Questions/Answers

e-Albania national e-Gov platform, acts as a front-end point for government institutions to deliver their services, thus operating as a one stop single access point to citizens 24/7. The portal, which currently provides 760 e-services, is connected to the Government Interoperability Platform that is the underlying and core architecture allowing the interaction between 53 electronic systems of public institutions. The Government Interoperability Platform enables 63% of the application forms are pre-filled automatically by the interaction and exchange of data between these registers in real time. A major part of the services offered on the portal are 100% re-engineered hence offering a completely paperless service. Found in a long wave of digitalization process, which has started since 2013, Albania is currently undergoing one of the most important transformation processes in its history of public services digitalization. The government is determined to turn institutions into full service to citizens and has completely focused its attention on transforming physical counters into online ones. From January 1, 2020, a new process for public services began, that providing 472 public service applications to citizens and businesses exclusively online. Also, from June 30, 2020 more than 395 other services are being offered through e-Albania portal. The third phase will be in December 2020, when we will have another 394 service applications online-only. So, by the end of the year, over 1300 services, or 95% of all public services in Albania will be provided on e-Albania for citizens and businesses. Albania has already begun the process of transforming public services and the public administration and we fully believe in the progression of the citizens mentality in regards to this new inevitable communication methodology with state institutions. This is translated in reduced costs in obtaining services, facilitation of bureaucracies, less time consumed in receiving services, as well as more transparency and higher quality of services

During the past 7 years, the citizens quality of life and the methodology in doing business have changed radically for Albanian citizens. The National Agency of Information Society led the most remarkable reform in digitalizing the public administration and public services. Investments were made in developing the Governmental Interoperability Platform, which is the core architecture upon which 53 public institutions electronic systems operate. Investments were also made in developing electronic systems, digitizing physical archives, improving physical infrastructures, developing dedicated platforms for circulating legal documents, equipping the relevant actors with a digital stamp or signature. Moreover, the economic assistance scheme has been modernized, which prevents abuses and increases the citizen's’ approach to a more humane service.

In practical terms, the procedures are now simpler and the transactions performed online through a computer, tablet, mobile phone, or a digital counter, always through the e-Albania unique governmental portal, allow real-time downloading of the legal document and the possibility to print it through a common printer and a paper. Furthermore, public employees generate the e-sealed documents on behalf of the citizen, thus facilitating access even more. Queues, time lost and corruption are no longer an issue for the provision of these documents. In these terms, it is significantly increased access to information and communications technology for citizens and business. In order to reduce as much as possible the bureaucracies associated to public services, during the past months the institutions went under a deregulation process with the aim of: Reducing the number of associated documents required to citizens/businesses and also re-engineering the whole process of their provision, in order to reduce processing steps, digitalize internal processes thus reducing bureaucracies, costs and time for citizens.

The technological innovations that have become part of the Albanian governmental platform services make it possible to subtract a variety of documents online, from any internet access point, thus ensuring reliable, sustainable and quality e-services that facilitate citizens and provide equal access to all. By enhancing the public administration technological capabilities, we drive domestic technology development and innovation, which combats corruption and improves the quality of public services. Citizens and Albanian businesses are aware of this new development and have replaced the physical procedures for online processing.

Albania has embarked on a path of no return towards the provision of online public services and the complete digitalization of the administration's work processes. Today, after 7 years of intensive work, we are confident that the digital transformation has forever changed the administration's relationship with the citizen and business. The government leaders’ persistence on trusting technology, deregulation, eliminating face-to-face contact between citizens and administration officials, proper investments in ICT, etc. In terms of impact this translates into a reduction of service acquiring costs, facilitation of bureaucratic procedures, reduction of time to obtain services, but also enhancement of transparency and improvement of service provision quality. The Albanian government, as a promoter of the transformation of physical services into online services, turned the e-Albania governmental platform into a success story, managed to build a serious image of the state and restore citizens' trust in public institutions. Enabling online services means providing them at no additional cost for citizens/businesses, without waiting in queues at the state counters thus not wasting time and without having any physical contact with administration employees thus eliminating corruption. This centralized approach of e-Government services has enabled to have service standardization and even development among the ICT infrastructure of public institutions nationwide, increase the quality of our services as quality assurance processes are performed more rigorously, faster knowledge and troubleshoot sharing among our specialists resulting in better use of human resources.

