Important changes in the Law on e-Government are launched by the government

The Council of Ministers adopted a draft law introducing important changes to the Law on e-Government. The proposed changes address key issues of primary importance for the introduction of real e-governance.

The changes are aimed at facilitating citizens and businesses, which will significantly reduce the administrative burden and speed up the service that the state and municipalities are obliged to provide by law, the government information service assures.

The main proposals for change are the following:

- Electronic services will be able to be applied for without a qualified electronic signature by individuals – to apply for them, we will only need to log in with an electronic identification device with an appropriate level of security, after which we will submit the application by filling out an online form.

- With consent, in the system for secure electronic service, it will be possible to serve acts, receipts and criminal decrees electronically. For this purpose, an amendment to Art. 43 of the ZANN, which regulates the procedure for handing over a receipt, electronic receipt, act of establishing an administrative violation, drawn up in the absence of the offender, or a criminal decree.

- Any paper documents and other physical media /including stickers/ to prove data for persons or objects entered in a register are no longer required.

- Fees for administrative services when provided electronically will be reduced. The institution of the intermediary in the provision of administrative services is regulated. Thus, people who do not use information technology will be facilitated and will not have to travel to a larger populated place to request an administrative service. Such intermediaries can be Bulgarian post offices, libraries and anyone who has offices close to citizens.

- An opportunity is created for complete electronicization of administrative processes by including additional persons as primary administrators. An obligation to officially provide information for entities outside the state administration that participate in administrative services will be introduced.

- There is an obligation to keep records in electronic form, including through a centralized records management system.