Information Society Watch

April 4, 2007, Paul Voosen, The Prague Post

E-governance may be cutting through the long lines of red tape in the the Czech Republic with the unveiling of CzechPoint, the Interior Ministry's new centralised information scheme that is intended to increase efficiency for the public and reduce government operating costs. CzechPoint represents an innovative change in the way public services are provided to European citizens. The scheme will gather the information from public registers and make it accessible from a single location, a CzechPoint kiosk, where users can also digitally certify documents and file them electronically with state agencies. The programme faces some opposition from privacy advocates, as well as those concerned about job loss from the reduction of operating costs. CzechPoint also requires changes in legislation before it can fulfill its potential, but advocates of the system remain hopeful that it will have a radical impact on reducing bureaucracy.

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