Almost one million visits are made each month to the government portal gov.cy, while users of the Digital Citizen app have tripled in the last quarter, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou said on Sunday.

“In the last 12 months, we have taken substantial steps to set the technological bases and digital channels required, so that people can be served faster and more easily by the state,” he told Phileleftheros, adding that the pace at which existing services and applications are implemented in digital form is improving significantly.

Part of this implementation, he added, is the simplification and improvement of connected processes so that the service time for the end user is reduced.

“Gradually and substantially, therefore, the need for physical presence and time-consuming procedures is reduced,” he said.

The addition of the first generative AI tool, the ‘Digital Assistant’, which is constantly enriched with new themes, is important, as is the redesign of government websites.

“Almost one million visits are recorded every month to the gov.cy and the linked websites of ministries and deputy ministries that have also been redesigned, a number that has an increasing trend, as the portal becomes more useful and functional,” Damianou said.

“We are implementing tools and solutions, at a pace that has never been achieved before in the public sector”.

New modern systems for the Road Transport department, the Post Office and the Tax for All system are also nearing completion. He also referred to the eCMP, which brings parents, students, teachers and the education ministry to a common digital environment, the new customs system that covers the entire range of import procedures, and the drug pricing platform of the health ministry.

Planned new additions to the Digital Citizen app include foreigners’ residence permit, penalty points for a driver’s licence and the digital identity of minors under 14, on their parents’ application.

In the next few weeks, it is expected that people will be able to book appointments themselves electronically at the Citizens Service Centre and be served via teleconference for the issuance of certificates or information on the progress of their applications.

“Our vision as a government is simple: the transition to a modern, digital state,” he said.

By the end of the year, the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence is expected to be completed, which will include practical measures for the utilisation and integration of artificial intelligence in the public and private sector.

He added that the island will soon be officially part of the European AI Factories network, offering Cypriot institutions access to computing power, specialised knowledge and training opportunities.

“All this significantly strengthens our country’s position as a centre of innovation and technology in the region,” Damianou concluded.