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Eurobarometer: Reduction of bureaucracy, online services are requested by Cypriots

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Ευρωβαρoμετ&rho ;ο: ΜεΙωση γραφειοκρατΙας, διαδ&iota ;κτυακΕς υπηρεσΙες ζητούν οι Κύπρ&iota ;οι

Dissatisfaction with the functioning of the public administration in Cyprus is expressed by citizens, preferring the reduction of bureaucracy, the training of employees and communication with citizens as solutions, according to a special Eurobarometer on how European citizens perceive the support from the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) of the Commission.

Cypriot citizens are also asking for better interaction with the public administration and more user-friendly e-services.

As for how the EU can help the Cyprus to plan and implement reforms through the TSI, the respondents selected economic and technocratic support, while answering a separate question they selected as priorities for reforms the sectors of education, public health and social protection.

The special Eurobarometer was conducted between 3 and 18 April 2023 through telephone interviews, with a sample of 25,631 people from all EU member states, and a sample of 504 people in Cyprus.

The TSI is the tool through which the EU provides expertise and technical support, facilitates the exchange of information between Member States and develops public administration capacity. To date, a total of 400 TSI projects have been implemented, are in progress or are being launched, which contribute to the implementation of the national Recovery and Resilience Plans.

«I am particularly pleased to note that the promotion of the exchange of good practices between members is considered the most important action for the EU» Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira said in a statement on the occasion of the publication of the findings, indicating that this is the role of the TSI.

They want to reduce bureaucracy

Cypriots are generally more dissatisfied with the functioning of the public administration compared to the EU average. In particular, 67% consider that the public service is delayed in providing services (47% in the EU) and 38% consider that it is not close to citizens (29% in the EU).

At the same time, 38% of Cypriots consider that the public administration lacks skills, compared to 22% in the EU.

Answering a question about how they think trust in the public administration in their country can be increased (in which they had the option of choosing up to three answers), the first three solutions chosen by Cypriots were the reduction of bureaucracy (62% in Cyprus , 52% in the EU), better skills among civil servants (48% in Cyprus, 30% in the EU) and in more communication with citizens (43% in Cyprus, 31% in the EU).

It is noteworthy, however, that at the EU level, the most popular solution preferred by citizens is the reduction of bureaucracy (as in Cyprus), however the second is transparency in decisions and the use of public funds (44% in the EU, 37% in Cyprus). Third option is, as in Cyprus, more communication with the citizens.

Regarding what measures could improve citizens' interaction with public administration, 63% of Cypriots (35% in the EU) asked for e-government services to be more user-friendly, 57% (49% in the EU – the largest percentage in the EU) believes that the public administration should have direct communication with the public through personal contact, and 45% (46% in the EU) want clearer information about the procedures.

The percentages in Cyprus in relation to the EU that underline the need for more digital services (43% versus 31%) and for the definition of a central point of contact for all citizen requests (43% versus 33%) have also increased .

The Cypriots expect economic and technical support for reforms

The findings also record citizens' priorities in relation to how the EU can support their state to design and implement reforms through the TSI:

– 55% of Cypriots (34% in the EU) favor financial support for reforms,

– 51% of Cypriots (34% in the EU) ask the EU to provide expertise in the planning and implementation of reforms,

– 43% of Cypriots (42% in the EU) consider it useful to promote dialogue for the exchange of best practices between member states,

– 40% of Cypriots (31% in the EU) see a role for EU in efforts to improve the capacities and skills of public administration workers,

– 31% of Cypriots (42% in the EU) expect EU support to member states for crisis management (pandemics, natural disasters, conflicts),

– 26% of Cypriots (25% in the EU) see the use of data and statistics at EU level for better planning of reforms and

– 23% of Cypriots (21% in the EU) want EU support regarding the analysis of the impact of the reforms.

– Priorities education, health and social protection

Education, public health and social protection stand out as the three areas in which citizens in Cyprus, but also in the EU more broadly, consider that reforms or actions are needed to improve institutions, structures and public services.

Answering a related question, with the possibility of choosing up to three different sectors, 52% of Cypriots chose education (50% in the EU), 52% chose public health (56% in the EU) and 48% preferred issues of family, housing and social protection (35% in the EU).

The health sector was one of the main priorities in several EU countries, as in 11 of the 27 Member States it was one of the choices of 60% of respondents .

In Cyprus, immigration (37% in Cyprus, 15% in the EU), green transition and energy supply (28% in Cyprus, 25% in the EU) and work and working conditions (20% in Cyprus, 25% in the EU).

Followed by lower percentages are the financial sector (19% in Cyprus, 10% in the EU), the digitization of public services (15% in Cyprus, 15% in the EU), business support (11% in Cyprus, 17% in the EU) and the operation of public institutions (7% in Cyprus, 15% in the EU).

Source: KYPE

Source: www.sigmalive.com

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