Gov’t to unveil plan for smart municipalities
Municipalities across the country are set to benefit from a €300 million innovation and digitization blueprint that will reduce red tape and improve living standards.
The government plan for “smart” municipalities, which will be announced Friday by Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and deputy minister Theodoros Livanios, will not have a top-down design as local governments will be able to handpick digital services from a central toolbox depending on their particular needs and priorities.
Some of the online services, a total of 30 tools, will enable citizens to pay traffic fines, enroll their kids in school, hold parent-teacher meetings and report problems with municipal services. An intelligent traffic monitoring and traffic light control system and an app informing drivers about parking space availability in real time will also be included in the toolbox. The project will also include the digitization of municipal registries where it is still pending.
About €95 million will go to municipalities with populations over 100,000 from the recovery fund, while €200-230 million euros will be channeled to smaller municipalities, which also make up the overwhelming majority.
