Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, is working towards a unified and interconnected system for the digitalization of state administration, as required by the law on the right to digital service by January 2025. The city council and individual municipalities currently use different forms and procedures, making the process more complicated. To achieve the goal, the city and municipalities must work together to divide the tasks into smaller units to make them understandable for all, said Councilman Daniel Mazur and Deputy Minister for Legislation Ondřej Profant.
The city took the first step towards digitalization by creating the Prague Portal, which enables citizens to deal with various office matters, such as parking, on the portal. However, the city’s complex environment, with autonomous municipal areas with their own information systems and processing procedures, makes the process challenging. According to Mazur, as the guarantor of digitalization, the city must ensure that citizens’ right to digital service is fulfilled.
The city must complete the digitalization process by the end of January 2025. The Prague 2 municipality recently expanded its services to include electronic payment gateways, allowing citizens to pay most local fees and fines electronically. The city and municipalities must now decide which agendas to digitalize and when.
The lack of uniformity in forms and procedures results in duplicating personal data, which citizens must repeatedly enter into different systems. The city and municipalities must work together to create a unified and interconnected system that will function throughout the city. The Prague Portal is an example of digitalization, enabling citizens to deal with various fees and send feedback on the Metropolitan Plan, regardless of their residence.
The digitalization process is complex, given the different systems used by the city and municipalities. However, the city is confident it will meet the deadline, said Mazur. The town and municipalities must work together to ensure the process is successful and citizens can access digital services effectively.