The objective of the component is to respond to critical shortcomings identified in the digitalisation of the public sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular to create an environment for successful digital transformation, strengthen e-government, increase digital skills and enhance cybersecurity. The component will address the transition to a gigabit society by improving the regulatory environment and strengthening digital connectivity through investment in broadband infrastructure in hard-to-reach areas.

Strengthening the governance of the digital transformation of public administration – reform

The objective of the reform is to strengthen the governance of the digital transformation of public administration. This is expected to be achieved through the adoption of the Digital Public Services Strategy 2021–2030 and the establishment of the Informatics Development Council as a coordinating body for digital solutions.

The Digital Public Services Strategy 2021–2030 will be adopted by the Government and will aim to ensure user-friendly and simple digital services, data for better services and decision-making, and a secure, trustworthy and inclusive digital environment.

The Informatics Development Council will function as management body for the coordination of operations in the public sector related to IT investments, standards, back-office systems and other technological developments where the compatibility of the systems is essential for their operation and maintenance.

Creating an environment for the use of e-services by public administration – reform

The objective of the reform is to provide an appropriate legal basis for e-services provided by the public administration, in particular for the introduction of e-identity services.

With the entry into force of the Electronic Identity and Trust Services Act and the amended Identity Card Act, a national e-identity will began to be used for the use of public services and the basic conditions for e-commerce will be in place. The e-identity will be recognised across borders and notified under eIDAS

Modernising administrative processes for successful digital transformation – reform

The objective of the reform is to provide the legal basis for the further digitalisation of public services. The General Administrative Procedure Act and the Decree on administrative operation will be amended to extend the scope of electronic procedures in administrative procedures.

Establishing a competence centre and increasing the skills of staff in the public administration – reform

The objective of the reform is to improve the management of human resources in the public administration. A competence centre will be established by way of an amendment to the Public Employees Act and will become operational. The centre will promote a strategic approach to competence management and act as a training centre, including for digital skills. In addition, a public employee management strategy will be adopted to address talent management, career development, lifelong learning and the new realities created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ensuring cybersecurity – reform

The objective of the reform is to strengthen the strategic and operational levels of entities which are part of the national cybersecurity system by improving their interconnectivity and cooperation.

The capacity of the Computer Emergency Response Team (Sigov-CERT) and the Information Security Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (URSIV) will be strengthened through the establishment of a cybersecurity certification authority, a system for information sharing and analysis, and a common platform for the notification of security incidents to the URSIV.

Transition to a gigabit society – reform

The aim of the reform is to contribute to ensuring broadband coverage of the whole territory of the Republic of Slovenia. The Electronic Communications Act will be amended to optimise the procedures for the construction of

electronic communications networks and to increase the efficiency of joint construction and the predictability of the business environment. The Government will adopt a national broadband plan, which will set out the needs for the development of broadband coverage for the whole country by 2025 and the measures to achieve this goal.

Modernising the digital environment of public administration – investment

The objectives of the investment are to develop user-centric e-services, upgrade the IT infrastructure in the public administration, implement a pilot project for the automated and sustainable management of public buildings, provide digital services, and strengthen the skills development of public employees. The investment includes:

• digital skills training for at least 40,000 public employees;
• the e-Legislation digital platform for drafting, adopting and publishing national laws and regulations;
• digitalisation in the consular area and in the areas of international development cooperation and economic diplomacy;
• a multi-country project to set up and operationalise a national quantum communication infrastructure (QCI) and connect it to the national networks of neighbouring countries and dedicated satellites of other networks.

Digital transition in agriculture, food and forestry – investment

The objectives of the investment are to simplify the administrative burden for beneficiaries of the future CAP and the forestry sector and to provide better information for decision-makers. The investment includes the development of a data warehouse to facilitate the integration and dissemination of data for business analytics in agricultural policy, the construction and upgrading of IT systems to support the work of the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection and the Inspectorate for Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting and Fisheries, the digitalisation of databases in the livestock sector, the development of a tool for sustainable management at the farm level, systems for the implementation of area-based CAP measures, the digitalisation of the tasks of the public advisory service in agriculture, and the setting up of the e-Forest information system, which will enable the optimisation and digitalisation of the work of the public forestry service. A total of 32 e-services will be developed.

Gigabit infrastructure – investment

The objective of the investment is to enable the deployment of infrastructure for broadband access to upgradeable very high capacity networks. The investment will support the construction of very high capacity broadband networks for at least 8,500 households in "white areas", primarily in sparsely populated and hard-to-reach areas. The projects will have a minimal spatial and environmental impact, as priority will be given to the joint use of existing infrastructure and to joint construction and integration with other infrastructure investments.

Digitalisation of internal security – investment

The aim of the investment is to improve and upgrade the technology available to the Slovenian police to optimise and support work processes. A private cloud, interoperable with existing systems at national level, will be set up and operational for the needs of the national police. The cloud is expected to ensure the smooth running of police applications. A state-wide TETRA digital radio network infrastructure will be established and operational for the needs of the national police. The network will be compatible with the national radio systems of neighbouring countries.

Digitalisation of education, science and sport – investment

The objectives of the investment are to digitalise the pedagogical process and institutional management at all levels of education, ensure adequate information and communication infrastructure, and provide appropriate e-services for the development of digital competences. High-speed connectivity, data storage and strengthening of competences for open data and open science will be provided in research organisations. This is expected to contribute to developing digital skills and competences and reducing the digital divide.

The investment will ensure, in particular:

• connectivity for primary and secondary institutions, higher vocational colleges, and adult education organisations;
• the development and operationalisation of new IT solutions to support the digitalisation of the pedagogical process for all education levels;
• a high-speed fibre optic backbone network between PoPs (Point-of-Presence) of the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (Arnes) and data repositories to preserve the results of open research.

Green Slovenian location framework – investment

The investment aims to promote smart management of space as a scarce natural resource and to limit construction on new land, thus increasing resilience to climate change. In addition, it is expected to provide real-time spatial data and services based on the combined use of real estate, environmental, water, public infrastructure and building land records. The investment will ensure that key digital spatial and environmental data are interlinked. This is expected to support the development and operationalisation of digital services related in particular to the environment, flood areas, land policy at the local and national levels, and public participation in spatial planning.

Digitalisation in the field of culture – investment

The aim of the investment is to develop infrastructure, dynamic e-services and applications to make movable and immovable cultural heritage more accessible, to optimise the procedures for establishing cultural monuments and for obtaining cultural protection consents for heritage interventions, to accelerate the development of processes and digital solutions to support e-archiving, and to provide access to artistic and information content and services for the purposes of acquisition of various kinds of status, including the acquisition and allocation of public funds in a digital environment. The establishment of the e-Culture information platform for the creative sector, an upgrade of the e-ARH.si system for archiving and the modernisation of the e-Heritage system for heritage management processes, will contribute to the transformation of the sector.

Digitalisation in the field of justice – investment

The objective of the investment is to improve the accessibility of justice for both businesses and citizens. The investment will accelerate the further digitalisation of services and the development of new IT solutions to ensure a comprehensive exchange of information and legal documentation and contribute to faster resolution of court proceedings. Secure and high-quality audio visual equipment will improve access for citizens and businesses alike. A system for distance training and digitalisation of exams will be developed for the Judicial Training Centre.