The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media held the first meeting of the Expert Council on Introducing Electronic Document Exchange in Government Agencies. The expert council will regularly discuss the subject until the transition of government agencies to electronic documents is complete.
The main goals of the council are to coordinate decisions of the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media, to make recommendations and to ensure regular collaboration between the ministry and the relevant industries.
The Expert Council includes 22 professionals working in the field of electronic records. Five members represent government agencies, while the remaining members are from research institutes and the business community. Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media Oleg Pak is the chairman.
The meeting also focused on the general format for electronic documents used in official communications between government agencies. It was suggested that the PDF/A and XML formats be used during the trial period.
The experts approved the ministry’s initiatives in general but stressed the need to further refine proposals and supporting documents. Both are to be approved at the next meeting of the council.
The council members also discussed whether to draft a federal law on electronic documents and digital signatures. Opinion split on this issue. Some members of the Expert Council advised against drafting a new law in favour of improving existing regulations on non-paper electronic communications. In the end, the decision was made to continue reviewing existing legislation.
Additionally, participants agreed that it is necessary to organise cooperation between technical experts on the issues discussed by the Expert Council.
Source: Ministry of Communications and Mass Media
