Digital governance: Greece and Cyprus strengthen cooperation

The digital transformation of the state, the empowerment of citizens with digital skills, the use of technology by businesses, as well as the use of open data, were the main topics on the agenda in the meeting of the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, with the Deputy Minister of Research , Innovation and Digital Policy of Cyprus, Filippos Chatzizacharias, in the context of the Greek minister’s official visit to Megalonis on Monday, November 20.

“Through gov.gr, which is in 2nd place, among 70 companies and organizations, in terms of consumer experience, the government has succeeded in daily improving the experience of citizens in their interactions with the State, regaining their trust every day to the state and its institutions” the minister emphasized and added that “through the cooperation of Greece and Cyprus more broadly, but also the exchange of good practices and know-how through the two ministries, we want to continue highlighting the bright side of the two countries”. As he characteristically stated, “our goal is, with technology as our ally and utilizing the possibilities provided by artificial intelligence, to continue to make the everyday life of citizens and businesses friendlier, easier and with less bureaucracy”.

For his part, Hadjizacharias underlined, among other things, that he is keeping from the meeting first of all the introduction of artificial intelligence in the State which is being prepared by the Ministry of Digital Governance with the digital assistant on gov.gr. “I will also hold the perspective of connecting civil protection through the smart cities management platform, but also more broadly the redesign and operation of the 112 emergency line.”

He added that “we exchanged views, discussed individual issues that have arisen and the good practices that have been adopted in the past. A common finding is that the digital reform of the state to serve the citizens, more efficient governance, security and transparency, are a priority for both our governments. In this direction, strengthening our cooperation with the Greek government and in particular with the Ministry of Digital Governance in this field is particularly important for us”.

Citizens at the center of “Smart Cities” as well

Mr. Papastergiou participated in the afternoon in the event for the inauguration of the project “Development of Smart Cities Infrastructure and Systems” of the Municipality of Nicosia, and the “THALEA 2021-2027” program. The event took place at the Municipal Theater of Nicosia, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis.

“Technology is the present and it evolves every day at an exponential rate. It is time to take advantage of this great opportunity and make it our “ally”” he emphasized and added: “What is required at this moment is to focus on the solutions it can offer us in various critical sectors. It is a one-way option in order not to simply call our cities “smart”, but to really organize at this moment the cities of the future, which must and must be resilient and sustainable”.