IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The scheme for introducing eID cards was initially launched as far back as 1999, but is soon to be concluded, following recent amendments to the Personal Identification Documents law just announced at the state secretaries meeting and currently being coordinated with other authorities.

Using the service, Electronic application for undergraduate programmes of study (Elektroniska pieteikšanās studijām pamatstudiju programmās, in Latvian), has several benefits:

To change a lost or forgotten PIN, a user is required to go to the 'My Data' section of the eSignature portal and select the 'PIN Change' option. A PIN change confirmation request is then delivered to the email address specified by the user when signing up for an eSignature, thus allowing the creation of a new PIN.

A person who signed a document electronically with a virtual eSignature now has the opportunity to use the short-term online virtual document storage tool on the eParaksts portal; the document is stored automatically after it has been signed by its author, who can then invite others to sign the document by sending them the link where it is stored, after selecting the desired level of security.

The most popular eService, which is also traditionally the most visited during the summer months, is the ‘Electronic application for undergraduate study programmes’, where candidates can apply online for any of 11 Latvian universities. This year the number of users reached 181 759.

In 2013, LVL 16.4 million will be spent on the development of e-government services.

Over the past five years, approximately LVL 35 million was invested in the development of e-government services, writes LETA.

The findings of a public opinion poll carried out by the Sociological Research Centre SKDS show that in the last 12 months, 62 % of Internet users have turned to the web for information about state and local government services. However, the Latvia State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC) reports that only 6 % have communicated with such government institutions by submitting electronic documents signed with a secure eSignature.

The systems, which combine high-resolution cameras with machine vision and edge computing, are installed at high-traffic intersections in the Latvian capital.

The Latvian capital of Riga is working with mobile innovator LMT to install 26 traffic monitoring solutions to improve safety.

LMT’s solution will record offences such as running a red light, illegally using the public transport lane, prohibited stopping at an intersection, and disobeying advanced traffic signals. The first batch of traffic monitoring solutions has already been installed.

According to 2010 data, 8.2% of Latvia's population are employed in the general government sector, reminded Dreimane. Therefore, attaining the government's goal of reducing the number of employees in general government sector to 8% of the population means that their number is yet to be reduced by 0.2% or by approximately 4,800 people.

The main objective of the project was to technically improve the processing of data pertaining to the enforcement of court decisions by providing up-to-date information on enforcement cases and any progress made in this regard.

The new services are the result of a collaboration between the State Regional Development Agency (SRDA) (Valsts reģionālās attīstības aģentūra - VRAA, in Latvian) and the State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) (Valsts sociālās apdrošināšanas aģentūra - VSAA, in Latvian).

eHealth solutions can actively improve the health and wellbeing of patients,

Latvia is no stranger to the concept of eHealth. As a part of its accession to the EU back in 2004, the country had to commit to developing a national strategy for eHealth as laid out in the European eHealth action plan.

Therefore, in 2005 the Latvian health ministry devised the 'eHealth in Latvia' national roadmap. The next few years were spent mapping the actual project and its architecture, along with the required technical specifications, including technical standards for eHealth.

The virtual eSignature certificate allows one to sign a document electronically on the Latvian eSignature portal www.eparaksts.lv without having to use a smart card. Currently, the virtual eSignature may only be purchased by individuals, but it can be used for signing the documents of legal entities, if an individual has the required signatory rights.

One year after the introduction of the virtual eSignature, more than 10 000 persons have authenticated online at the eSignature website (www.eparaksts.lv), and there are currently around 5 000 smart card-based eSignature users. The number of smart cards issued has risen to almost twice that of 2010, the majority of the users being authorities and businesses; with the introduction of the virtual eSignature, the number of individuals making use of the smart card has decreased.

The Latvija.lv portal is the largest and most convenient site on the Internet for information and eServices of Latvian state institutions and local governments. Currently it has 44 eServices, as well as contact data for more than 1940 services provided by various government and local authorities. It is maintained and developed by the State Regional Development Agency (SRDA).

The Ministry of Economy this year's meeting of January 3, informed the Cabinet of the Ministry of workshops organized by the European Union and the Single Digital Single Market issues identified Latvian interests and recommended measures at the national level.

Latvia is interested in full-fledged functioning of the EU Single Market and implementation of measures that will improve the Latvian entrepreneurs in the EU single market. Contributing to the EU and the Single Digital Single Market integration and removing non-tariff barriers, Latvian benefits in the medium term can be up to 3% of gross domestic product growth of 9% and an increase in trade with the EU countries.

The development of this project under the European Union's Regional Development Fund will be implemented by the Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior. The project aims to provide a single biometric data processing system (Biometrijas datu apstrādes sistēmā – BDAS, in Latvian) that will facilitate the detection of identity holders who use another person's documents and will thus protect people from identity theft.