normal price; RONIX functional - is the National Network for the interconnection of Romanian Internet Service Providers + implementation in Romania

Achievements – by now 20 pilot projects related to Information Society deployment in Romania finalized in of the pilot projects on the way for the extension at national level: on-line payment of local taxes (to be in use in all cities until November 2003) e-procurement launched on 4 th March 2002; functions for 400 public institutions and 17 categories of goods (almost 3000 products)

e-Government Center – pilot projects E-tax E-procurement E-Job E-referendum E-market Info-kiosks Multimedia centers Address change Web Declarations for Corporations Identifications of Civil Servants Cash-Flow Management Document Management

Electronic Payment of Local Taxes The system has two components: making available information about taxes to the citizens and actual payment of the taxes by electronic means. Time line: from the 1 st of February 2003 the system has to be functional for big cities and from the 1 st of November 2003 for all Romanian towns.

e-procurement – first 3 months -the systems website was visited by almost 2000 people weekly; -as many as 7000 organizations requested to be registered as users (almost 400 purchasing agencies and the rest suppliers); -140categories of goods, almost 3000 individual products, are traded.

19 new projects approved in 2002 Examples: Portal for access to e- Government services Portal for on line forms for driving licenses Electronic exchange of documents between public institutions Health services Portal Virtual Legislative Library

Citizen centric services Departments, Administrations, Local Authorities, Public Service Providers RoGovonline Government Gateway Intermediary Portals Third party portals Private sector portals Other government portals Citizen Authentication, security and routing

e-Government MoU (Bucharest, the 13 th of December 2001) Phase1 The implementation of a secure network and digital libraries through which governmental agencies shall communicate with each other, coordinate their activities and conclude various interstate matters. Phase 2 The implementation of all the necessary works, and procedures so that citizens of one Party shall be able to have access to information, procedures and legal documents of any other Party and be able through secure mechanisms to achieve various business goal and/or satisfy personal needs.

e-Government MoU (Bucharest, the 13 th of December 2001) E-Governance Project included : 1. Creation of an intergovernmental digital network between Parties with secure and safe mechanisms. 2. Creation of a global portal for all the participant countries with links to the governmental sites and information of common interest (e.g. agriculture, health, medicine, business, travel, legal issues, research, education etc.) 3. Joint effort for the implementation of a common approach for administrative e-documents of transnational interests (e.g. customs, commerce etc.) 4. Joint effort for the implementation of a common e-approach in transnational problems (such as pollution/environmental protection/health issues) 5. Interconnection of public administrations 6. Creation of translator site Data protection - security

WSIS Regional conference – Europe (7-9 November 2002, Bucharest) - in preparation for The World Summit on the Information Society Approaching issues of common European interest Regional assessments, evaluating new initiatives and decisions Presenting regional initiatives and investigating further networking possibilities for cooperation and partnerships Focus on concrete issues and creativity, keeping however the balance between regional specificity and the global dimension