This and other information was talked about on the Club of Municipal Policy on Radio Regina on 11 March 2015 in a discussion about the electronization of local government. Those taking part in the debate were Milan Muška, vice-chairman of the Association of Towns and Villages of Slovakia (ZMOS), Adrián Belánik, Director of the Data centre for electronisation of local and regional governments of Slovakia (DEUS) and Ľubomír Lőrincz, Mayor of Santovka. Listeners were told about the aims of the DCOM project, its implementation, and the benefits for municipalities, citizens, companies and the state, as well as an update on the project status.
The DCOM project provides municipalities and towns with a tool that lets them perform their tasks and provide services to citizens and companies electronically. This mostly concerns a set of 138 original tasks that are arranged by local governments. DCOM will deal with the operation also of all other information systems, meaning municipalities won’t have to worry about anything. Responsibility for operation of the systems, updates, security, and compliance with legislation will all be arranged by the data centre administrator. Municipalities will also receive completely new technical equipment and professional IT support, all without investment costs thanks to financing from EU funds.
The biggest benefit of the project, says Mr Muška, is the acceleration and automation of many processes, which converts into time savings for citizens and municipal offices alike. He also underlined the importance of more effective enforcement of the law, which could produce greater revenues for municipalities. Mr Belánik sees the benefits of the electronisation of local government for citizens in the time saved arranging affairs and the increased convenience as everything can be arranged from the comfort of their own home. For municipalities, the project means new equipment and a common platform satisfying security standards and legislative compliance. Mr Lőrincz, mayor of the pilot municipality Santovka, which has only about 700 residents, also perceived the projects as highly positive. In his opinion, the question now is not whether to join the project, but when. Those municipalities that realise this first and take advantage of the opportunity will definitely have an advantage, because it simplifies the work and lives of municipal clerks, and citizens. We can safely assume that in time other municipalities will be pressured from below to ensure their citizens have the same benefits.