Technology helps to advance gender equality. Through e-Albania every Albanian and foreign citizens or businesses operating in the Republic of Albania can obtain electronically public service from the Albanian state, 24/7 and contribute offering new channels with the flexibility of time and space and this well reflected in The Global Gender Gap Index 2020 presented by World Economic Forum where Albania is ranked 20th place from 153 countries or 0.769 from 0-1 score, (14 + the Global Gender Gap Report 2018). The analysis presented was based on a methodology integrating statistics from international organizations and a survey of executives.

e-Albania is dedicated to all Albanian and foreign citizens and businesses requiring a public service from the Albanian state. Actually, e-Albania platform offers 760 electronic services that are categorized in three main types of users: citizens, business and public administration. Every citizen receives in real time on e-Albania, without queues, without additional costs and without any contact with the administration, personal documents starting from civil status certificates, to judicial status or insurance attestations, rebooks medical visits, applies to be part of the employment scheme, conducts payments starting from the most utilitarian ones such as electricity, vehicle fees, taxes and tariffs etc., and all of these with a few clicks, from his computer or mobile phone. Businesses are provided with more than 300 e-services on the platform, starting from the initial registration of a new business, applications for construction permits and licenses, paying taxes or submitting balance sheets. These are all services provided without any contact with the administration and with no additional costs. Foreign citizens may also create the business account in e-Albania platform, and may apply for serval online services without having to be physically presented on different institutions. Also, more than 8,000 civic employees access the system on a daily basis and complete citizens’ application files by generating the associated documents themselves, thus ending bribery between citizens and public administration employees.

Currently, Albania is undergoing one of the most important transformation processes of public services digitalization. The government is determined to turn institutions into full service to citizens and has completely focused its attention on transforming physical counters into online ones. Our work plan will ensure that by the end of the year, 1300 public services or over 95% of all public service applications are provided on e-Albania only at no cost, without waiting in queues at the state counters, without having any physical contact with administration employees. From 2020, Citizens and businesses apply only online through the e-Albania platform and it is the public administration employees who are required to provide all the associated state documents. Following this approach, all e-services whose applications are to be made online-only are completely changed in their format by dividing the list of associated documents into: - The left-side documents which are simply listed but are not the responsibility of the citizen to provide - The right-side documents which include only self-declarations and private documents and should be provided by the citizen himself. A dedicated system (e-Signed Documents Circulation System) has been set up for the interaction of all institutions, with the aim of exchanging all enclosed documents of the citizen’s file in electronic form, paperless and bearing electronic signature. This reduces the burden on citizens and businesses in institutions and the only documents they need to upload are self-declarations and documents that they receive from private entities. Through this system, employees request the documents needed by institutions that generate them, and the latter process the request for said document. After being electronically signed by the institution's head, the document is sent back through the system to the employee who made the request. In the end, the public administration official completes the applicant's file with administrative documents issued by state institutions, and then provides the citizen with the requested public service

Coordination among all stakeholders is important for increasing the success rate of reforms or projects, but it is sometimes insufficient if there is a lack of institutional will in redesigning and reforming internal processes and implementing a user-focused approach to delivering public services. We have faced a lot of setback when advising business process reengineering and change management of public services, and trying to diffuse new technologies or trends into internal and external work processes. The legal framework and the insecurity of institutions to change it have been the major obstacles we have faced into creating a vibrant e-government ecosystem and providing the adequate legal and regulatory environment for e-services. Therefore, our challenge has always been trying to change the mindset of institutions to redesign and reform business processes by seeing ICT as a facilitator in the process and synchronize the current ICT developments with legal and regulatory framework amendments.

In terms of innovation the impact of the e-Albania platform is an initiative like no other when it comes to Information and Communication Technology in Albania. The avant-garde nature of this platform has facilitated acquiring vast numbers of state issued documents from the comfort of one’s home, with a few clicks. After several years of intensive work, e-Albania platform has forever changed the administration's relationship with the citizen and business. The impact of e-Albania is directly noticeable in the significant reduction of queues at the physical counters of public institutions, which are printing less hard copy documents or are following the practice of offering their services only online through e-Albania platform.

