Greece taking first hesitant steps toward e-communications
Efforts are being made to narrow the technology gap between Greece and the rest of Europe, but there is still a long way to go. Greece has 11 applications that cover e-government, e-learning and e-business, chosen on the basis of recognition by European Union organizations and on prizes awarded by the European Commission. Taxisnet. The most successful application, it began in 2000 when 56,818 income tax statements were submitted to the Taxation Bureau online, rising to 1,053,700 in 2004. Syzevxis. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the ambitious telecommunications service designed to link 1,766 civil services to a data bank. Opened last December, it is still in an embryonic stage, but it is supposed to offer public services, ministries and social security funds, among other state services, free access to the Internet, e-mail, teleconferencing and tele-working, as well as a security infrastructure for issuing digital certificates. KEP and IKA. The best e-government application, according to the Monitor, is that of the Citizens’ Service Centers (KEP) and the online service of the Social Security Foundation (IKA). The latter provides access to branches of KEP (www.Kep.gov.gr) for certificates. IKA.gr, meanwhile, provides analytical declarations and issues certificates. The central town of Trikala (www.trikala-city.gr) provides its citizens with information on local government activities and groups. Hygeianet. On the island of Crete, patients can obtain a medical record or receive medical advice on Hygeianet.gr. Sotiria-telecare.gr provides tele-medicine services to the aged and chronically ill. E-Business Forum. Since November 2000, the state, along with the business and academic communities, opened a site that has gathered together 40 working groups with 1,400 experts and held 29 events around the country on digital business. E-pixeireite.gr is aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses to incorporate new technology and become more competitive. Investment plans are evaluated by state services and subsidized with sums of up to 250,000 euros.
