“I think we all agree that the number one issue that concerns the citizens is the economy, in connection with the energy and inflationary crisis that has been caused internationally” states the Minister of Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, in the interview granted to APE-MPE. Regarding the stakes of the elections, he emphasized that “the question of the elections is whether we will continue the “flight forward” or whether we will turn back again. Whether the forces of the country we liberated will continue to find fertile ground to produce the maximum possible effect, or whether this four years will be a blip.” He emphasized that on the night of the elections “at 21:00 results are expected in 80% of the electoral divisions of the territory”.

The following is the full interview of the Minister of Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis with the journalist Katia Papadopoulou

-First time in the political arena to claim the citizens’ vote for the Parliament. How do you feel;

As special as a pre-election period is, I feel that I am in familiar surroundings, with familiar people. And this is because throughout the period of our government, even during the lockdown period, contact with the citizens never stopped, even if we had to use other channels besides physical contact. For four years in the Ministry of Digital Governance, communicating with citizens who needed clarification or who had to propose the digitization or simplification of a process was part of our daily life and, if you like, this period is the continuation of this interaction.

– You are a candidate for A’ Athens. Have you started the meetings, the discussions with the people? What concerns him most, what do they convey to you?

Athens is the city where I lived my childhood and student years, where I worked for most of my professional career. The truth, then, is that I did not start now, because I never stopped having contact with the neighborhoods and people of Athens. Athens is a modern metropolis, a historical capital of an international scale, where the past is in constant interaction with the present and the future. It is certainly faced with great challenges, but it has even greater potential.

I think we all agree that the number one issue that concerns citizens is the economy, in relation to the energy and inflationary crisis that has been caused internationally. And, despite the difficulties they face – and we all recognize that these difficulties are real and serious for many of our fellow citizens – what I receive is the recognition that as a Government we are doing a lot to keep society and the economy upright against the successive external crises that they arose.

-What do you think was the top project of the Ministry of Digital Governance that you led in the four years? What pending issues are left and what will be your priority for the next four years if you find yourself in the same position after the election.

Without a doubt, the organization of vaccination was the most pivotal point of the four years we are completing. First of all, for essential reasons, as we shielded citizens against the coronavirus, enabling the country to return to normalcy quickly and safely. Furthermore, all the experience from emvolio.gov.gr has helped us significantly in what we call “taking the state to the citizen”, with programs such as “Fofi Gennimata” for screening tests for breast cancer. And of course, the fact that we designed and implemented one of the best vaccination organization systems internationally also had great symbolic value, as we showed the whole planet, but also ourselves, that Greece has the potential to be in the digital vanguard in terms of in responding to the emerging challenges of our time.

From the beginning, we have said that our plan around digital transformation is a two-term plan. And we recognize that the great speed with which we moved in the first four years reflects the magnitude of the backlog the country had in the field of digital policy. The goal is limited and envisages that at the end of the next four years the state will have digitized all of its interactions with citizens and businesses. How many are these interactions? No state knows it, but through “Mito”, the National Registry of Administrative Procedures, Greece will soon become the first country to map its entire Public Sector.

-You have mentioned many times that the mentality of the citizens has changed in relation to the State and that gov.gr is the new face of the state and a great achievement. Do you think your work will continue regardless of the outcome of the election?

The digital progress of the country from 2019 until today is a national achievement, in the sense that all political areas agree that the digital transformation translates into a significant facilitation in the daily life of citizens and multiple opportunities for the country. In this sense, I do not believe that we are going to face the danger of regression.

But what is crucial is not to remain stagnant. In this four-year period, we have created the conditions so that in the years to come, Greece can fully cover the digital gap with the technologically advanced countries and creatively utilize the opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution. So, as is true in the other sectors, so also in the digital transformation, New Democracy’s proposal derives credibility from the actions of the first four years of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, but it claims the trust of the citizens for what it is committed to implement from now on.

– You have talked about an exponential increase in digital transactions, in fact last year we exceeded one billion, which translates into 100 queues saved by every citizen. Do you think that this ease in our dealings with the State will be taken into account and will finally be reflected in the vote of the citizens?

Indeed, from the 8.8 million digital transactions in 2018, last year we exceeded 774 million – and, if we include the tax ones, we reach 1.2 billion and these numbers are reflected in the daily life of all citizens – it is, as you rightly said , 100 queues that each citizen saves on average on an annual basis. From then on, each voter in front of the ballot box has his own criteria and personal ranking. But I believe that progress in a field that produces convenience, speed, reliability, efficiency, perspectives and transparency is something that will ultimately be positively evaluated by citizens.

-The date of the elections has not yet been announced, but the “climate” shows that they are approaching. Were you afraid of polarization and toxicity?

Although polarization and toxicity always need caution, I’ll be honest with you that I’m not afraid of them. And this is because all of us in New Democracy, with the Prime Minister first, have chosen another model in politics and governance: a model based on more actions and less words, which draws strength from what unites us instead of being fed by what we separate, that converses with the future rather than clinging to the past. And this model has already proven to be efficient in the elections as well, with the clear mandate that Kyriakos Mitsotakis received from the citizens and which I believe will renew it just as clearly and dynamically in the coming elections.

-What is at stake in these elections?

The question of the election is whether we will continue the “flight forward” or whether we will turn back again. Whether the forces of the country we have liberated will continue to find fertile ground to produce the greatest possible effect, or whether this four years will be a blip. The position of New Democracy is that as a country we must finally detach ourselves and look ahead, because the rearguard battles do not provide convincing answers either to the problems of the citizens, or to the challenges of the future. That is why we claim the renewal of the strong popular mandate we received in 2019, so that we can continue our work. From 2019 to today we set the country in motion again and now, with the vote of the citizens, we claim to bring it to the forefront.

-If the next day of the elections shows the N.D. again. government will you claim to be at the helm of the same ministry or will you choose to be tested in another area, facing a new challenge?

At this time I remain committed to the duties assigned to me by the Prime Minister. Already a few days ago we announced the Market Pass and, in the time we have left until the elections, our main priority is to continue to implement digital tools that improve the everyday life of citizens. One such service is the electronic property file, which we will announce in the next few days and will greatly facilitate transfers, drastically reducing red tape in a process that citizens suffer from. We have structured the electronic property file with the same philosophy that we apply to the MyHealth app: we will start with as many functions as we could digitize faster and gradually add more, with the final goal that the parties will appear in person at the notary only for the final signatures. From then on, the staffing of the government is the responsibility of the prime minister and my desire is to contribute with all my strength in whatever field is asked of me.

-Will election night be far away or will the results be known quickly?

Interesting question. You know, the story of Greece’s digital transformation is directly intertwined with the elections. To borrow a phrase from Andreas Drymiotis, it is the transition from the blackboard to the results coming out early in the evening and having a complete picture of what is going to happen. The Ministry of the Interior has made an excellent plan, which foresees 25,000 tablets to be made available through the municipalities to the judicial representatives. Thus, around 8 pm we will have a safe estimate of results in 25% of the electoral divisions of the territory, but also from the electoral divisions abroad and at 21:00 results are expected in 80% of the electoral divisions of the territory – and, respectively with the acceleration in the announcement of party percentages, we are expected to have earlier than usual the results regarding the crusade.