The eServices of Slovakia's Business Register (eSluzbyOR)

Slovakia’s Business Register (BR) provides e-services for citizens and businessmen through an internet portal accessible for everyone. Services provided electronically are, among others: proposal for registration, change and deletion of companies; request of extracts from BR; copies of electronic documents from collection of deeds (CoD), etc. The main objective of this service is to achieve faster and easier access to the information about companies and facilitate the establishment of new companies in Slovakia by electronic means.

Policy Context

On the basis of the Directive 2003/58/EC of European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2003 amending Council Directive 68/1 51 /EEC, as regards disclosure requirements in respect of certain types of companies, an amendment to the Act on BR was adopted in the year 2006. The main topic of this amendment was to achieve faster and easier access to the information about companies and an establishment of a new company by electronic way. This amendment also changed the Act on court fees with the aim to reduce fees for registration of a new company by electronic way and to reduce fees for electronic extract from BR.

Description of the way to implement the initiative

The National Security Authority, responsible for legislation in case of electronic signature, has collaborated in this project. Because of change of implementation of services and lack of time for development and testing, it was decided to choose PRINCE methodology of project management: 1st phase: Transposition of the ES Directive 2nd phase: Definition of the catalogue of requirements 3rd phase: Term of Reference 4th phase: Implementation of eServices for unregistered users 5th phase: Implementation of eServices for registered users 6th phase: Testing 7th phase: Go-live

Technology solution

System is based on Microsoft Windows Servers and Microsoft Biztalk services as platform, contains interfaces with web services based on SOAP architecture. Interchange of messages is developed on this web services with structure of messages defined in XML standards.This system communicates with interfaces on Slovak public portal and internal information system of Business register Technology choice: Standards-based technology, Mainly (or only) open standards

Main results, benefits and impacts

After the first 10 months of operation, courts accepted 623 eProposals and denied 176 eProposals for formal errors. In these 10 months we processed more than 30.000 eDocuments (electronic extracts and deeds) and sent them to requesters. Impacts and benefits of the eServices of the Business Register: - Clear cut-down of fees for citizens and businessmen, - Documents from Business register (extracts, documents from collection of deeds, confirmations) are available in electronic form, - Creation, change or deletion of company is possible from any internet point without need to visit court, - Paper documents are delivered by post office without need to visit court. In the Slovak Republic, no standard methodology of economic impact assessment has been introduced as of yet. A measurement will be carry out as a pilot project of SCM testing. It is supposed to present result in June 2009. As a way to give support to the project, we decided to lower the fees for the request of online services. For example: The fee for extract of electronic documents from BR is ten-times lower then printed document. Also the fees for creation, joint or changing companies by electronic way are by 50% less then in common way.

Return on investment

Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available

Track record of sharing

This project was implemented in cooperation with Government Office, National Security Authority, EVPU (Slovak Certification authority).

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1 - The main condition of such projects is to have unchallenged, univocal and understandable legal regulation. Lesson 2 - People who work in the project have to be experts. All members of the team have to cooperate properly. It is important that all people understand well that this is the right way to follow. Lesson 3 - Qualified electronic signature which is used in the electronic documents has to be maintenable, verifiable and archiveble. Scope: National