Here comes the “Citizen's Card”
The “Citizen's Card” is due to appear in Greece at the first half of 2011, and it is in the government's intentions to replace the old identity cads.
According to sources from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the “Card” will have the shape of a credit card, and will feature a “smart” chip in which a citizen's registry, tax office and social security numbers will be stored, together with the number of his police identity.
At the one side there will be a photograph of the card's holder, as well as a finger print.
Members of the ministry of Internal Affairs report to the newspaper “Ethnos” that the “Citizen's Card” will become a passport to the digital world. According to plans, by entering the serial number and the password that comes with it, each citizen will be allowed through the internet to access his medical records, data concerning his financial affairs etc.
The aim of this government announcement, is the creation of a Card that will be used for all potential applications (as a citizen's card, an insurance card, as a farmer's card, as a patient's card, as a youth card etc.)
To achieve this means, prime minister George Papandreou in a meeting held at the Maximou mansion, asked from his proper ministers as well as from the general and special secretaries, to rush all the preliminary work needed.
Beginning at the 1st of May and by the end of the year, the work of qualified committees will commence in order to exam:
-the cross function of all citizens' national records
-the creation of the proper legal frame
-the creation and readiness of necessary supporting infrastructures
-the choice of technical specifications according to European standards in order to ensure the cross operability of the card in the frame set by the EU (proclamation of ministers for Electronic Government).
The issuing of the card will proceed in two stages. At first, it will be issued for citizens over the age of 18, and then for the ages of 12 to 18 years old. By priority, and in respect to the EU regulation, there will be an Immigrant's Card issued by May 2011.
The preparation will be undertaken by the ministry of Internal Affairs, Decentralization and Electronic Governance, and the issuing of the card by the ministry of Civilian Protection. The cost of issuing each card is estimated around 5 euros. The financing of the “Citizen's Card” will be covered by EU resources coming from Operational Programs “Managerial Reform” and “Digital Convergence”.
