Ukraine Government Looks to Become a High-Tech Example, Official Says
Ukraine wants to become "the most convenient country in the world," Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said at an Atlantic Council online event on the nation's digital resistance. A key priority of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning the government into a tech company, driven by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, to best resolve citizens' problems, he said. The European Commission, meanwhile, is working to ensure mobile roaming and the availability of digital devices in the country.
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Ukrainians have access to a broad range of online services, including opening bank accounts, registering newborns, investing in startups and becoming the first in the world to launch digital passports, Fedorov said Friday. The government looks at every process to see how it can be made quicker and easier to use. The war offers the best opportunity to modernize the government and make it more transparent and less corrupt by default, he said.
The Feb. 24 Russian invasion launched a new digital military era, Fedorov said. A cyberwar is underway, and digital has become "the foundation of all our life." Ukraine's economy continues to function and new services roll out every week; among these are government social payments for those who live near war zones, and a new system that lets people use their smartphones to register property damage. They can access Ukrainian television programs on Diia.TV and radio.
Ukraine has maintained stable communications during the invasion, Fedorov said. Russian attacks prevent the building of cell towers, but the country uses satellites such as those of Starlink: People in newly reoccupied areas "are standing in line" to plug into Starlink. Asked what Fedorov would like to tell President Joe Biden about digitization, he said: Digitization "is the future." By supporting Ukraine, the U.S. is helping a nation in the heart of Europe "to develop its future."
The EC updated governments Monday on EU technical support for Ukraine's telecommunications system. Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that, as EC President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her State of the Union address, ongoing discussions are aimed at enabling Ukraine to permanently join the EU free mobile roaming zone, an EU official emailed. Telecoms are mentioned in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement but not in regard to roaming; an amendment would be needed to create a legal framework for such an extension, which the EC is now considering, the official added.
The EC launched Laptops4Ukraine last week with Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation and DigitalEurope. The initiative aims to collect and deliver laptops, smartphones and tablets to schools, hospitals and public administrations in the most affected war regions.