Action Plan for the Development of the Information Society in Bulgaria

P R O G R A M M E

FOR DEVELOPMENT

OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

SOFIA, OCTOBER 1998

A broad public discussion of the draft is forthcoming

In INTERNET:

http://www.bild.net/infosoc/

The main tasks for the realisation of the outlined National Strategy for Information Society Development in our country are pointed out in the programme suggested. These tasks are included in it on the basis of the sector materials from the first phase of the draft. Naturally, the programme is a first approximation and it is opened for new tasks from these sectors which have not presented materials in advance, as well as from all other sectors.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER PROGRAMMES

The activities under the current programme for realisation of the National Strategy should be synchronised with the following initiatives:

Bulgaria 2001 - Programme of the government of the Republic of Bulgaria 1997 - 2001.
National educational strategy on information and communication technologies.
National strategy for encouragement of the small and medium enterprises development.
Unified national strategy for counteraction to the crime.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Only part of the funds needed for the realisation of the programme could be provided by the State budget. For that purpose it is necessary to look for other sources. Such sources could be:

Funds provided from international programmes - through projects under the PHARE programme, Leonardo, Socrates, etc.;
Funds acquired through bilateral contracts with the European Community countries;
Funds from loans from the World Bank;
Funds from international and national foundations;
Participant’s on the programme own funds;
Donations from local or foreign natural or legal persons;
Funds acquired after changes in normative documents - certain percentage of the privatisation deals to be given for IS development;
Municipality funds.

For the correct and effective operation of this programme it is necessary:

To monitor consecutively its realisation;
To focus periodically on its purposes and the tasks resulting from them;
To update it in accordance with the national development;
To update it in accordance with the world trends.

No	Activity	Terms	Leading Organisation	Supposed Financing
1. STATE ADMINISTRATION
1.1.	Building unified information and communication environment of State management with its own cable network, high-speed transport technologies as ATM	2001	Council of Ministers (CM), Committee of Posts and Telecommunications (CPT)	Budget
1.2.	Integration of the national information massifs, introduction of unified system of national identifiers
1.3.	Computerisation of the court system
1.4.	Building of unified information system for the national cadastre
1.5.	Incorporation of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Union for studies, technological development and demonstration activities (1998-2002)	1998	CM, Ministry of the Education and Science (MES)	Budget and PHARE programme
1.6.	Further development of the national academic information network with inclusion of the schools	2002	MES, Bulgarian Academy of Science (BAS), Higher Schools (HS)	Higher Schools’ and BAS’s own sources, international programmes and foundations, budget
2. HEALTH CARE
2.1.	Building a computer healthcare network First stage: Exchange of information between health care institutions, higher schools, scientific institutions and administration as well as the specialists in the health care area Second stage: Establishment of healthcare information sites for usage of the network by the citizens	2001 2005	Ministry of Health Care (MH) MH	Budget, fees from insurance funds, insurance companies and private physicians
2.2.	Introduction of individual electronic cards in the healthcare system	2006	MH	Budget, fees from insurance funds, charges form the population and the EU funds
3. EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND RESEARCHES
3.1.	Laying down a concept and creation of support centres for communication and information services	1999-conception 2001-creation	MES, HS, BAS, CPT	Budget and own sources
3.2.	Introduction of education on ICT in the high and professional schools		MES	Budget
4. FINANCES
4.1.	Improvement of the finances sector information structure	2002	CM, Ministry of Finance (MF)	Budget
4.2.	Development of the finances sector information functions in consumers’ benefit	2002	MF	Budget
5. INDUSTRY
5.1.	Working out of "Programme for participation of MI in the IS"	1999	Ministry of Industry (MI)	Budget
5.2.	Incorporation of MI in European programmes for supporting the transition to IS: INFOR 2000, MIDIA II, ESIEC, MISAC, GIP, ADE, MAGNET, ECCN	1999	MI	Own funds
6. AGRICULTURE
6.1.	Establishment of advising information system for various branches	2003	Ministry of Farming, Forests and Agrarian Reform (MFFAR)	Budget and EU programmes
6.2.	Establishment of a register of the farming lands	2003	MFFAR	Budget and EU programmes
7. TRANSPORT
7.1.	Establishment of integrate common transport systems for document-less forming he shipment activity	2002	Ministry of Transportation (MT)	Own funds

7.2.	Building a system for information servicing of a border point	2001	MT, MF, Committee of Standardisation and Metrology (CSM), Ministry of Interior (MI)	Budget and EU programmes
7.3.	Establishment of a system for document-less transmission of information EDIFACT	2001	Ministry of Commerce and Tourism, MT	Budget and EU programmes
8. TRADE
8.1.	Investigation on the problems with the usage of Cyrillic in the information systems and the electronic data exchange
9. STANDARDISATION
9.1.	Reconsideration of the technical normative acts in view to transition to voluntary standards	1999	Ministries and departments	Budget
9.2.	Establishment of a public body for standardisation and gradual taking up the functions from the State body	1999	CSM	Budget
10. DEFENCE AND SECURITY
10.1.	Modernisation of the command, management and communications systems	2002	Ministry of Defence (MD)	Budget
10.2.	Preparation of new training programmes and implementation of new facilities in the ICT area	2001	MD	Budget
11. DATA PROTECTION
11.1.	Establishment of a National Agency and National Council on Data Protection	1999	CM	Budget
11.2.	Laying down a national concept an programme for its realisation	2000	National Agency	Budget and EU programmes

Bibliography

Martin Bangemann. Europe and the Global Information Society.

Recommendations to the European Council.

http://www.bild.net/bangeman.htm

White Paper on growth, competitiveness, and employment - The challenges and ways forward into the 21^st century.

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/backg/whitpaper/top.html

Europe’s way to the information society. An Action plan.

Green paper: Living and working in the Information society: People First.

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/legreg/docs/peopl1st.html

The Rolling Action Plan COM(96)607

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/backg/whitpaper/top.html

The Impact of the Information Society on the territorial planning of the less favoured regions.

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/promo/pubs/issa.html

COM(97)7final - Cohesion and the information society, Communication from the European Commission.

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/legreg/docs/cohes1.html

COM(97)91final - EU action Plan: Satellite communications in the Information Society, Communication from the European Commission.

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/legreg/docs/com9791.html

COM(96)607final - Rolling Action Plan: Europe at the Forefront of the Global Information Society, Communication from the European Commission.

http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/legreg/rollcomm.html

Communication on the further Development of Mobile and Wireless Communications.