ŠAVŠ/TAČR Digital Czechia in a Digital Europe

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effective digitalization of public administration and services, both at the central and regional level. Efficient and user-friendly digital services themselves are not sufficiently attractive enough to increase citizens’ interest in using digital public administration services. Financial incentives are also required to motivate people to use said services. Such incentives can take various forms, but a significant percentage reduction in the price of a given service if a citizen decides to deal with or fill out forms online is, for example, undoubtedly one of the options. The Czech Republic could thus make great use of the fact that the sensitivity of the Czech population to price differences is significantly higher than the average on other markets. 22 Such a tool could very easily increase the demand for the use of digitalized public administration services. In this respect, Norway also encountered a very specific barrier in the digitalization of public administration services. Until 2014, according to the legislation, the Norwegian authorities first had to receive confirmation from the end user (natural and legal person) that they consent to online communication. Such an approach has become a significant burden on digitalization efforts aimed at speed and efficiency. In 2014, this obligation (to obtain the consent of the end user) was replaced by the possibility of being excluded from digital communication with authorities (i.e. an opt-out) through an amendment to the Electronic Public Administration Act. Legislation has greatly streamlined communication between authorities on the one hand and natural persons and legal entities on the other. By 2016, approximately 97,000 natural persons decided to exclude themselves from this service, i.e. only about 2% of the total population over 15 years of age. 23 Such cases only prove the continuous need to also adjust legislative instruments that may otherwise hinder to a large extent the digitalization of public administration. On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account the ICT skills and abilities of the population – a segment in which Norway has a significant advantage over the Czech Republic. For example, digital knowledge (in addition to reading, writing, arithmetic, and the ability to express oneself verbally) has been the fifth basic goal of national education in Norway since 2006. 24 The Czech Republic should therefore create or amend legislation to make it more user-friendly with regard to digital transformation, while still necessarily taking into account the relative ability of the elderly population in particular to adapt to such changes. 22 Michal Karel, Průzkum Accenture: Jací jsou Češi zákazníci?, ITBIZ, 29/03/2012, see https://www. itbiz. cz/tiskove-zpravy/pruzkum-accenture-jaci-jsou-cesi-zakaznici. 23 Digital agenda for Norway in brief ICT for a simpler everyday life and increased productivity. 24 Krumsvik Rune, Digital competence in the Norwegian teacher education and school, Högre utbildning, Vol. 1, No. 1, 06/2011, pp. 39-51, see https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305360830_ Digital_ competence_in_the_Norwegian_teacher_education_and_school.