The research aimed at assessing efficiency of electronic communication between local self-government and citizens show that majority of local self-governments in Serbia recognize the value of new information technologies. Of 149 municipalities covered by the survey (without Kosovo and Metohija and the City of Belgrade), 140 of them have their own official internet pages.
The usage of Internet services in practice, however, is not satisfactory, the results show. None of the municipalities have forums, discussion groups, or similar web applications which allow direct communication between citizens and public management officials, nor there is any multi-media content.
In the course of the research, special attention was dedicated to the existence of e-government, and according to research results, of 149 municipalities, only half has introduced this service (in one of the municipalities the service was under construction).
The existence of such service would allow easier and faster issuing of official documents for citizens, while making the work of local self-government much easier.
Results of the research also show that public officials in half of the municipalities do not reply to queries sent by e-mail or online contact forms, and that those who respond do it within one to three days, by submitting a complete information and full response.
Research results were publicly presented for the first time at the conference “Electronic Communication and Use of Electronic Document in Public Management” held on May 16 in the Aero Club in Belgrade.
The discussion, along with NALED and BIRN Serbia representatives, included representatives of public management and private companies: Nebojsa Vasiljevic, assistant to the minister of culture, information and information society, Zvonko Obradovic, director of Agency for Business Registry, Mico Basara, executive director of ComTrade, and Marko Mandic, representative of Asseco.
You can find more information on the conference here http://www.naled-serbia.org/index.php?action=shownews&vestID=321
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