Future spouses who are getting married in the territory of the Capital City of Podgorica can, if they wish, complete all administration electronically, without coming to the counter. The service for applying for subsidies for the purchase of a bicycle is implemented exclusively electronically - the electronic application is by invitation, and at the end, the contract on the support received for the purchase of a two-wheeler is signed electronically.
The Capital City told "Vijesti" that the practice so far shows that there are challenges in using electronic services, but that it is most often not the system itself, but rather that users sometimes do not cope with the digital signature technology. One of the challenges, they say, is that a certain number of citizens do not have saved access data for the ID card chip (PIN/PUK).
The ID cards, whose issuance began in 2020, contain a chip with two digital certificates - a certificate for a qualified digital signature and a certificate for electronic identification.
A password (PIN) is used to "activate" the document, but also to continue using the data from the chip, in order to protect against misuse, as is the case with bank cards.
"Colleagues from the Department for Electronic Services and Digital Business provide active support to citizens on a daily basis, both through communication channels and directly in the premises of the Capital City. It is thanks to this support that a large number of users successfully complete the electronic signing process, even in situations where there are a large number of applications, such as in services such as this one for a subsidy when purchasing a bicycle," she says. Nikola Mićunović, Head of the Information System Service of the Capital City.
Electronic services of the Capital City are available through the Capital City's electronic administration portal - ePodgorica.me.
The process of using most of them, explains Mićunović, is designed in such a way that the user, whether it is a natural person or a legal entity, fills in the necessary data and submits the request in electronic form.
"If the user wants to receive a document issued in electronic form (for example, a certificate or certificate), it is necessary to download the generated request in the 'My items' section, sign it with a qualified electronic signature (certificate from an ID card or other valid certificate for natural or legal persons) and submit the signed document through the option provided for that on the portal."
With services such as "Wedding Registration", users are enabled to pay the administrative fee electronically, submit a request, and conduct all communication with the registrar through the portal, including any documentation updates and coordinating the wedding date.
"After that, the minutes are delivered to the user's email inbox on the portal. When both future spouses electronically sign the minutes, they submit them through the case addition functionality, which completes the entire marriage registration procedure without the need to come to the Capital City counter," said Mićunović.
Users, he adds, are also given the option of partially using electronic services.
"In practice, it often happens that citizens complete most of the procedure electronically, while still signing the final document by hand at the counter, most often due to insufficient experience with using electronic signatures," said the head of the Capital City's Information Security Service.
On the other hand, the service for applying for subsidies for the purchase of bicycles is carried out exclusively electronically and it is not possible to sign the documentation manually.
How to sign electronically
According to the Law on Electronic Identification and Electronic Signature, a qualified electronic signature, such as that which citizens have on their ID card chip, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature, or a handwritten signature and seal, in relation to data in paper form:
"And it is admissible as evidence in proceedings before state authorities, state administration authorities, local self-government and local administration authorities and legal entities exercising public powers."
An ID card reader is used to "read" the certificate from the chip - with prior installation of the software, which is available on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and activation of the ID card.
The procedure is simpler with the use of a mobile phone and applications that “read” the chip. Two such applications have recently appeared in Montenegro - “Ja sam”, by the company “Fleka” and “eLK Potpis”, developed by “Digital Control”. Both solutions allow signing documents by simply holding up an ID card.
"We are also aware that mobile applications have appeared in the meantime that make it even easier for citizens to use the electronic signature from their ID card. For the Capital, the most important thing is that the document is signed in accordance with the law and applicable technical regulations, which we check using official tools for validating electronic documents. If the validation is successful, such a document is considered fully acceptable," they say.
All municipalities will be connected via the Capital City IS.
The capital has so far offered more than ten electronic services, and according to Mićunović, this number is constantly changing with the addition of new ones, but also with the implementation of services that are temporary in nature.
"The ePodgorica platform was developed as a product of the Capital City, from the very beginning on open source technologies, which allows us complete flexibility in further development without restrictions in terms of licenses or system performance and daily adaptation, both to the needs of citizens and the needs of our officials who work on processing these cases," he explained.
In the meantime, he adds, this solution has been adapted so that it can also meet the needs of other local government units.
"Through the project that the Capital City is implementing in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, all local governments will be connected via the Capital City's information system to the system for electronic data exchange between state bodies, which will enable data to be obtained ex officio, without the need for citizens to obtain documents at the counters of other institutions."
The Ministry of Interior is silent, the MPA has no concrete response
After mobile applications that "read" digital certificates from ID cards appeared in public, "Vijesti" referred questions about their use to the departments of public administration and internal affairs.
The Ministry of Interior did not respond at all, and the MPA did not respond specifically.
Both were asked whether they were familiar with the applications "Ja sam" and "eLK potpis", whether they were consulted and whether they were offered cooperation, so that these solutions could be integrated into public administration services. They were also asked why the state has not developed similar solutions to date, so that citizens could simply read digital certificates from eLK via mobile phone, instead of installing software on a computer and using a reader. They were also asked whether state institutions will accept documents signed using these solutions...
In their response to "Vijesti", the MPA said that "authorities accept an electronic document only on the condition that it is created in accordance with the Law on Electronic Documents, i.e. if it is signed with an electronic signature/qualified electronic signature, issued by a qualified provider of electronic trust services."
The Ministry of Interior is a qualified eService provider.
"The obligation of the Ministry of Interior is to ensure, in a safe and secure manner, in accordance with the Law, the use of eLK as a means of identification with a high level of security, which is used and activated in the manner presented by the Ministry of Interior in the Instructions that it publishes on its website."
According to this instruction, the personal document is used and activated using a reader and software from the Ministry of Interior website.
Colleagues from the Department for Electronic Services and Digital Business provide active support to citizens on a daily basis, both through communication channels and directly in the premises... It is thanks to this support that a large number of users successfully complete the electronic signing process, even in situations where there are a large number of applications..., says Nikola Mićunović, Head of the Information System Service of the Capital City
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