Senate approves bill increasing role of internet in bureaucracy

The Senate has approved a bill which will allow people to do more of their government paperwork over the internet. The Interior Ministry hopes that the so-called ‘e-government bill’ will reduce bureaucracy and save citizens’ time. The law paves the way for the creation of electronic data boxes to which important documents will be sent. State bodies will be obliged to communicate with each other over the internet, while it is up to individuals whether they want to take part in the scheme. The law will come into effect on July 1, 2009.