Mitsotakis: Six innovations for the service of the citizens

More than 200 online services ΕΦΚΑOAED (DYPA), OPEC and the Ministry of Labor, through which employees, the unemployed, retirees and farmers have completed 260 million electronic transactions in the last 2.5 years, is the new reality in the service of the citizens who were previously faced with the chaos of downloaded phones, endless queues and hassle.

“Before the election, the citizens were telling us ‘change the state,’ that is exactly what we are doing. We do it in practice and every day we work in this direction, using technology as a tool not as an end in itself. First and foremost is the citizen, his service and the necessary respect that we must show him. ” said the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the event of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs where the upgraded digital services that are now offered to the citizens were presented in detail.

Its operation was presented at the event 2455 free service number 1555for employment, insurance, retirement and social issues, which has received more than 1.7 million calls in just eight months, while almost 99% of citizens who used it received answers to their simple or complex questions.

The newest ones were also presented communication channels of the state with the citizen, such as services myOAEDlive and myEFKAlive that offer the possibility of remote service through video calling (valuable services especially for the disabled, residents of remote, mountainous or island areas), the new institution of electronic appointments but also the fruits of the cooperation of EFKA and OAED with the Civil Service Centers of which 2.5 million transactions have been made.

“Ultimately, the definition of progress is relatively simple. “Progress – in my mind – is not to compromise with the established logic that nothing can change in this country”, noted Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Here technology helps our weakest fellow citizens: the disabled who may not be able to leave their homes, the islanders who suddenly realize that through their homes they can naturally communicate, via video call, with a civil servant who can serve them. “Our weakest fellow citizens are usually the biggest victims of bureaucracy and the opacity that it often entails.”

The prime minister stressed that citizen service is indeed a social policy, noting that in the past the state’s inability to meet taxpayers’ expectations has fueled discontent, which has fueled populism.

“This contempt of the citizen by the state, in my mind, was a catalyst for the rupture of the relationship of trust between citizen and state. “If the citizen feels that he is paying his taxes but the state despises him and does not respect him, it will be much easier to hear populist voices that will present him with simple solutions to complex problems”, said Mr. Mitsotakis. “I believe that all this great effort that we are making at its core is an exercise in strengthening our own democracy and institutions. “Because in this way, relationships of trust are finally built”, he added.

Most important actions to upgrade citizen service:

• New service number 1555. All citizens can now call for free, 24 hours a day and with a minimum waiting time for work, retirement, insurance and social issues. Already in the first 8 months of operation it served more than 1.7 million calls from citizens, with 8 out of 10 saying they are satisfied with the level of service.
• More than 200 electronic services from EFKA, OAED and OPEC and the Ministry of Labor. Most were developed from 2019 onwards. Over 260 million transactions have been made in the last 2.5 years.
• Online appointments. The measure started to be applied at the beginning of the pandemic and was maintained afterwards, removing the queues at the counters of EFKA and OAED and facilitating the daily lives of millions of citizens, as well as employees. To date, more than 3.8 million electronic appointments have been made at EFKA, OAED and OPEC.
• MyEFKAlive services and myOAEDlive. This service concerns the remote service of the citizen through a video call by an employee of the Institutions. Particularly useful to residents of remote mountainous or island areas or disabled fellow citizens, etc. Over 12,000 teleconferences in the last 8 months.
• Use of the services of EFKA, OPEKA and OAED and through KEP. This cooperation has already served over 1 million citizens. More than 2.5 million transactions through KEP.
• Upgrading the websites of both the Ministry and the Institutions with a corresponding enhancement of the promotion of the digital services.

Hatzidakis: Citizen service is a social policy

“Citizen service is primarily a social policy. It is a social policy especially for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, EFKA, OAED and OPEC where they are called to meet the needs of over 8 million citizens. But for many inside the Ministry and more so within EFKA, paradoxically, it was not considered a problem! We decided not to remain apathetic. Do not accept reality as it is.

And we proceeded immediately to implement specific policies. I want to be clear. We do not celebrate. We do not consider service issues to be fully addressed. The progress in this area, however, is more than obvious. And we have to emphasize it and promote it.

Because many of our fellow citizens to this day do not know the existence of 1555, do not know the 200 electronic services or do not believe that they could be served by certified accountants and lawyers and can get their pension in less than three months. “The promotion of our policy and its results is necessary not only because it will convince but also because it will make the daily lives of so many millions of citizens better”, pointed out the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis.

Pierrakakis: We have a mandate “create a state for the citizen”

“Digital transformation is a political with a social sign. It facilitates all citizens and also produces added value for the weakest: the unemployed, the working parent, the disabled, the inhabitants of remote areas. The mandate we have received from the citizens and the directions of the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis converge exactly in this: “create a state for the citizen”.

For this reason, in collaboration with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Kostis Hatzidakis, we are implementing a multi-level planning that aims precisely at facilitating everyday life. And this is done through the easier access to the services, through the improvement of the service through the upgrade of the efficiency of the State.

In 1555, myOAEDlive, myEFKAlive and more broadly all the digital services that we design and implement are a manifestation of our commitment to creating services that focus on the citizen.

Our philosophy is to create functional and flexible services and to “build” through them the next steps, utilizing the digital technologies and the experience we gain through the operation of the systems that we activate. “Day by day, with each new service, Greece is evolving into a digital, productive and citizen-supporting state,” said the Minister of State and Digital Government. Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

See the whole presentation HERE

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