National Identification Document (NID) (ME0057)

National Identification Document (NID)
Commencement and completion dates: January 2019 - August 2020
Responsible institution
the Ministry for Public Administration (MPA) the Ministry for Interior (MoI) the Ministry of Finance (MoF) the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information
The issue at stake The NID introduction should provide Montenegrin citizens with easier access to public e-services for citizens and businesses, and all other e-services provided in Montenegro, respecting information safety and personal data protection principles, which will, in turn, increase trust in the work of the public administration. General aim is to gradually provide a user-friendly, efficient and safe system for physical and digital identity verification, which will in turn boost the development of e-government and the digital society.
Commitment The main assumption for the NID introduction is the adoption of the National Identity Scheme, and putting in place the legal framework to govern citizen identification number, that may be used in future as an identifier and which must assure personal data protection while ensuring transparency in sharing information of public relevance.
How will it help address the issue
Main advantages of having the National Identity Scheme in place: · provision and legal regulation of digital identity for easier exercise of rights and corresponding duties; · access to public services and protection of individual rights (access to basic social services, such as education, healthcare and social benefits, etc.) using digital identity; · ensure proper use of sensitive information and control of individuals over their personal data and the way they are used.
Its relevance to OGP values
This commitment will work towards boosting the transparency of public administration, facilitating access to e-services, and connecting the services provide by various state and local level authorities. Sector-level bodies are highly responsible for the operation and security of such a system, and preventing any threats to government and private functions relying on the identification scheme. The NID responds to the citizen needs raised through various participatory tools in shaping Government policies, striving for cost-effective and efficient citizen-oriented service delivery. This commitment corresponds to open standards for better access to public services and data held by administration authorities. Moreover, having NID in place will boost interoperability among public registers by creating accessible and safe web-based service delivery platforms.
Additional information
Compatibility with SDGs Reference to SDG 16: ‘Pease, Justice and Strong Institutions 16.9 – By 2030 provide legal identity for all including birth registration. 16.10 – Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. The introduction of e-ID is a growing trend in EU Member States, with many of them already introducing or deciding to introduce multifunctional ID cards. These efforts facilitate the legal and political development of the EU aimed at improving the e-services provided at the EU level.
BUDGET
€500,000 (MPA)
Actions with verifiable results and implementation dates
Purchase of the system for introducing the NID (MOI and MPA) – €200,000 - the Working Team for NID process coordination established - Tenders launched for procuring new personal documents aligned with the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on strengthening the security of identity cards November 2018 December 2019
National Identity Scheme’s conceptual architecture and design relying on unique NID (MPA) – €100,000 - National Identity Scheme’s conceptual architecture and design relying on unique NID developed
Holding expert panels for counselling authorities and citizens on benefits from data integration and sharing, and on the ways how authorities use collected data and protect personal data (MPA in collaboration with the MoI and the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information) - Three panels held - At least 30 participants per each panel - Reports on panels held posted on the MPA sub-portal - Press clipping
February 2019 August 2020
Development and issuance of multifunctional e-ID to citizens (MPA) – €200,000 - The tendering process for purchasing new IDs in line with the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on strengthening the security of identity cards completed
December 2019 August 2020
Point of contact
Responsible person in the implementing entity Bojana Bajić, MPA
Title/Department The Directorate for e-Government and Information Safety
e-mail / phone bojana.bajic@MPA.gov.me

1. National Identification Document (NID)

Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:

“The main assumption for the NID introduction is the adoption of the National Identity Scheme, and putting in place the legal framework to govern citizen identification number, that may be used in future as an identifier and which must assure personal data protection while ensuring transparency in sharing information of public relevance.”

Milestones:

1.1. Purchase of the system for introducing the NID

1.2. National Identity Scheme s conceptual architecture and design relying on unique NID

1.3. Holding expert panels for counseling authorities and citizens on benefits from data integration and sharing, and on the ways how authorities use collected data and protect personal data

1.4. Development and issuance of multifunctional e-ID to citizens

Start Date: November 2018                                                                 

End Date: August 2020

Context and Objectives

This commitment aims to introduce a National Identification Document (NID) and adopt a corresponding National Identity Scheme. The purpose of the new NID is to increase efficiency and safety in using e-services by providing citizens with unique identification codes for online identification. In addition to the introduction of the NID, the commitment also calls for the government to hold three expert panels to discuss best practices on using citizens’ data while protecting personal data. The commitment’s activities are verifiable and measurable, such as the expert panels under Milestone 1.3.

This commitment is not directly relevant to OGP values, despite the commitment costing almost two-thirds of Montenegro’s overall OGP budget. Although Ministry of Public Administration (MPA) representatives noted the importance of decreasing falsification and misuse of identities in public services, [1] the implementation of new NIDs would not directly lead to the government disclosing more information to the public. Moreover, the commitment does not increase opportunities for the public to inform or influence decisions and policies, and it does not directly address the accountability of public officials.

According to a representative from the State Secretary of the MPA, the introduction of the NID could significantly improve public service delivery in Montenegro by facilitating access to e-services and connecting the services provided by various state and local authorities. [2] Furthermore, most public services in Montenegro are currently facilitated offline because of poor connectivity and inaccuracy of state and local databases. Therefore, the commitment is an important but preliminary step. However, while a new NID might modernize public administration services, it will not change any rights or obligations of citizens, nor will it automatically introduce any further services.

Next steps

The IRM does not recommend carrying it forward to the next action plan unless additional elements of transparency, participation, or public accountability are added. However, this commitment could be continued as part of Montenegro’s Public Administration Reform Strategy.

[1] Representatives of Ministry of Public Administration, interview by IRM researcher, 13 Jun. 2019.

[2] State Secretary of Ministry of Public Administration (OGP Contact Point and Deputy Chair), interview by IRM researcher, 10 Sept. 2019.

Commitment 1. National Identification Document

Limited

This commitment aimed to introduce a new National Identification Document (NID) and adopt a corresponding National Identity Scheme. The purpose of the NID is to increase efficiency and safety in using e-services by providing citizens with unique identification codes for online identification. The commitment also called for creating a working team and holding three expert panels on using citizens’ data while protecting personal data.

The Law on the Electronic Identification and the Electronic Signature (for the National Identify Scheme) was passed in 2019, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs started to issue the new electronic cards in June 2020 (three months later than initially planned, due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Although it was originally envisaged that the NID would include a variety of services, the existing systems (http://www.dokumenta.me and http://www.biraci.me) have been combined in the https://e.servis.mup.gov.me portal.

The working team included only the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs handled all activities and there was no regular communication between the two ministries. Civil society was not involved and information on participating in the working group or in the expert panels is not listed on the e-participation portal or in the self-assessment.

Based on media reports using information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2021, more than 147,000 citizens (roughly one-quarter of Montenegro’s population) have applied for or received the NID card. ^[1] However, the system is also reportedly confusing to citizens and most have not yet activated their cards because they were not aware that they need to purchase an electronic reader. ^[2] The Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, which oversees electronic identification and signatures, has selected the providers. ^[3] The next steps for the ministry are to add additional services (i.e., e-health and e-taxes) and better inform citizens about the new card and its functions, especially how to activate it. Citizens are not required to immediately exchange their current IDs with the new electronic IDs, and old cards are valid until March 2025.

As Montenegro is still in the early stages of digitizing its public services, the NID scheme is not fully implemented and only some services are in place. Given the ongoing rollout of NID at the end of the action plan, the IRM considers the commitment to be limited in implementation.