The Albanian Government had a dilemma about Albanian citizens and businesses not receiving the public services they deserved. The administration could not act in response to the dynamics and aspiration of Albanians to be served in time, with quality, without regarding corruption and responded to this dilemma with a radical solution; investing in technology, digitalization, networking and efficient services through a single portal. Little by little, the creation that forever changed the relationship between the state and citizens came to life: E-ALBANIA! A few months ago, the country went into a lock-down due to the pandemic and e-Albania turned into the only open door, where you could claim everything, from organized exit permits, to social or health services. As a result of this management, lives were saved and the help was given even in the most extreme situations.

Currently these kind of technologies are not used, and these integrations are not applicable to the initiative that we are actually presenting.

Following the Digital Albania case, other organizations or countries can follow up on the same steps towards a fully digital administration and public service delivery. We have strategic documents, legal acts that have been approved in Albania in support of the Digital Albania initiatives as well as technical procedures to be followed during the process to ensure easier implementation of similar efforts. Several countries of region have visited Albania in order to adapt the same model of digital transformation in their public institutions and we are open for further collaboration for enhancing common challenges regarding this initiative.

In Albania the main projects have gone to centralized infrastructures which have enabled us to have product and service standardization, increase the quality of our products and services as quality assurance processes are performed. Such an example is the Governmental Interoperability Platform, the basic architecture that enables the exchange of real-time data in a secure and reliable form as a necessary step to simplify services that the state offers to citizens, businesses and public administration, as well as the reduction of the number of documents required from citizens or business to obtain public services. We were the first in the region (Western Balkan Countries) to integrate this platform. Also the unique e-governmental portal, provide quality and fast e-services to the citizen and business. Now Albanians remember only one portal link for finding public services online and find things easier and quicker, due to one single interface. We have also implemented multifunctional and centralized systems where each institution has its own module customized to their specific needs. Legacy systems have been upgraded in the past years and a lot of others have been newly developed. We have invested in digitalizing physical archives, improving physical and cloud infrastructures, developing dedicated platforms for circulating legally valid documents, equipping the relevant actors with an electronic seal or signature and are confident that the successful implementation of the Albanian digital transformation process can be replicated in any other country.

Human resources (the staff of NAIS, as well as over 8000 public administration employees who use daily the e-Albania Module for Public Employees, downloading e-sealed documents on behalf of the citizen).

The digital transformation has totally change the way that institutions offer the public services. We have now created adequate institutional mechanisms for creative design, effective implementation, and continual adaptation of our initiatives. With this approach, less political and bureaucratic obstacles for e-government are now present and there is better allocation of resources and policy coordination across the government.

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The e-Albania platform has been positively evaluated by all international evaluation reports for Albania. In 2020 Albania was awarded with the maximum grade in the category for digital governance (Digital Government) by OECD/SIGMA. In October 2020 the e-Albania platform is maximally appreciated by European Commission Report. In September 2020 the initiatives, investments and the government program for e-Government and the e-Albania platform are positively evaluated by United States Department of State. Also, in July 2020 Albania was evaluated by United Nations for digital transformation and for the effectiveness of online public services. In addition, Albania was highly evaluated on the e-Gov Benchmark 2019 regarding assistance and transparency of public services. In 2018 the World Bank evaluated the status of e-Government programs and ICT implementation with a focus on e-Gov portal application and online services.

Benchmark report provides a reference frame for the service providers to assess their performance, establish good practices and identify strong areas as well as inadequacies. Report overall performance is measured as an average score of four top-level benchmarks: User-centricity, Transparency,​ Cross-border mobility, Key enablers. The World Bank auditing report uses UN 2014 framework. It also assess the performance of several key services through interactions with service providers (government institutions) and beneficiaries (citizens and/or businesses) European Commission uses The National Plan for European Integration (NPEI) as planning tool for measures to meet the obligations arising from the European Integration process. Also continuously monitors the progress of digital transformation, by having updated information on the addition of new electronic services, their use by citizens, simplicity and transparency regarding online services.

