Today marks a new era in Cyprus-Greece relations in the field of transformation, laying the foundations for an expanded cooperation based on a common vision, shared values, mutual respect and solidarity, said Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Kyriakos Kokkinos following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in the fields of Digital Policy and Cybersecurity with the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
Digital transition is one of the biggest challenges facing governments and organisations around the world today, he said, adding that it is an objective that is prominent in the policies of both the Anastasiades and Mitsotakis governments.
Cyprus and Greece have embarked on this long journey by responding adequately to the increasing technological challenges and demands created by the pandemic of the last two years, Kokkinos said. But also promoting at the same time, he said, different reforms and innovative solutions that touch on upgrading infrastructure for connectivity, promoting e-government, strengthening the digital skills of citizens, as well as supporting and promoting the digital transformation of businesses.
As a result, he continued, Cyprus has improved its position in the ranking of the EU DESİ index on the digital maturity of Member States and their progress towards becoming modern, digital economies and societies.
"In this difficult task, Cyprus and Greece choose to act together. Through the Memorandum of Cooperation in the fields of digital policy and cybersecurity, we join forces to implement together a parallel programme of digital transformation, beneficial for all with a focus on the citizen, exploiting the powerful capabilities and inexhaustible opportunities offered by technology, together we can launch a sustainable and higher quality recovery of the economy that ensures resilience, security, competitiveness, both in the physical arena and in cyberspace."
To create, he continued, new prospects, new and quality jobs for young people and a prosperous, just and inclusive society.
As a concrete example of cooperation with direct action and real impact and content, said the Deputy Minister of Research, they are launching tomorrow the MyGovLive service, "which provides for making appointments at Citizen Service Centres for online information and citizen services via videoconferencing".
At this stage, he explained, this service only concerns the identification of citizens, a necessary condition for access to a wide range of online services of the Republic of Cyprus, and which until now required a physical visit to the CCCs. "The aim is to continuously enrich the services that will be provided to citizens and businesses through this new tool, easily, quickly and securely."
He particularly thanked Mr. Pierrakakis and all those who have been involved in this effort: Greece and Cyprus have much to teach each other[/B]
"We are here to put our own little stone in the relationship between Greece and Cyprus," Kyriakos Pierratakis said, adding that the memorandum of understanding was established eight months ago, during Mr Kokkinou's visit to Greece and their first meeting. "Greece and Cyprus have a lot to teach each other regarding digital transformation. For almost three years now, Greece has been recording its own progress in digital transformation."
The Greek Minister spoke of the 4th Industrial Revolution, in the context of which the exchange of good practices helps us all to become better.
Digital Governance, he continued, is something very essential, simple and everyday, we don't always realize it, but it concerns the interaction we have with the state.
Mr. Pierratakis said that they have already discussed many joint projects with Mr. Kokkinos, saying that in Greece the main digital transformation project is gov.gr the Digital Portal of the Greek State which started with 501 services in March 2020 and today has 1377 "and every day we add another one. And the idea here is in the end to build a new edifice for the state and where things were designed in a certain way we can redesign them and design them differently."
About the meeting with President Anastasiades, the Greek Minister said that it is very clear to them that digital transformation is an absolute commitment of the government in Cyprus and it is something in which they are deeply investing. "The government wants to change the way citizens are served, both governments want that. That is why we are here."
He also said that digital governance is not a neutral abstract policy. "It is a policy that reduces inequalities because it respects the citizen who does not have time to waste and who does not have time to go to a public service. It respects the working parent, people with disabilities, expatriates makes every euro work to the maximum extent possible because it increases transparency and at the end of the day it re-creates a different state that maximises its relationship with the citizen in a positive way."
And this is precisely why, he concluded, it is a policy with a deep social dimension and a policy in which we all deeply wish to invest.
Asked how citizens will benefit from MyGovLiv, Kyirrakos Kokkinos said that it will involve appointments either by physical presence at the CCP or by videoconferencing with an official for specific functions. To begin with, he continued, a person will be authenticated through videoconferencing to be given the codes for cylogin to access government services, which until now required physical presence at a CCP. Most CCP services will be added, Kokkinos said, so that we are talking about an eCCP, an electronic citizen service centre. He noted that this system is working in Greece with great success.
Asked about the security and personal data of the MyGovLive application, the Cypriot Deputy Minister said that all necessary measures are taken for cyber security and everything is always done with the consent and approval of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.
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