Sanader: The Informatization of Public Administration is Important for Reducing the Deficit

Prime Minister Sanader opened the conference on the informatization of public administration, repeatedly stating that the administration must be a service to citizens and that its informatization leads to the restoration of citizens’ trust in the state.

The first speaker at the opening of the one-day conference at the Regent Esplanade hotel in Zagreb was Igor Lučić, State Secretary of the Central State Office for e-Croatia. He stated that the Strategy for the Informatization of Public Administration is nearing completion, which he announced would be finalized before the end of the year. He emphasized that the most important driver of further development is satisfied citizens, and that a proactive administration is expected. – Building electronic administration is a journey, not a destination, and on this journey we need partners – Lučić emphasized, inviting partners from the IT industry to join him in building electronic administration.

Next, the conference was addressed by Hrvoje Dolenec, State Secretary of the Central State Office for Development Strategy and Pre-Accession Funds, followed by Antun Palarić, State Secretary of the Central State Office for Administration. Palarić announced that the personal identification number system would be operational on January 2. He also stated that the response of civil servants to the introduction of information technologies is very good, although the public perceives it quite differently, and that the civil servants are actually young people who want to learn, with more than 3,000 having undergone IT training so far. Among the benefits of informatization, he included that nearly 80 percent of secondary schools in Croatia are able to enroll children without paperwork.

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader began by stating that holding this conference coincides with the final negotiations with the European Union and that the informatization of the Administration is part of what we must accomplish on the path to the EU, as the reform of public administration is one of the prerequisites for EU entry. However, as Sanader stated, citizens must also be aware that public administration is a service to citizens, not the other way around, and that this is the essence of the informatization process, which is why the motto of this conference was chosen: ‘e-Administration: Administration Tailored to Citizens’.

– We are developing an administration that will confirm that it is in the service of citizens, not an end in itself – stated Sanader, emphasizing that the informatization of public administration reduces the space for corruption and eliminates administrative barriers, placing the administration in the service of new investments. He called the Law on Personal Identification Numbers a significant breakthrough, and affectionately referred to the personal identification number as OIB, attributing to it ‘miraculous’ properties of preventing bribery and corruption, although the only example he provided for this was again the hunt for ‘small fish’ stealing state subsidies and aid.

The second property of OIB, according to Sanader, is the return of citizens’ trust in the functioning of the rule of law, which he asserted would impact the economy by opening up a framework for secure investment. He also called informatization important for reducing the budget deficit, and above all, it is important for citizens, concluded the Prime Minister, declaring the conference open. (I. Škevin)