BULGARIA REACHES MEDIUM DIGITALIZATION IN 2021
Bulgaria reaches an average level of digitalization compared to the data from 2020. The increase in this indicator is by 5 points (59%), as the average level of digitalization for the EU in the last year has increased by only 1 point (72%). This is shown by the data from the reports “eGovernment Benchmark 2021” of the European Commission. The information concerns 36 countries - the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the United Kingdom and the candidate countries for EU membership. The main areas for improvement of Bulgaria coincide with those of other countries.
For the activity of the State e-Government Agency, the findings on the state of e-government are important, which examine the use of e-government services by citizens and businesses, as well as the ability of public administrations to provide convenient digital procedures and services. Bulgaria is still in the group of non-consolidated e-government, along with Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Romania. Compared to the data from 2020, our country is already entering an average level of digitalization, which means that SEGA together with other administrations are moving in the right direction. According to the "Penetration" indicator for 2021, our country reports a decrease of 7 points (36%), which means that consumers do not make sufficient use of the opportunities of online channels to receive public services. SEGA undertakes various campaigns on social networks to present the benefits of e-government, to encourage consumers.
Despite the average European level reached in terms of the provision of cross-border services, the data show that there are still services that are not provided to cross-border consumers. Such are, for example, obtaining a certificate of presence and absence of obligations, registering a company, obtaining a VAT number, registering the company as an employer before hiring employees, obtaining a permit for pollution / environmental pollution. There is no information and forms for these services in a language other than Bulgarian. It should also be possible to use electronic identifiers issued by other countries.