The European Commission has continued to monitor thoroughly developments in Albania. It is mentioned that despite the challenge of dealing with the emergency situation, the Albanian authorities have maintained a constant, strong public political commitment to the country’s strategic goal of European integration. Overall, Albania has increased its efforts and delivered further tangible and sustainable results in the key areas identified in the Council Conclusions of June 2018. ​It is concluded progress has been made on digital agenda strategy and e-government services by offering more online services and highly level of usage by citizens and business. The Department State of US has concluded that the Albanian government has made significant progress in the agenda of the digital revolution. It is mentioned that public service reform will help reduce corruption by limiting direct contacts of public officials. ​ In the e-Gov benchmark report was indicated that Albania has done a good progress on digital transformation and online services, by providing transparency, user centricity, usability, mobile-friendly interface and promptly possibilities for online assistance for the citizens. It also very important to note that the Prime Minister has been a huge supporter of online services and digitalization. Since he was mayor of the Tirana Municipality, he had a vision of digitalization as many processes as possible, aiming towards transparency, cost-reduction and better services even with local government services. He has been among the strongest advocates of digitalization in the country, considering e-services as the only way to total transparency and reduction of corruption (due to the lack of physical contact between citizens and public administration). Being a partisan of automation, he has also supported us in helping the others realize that the old offline approach was not the proper way.

One of the most important key elements regarding the digital transformation, is the collaboration and the online institutional interaction, which is the typical example of digitalization of state services, facilitating direct communication of authenticated individuals in the system and avoiding obstacles of all sorts. e-Albania portal is not only the most successful platform regarding online services, but also it has managed to build a serious image of the state and restore citizens' trust in public institutions. In contrast to the traditional form of application, where citizens had to go to different institutions to receive services, waiting in long queues and wasting time, today thanks to the extensive cooperation with all state institutions, serving as a single point for the citizen by offering their services through the e- Albania platform. On the other hand, for all state institutions are offered a series of improvements in terms of digitalization of systems, improvement of their daily work by making available important systems such as: A dedicated system (e-Signed Documents Circulation System) has been set up for the interaction of all institutions, with the aim of exchanging all enclosed documents of the citizen’s file in electronic form, paperless and bearing electronic signature. This reduces the burden on citizens and businesses in institutions and the only documents they need to upload are self-declarations and documents that they receive from private entities. Through this system, employees request the documents needed by institutions that generate them, and the latter process the request for said document. Also, the civil administration employees can download in real time the e-sealed documents on behalf of the citizen through Public Administration Module. More than 150 institutions and up to 8000 public employees uses this systems daily to facilitate the service process for the citizens and businesses. In this regard, The National Agency of Information Society has a continues collaboration with all public institutions for offering high quality public services online-only. This centralized approach of e-Government services has enabled us to have service standardization and even development among the ICT infrastructure of public institutions nationwide, increase the quality of our services as quality assurance processes are performed more rigorously, faster knowledge and troubleshoot sharing among our specialists resulting in better use of human resources.

As mentioned before, a large range of public services that up to yesterday were only offered through traditional means, requiring representation to the respective offices, paper application, waiting in line, filling in forms, etc., are now taken electronically, with a counter over your mobile, smartphone or home computer. In this sense, all technological accomplishments behind it meet the goal of providing public services that consist in: simplification of procedures, electronic applications for public services, security, speed and functionality quicker than ever and most importantly with access 24/7 regardless of your location. All stakeholders that are active users of the e-Albania Module for public employees send their feedback via email which helps us improve the functionalities or resolve technical issues arisen during the usage of the module. A dedicated sector assists public employees on such matters and conducts analyzes to evaluate the feedback sent by them. This sector is also responsible for monitoring the technical changes made on the module. Citizens on the other hand have various tools on providing their feedback: via the online form on the portal, the rating mechanism inside e-services (which includes a free text box as well), the online forum, social media channels, the support email etc. All the feedback is gathered, analyzed and used to improve the e-sealed e-services. NAIS has a dedicated help desk sector that assists users about the issues they might face, as well as conducts analyzes on the satisfactory level and suggestions sent by citizens/businesses.

We have seen the absolute importance of having a digitalized government especially with the recent case of the global pandemic due to Covid-19. It is crucial to have most public services available wherever and whenever needed without having to spend money, print paper, and mostly having to sacrifice time for long waiting lines. Our take on this experience is that the digitalization of state services and e-Gov is not only extremely important, but indispensable in the continuation of services from state institutions to citizens, and many more groups benefiting from the already existing but ever evolving platform. One of the key lessons we have learned during the past years is the importance of taking the difficult decision of providing online-only public services to citizens or businesses. This approach will be followed by criticism and mistrust, but in the end, everyone will understand why this is the best approach. On the other hand, it is crucial to implement centralized technology solutions such as interoperability platforms, which enable secure and real-time data exchange, reduce single investment costs and relieve citizens during the fulfilment of online forms since a majority of data is already prefilled.