Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Shchyogolev, together with the Ministry of Economic Development, you have prepared a new version of the federal targeted programme Electronic Russia. What are its features and in what way is it different from the version you have been implementing until now?

Igor Shchyogolev: We have come to the conclusion that even though some federal agencies have learned to confidently use computer information technology, so far they have been using it mainly in their own interests. Our citizens stand little to gain from it. And the interaction between these governing bodies, even with the use of this technology, follows the traditional pattern.

We are not fully using that potential. There is no comprehensive project for building the "Electronic Government"; there are not enough standards to enable us to do it and use even the inputs already made and the often very good technical solutions that have been found, linking them into a streamlined system that promotes the goals set in the federal targeted programme.

So, a decision has been taken to reformat [the federal targeted programme] and to give it a new lease of life. The main task is to complete the projects already under way, to rule out duplication of decisions, waste of resources and, as I have already said, to prepare a comprehensive project under which to build the "Electronic Government".

Thanks to the new version of the programme, we expect to be able to render electronic services to our citizens and ensure interaction between our agencies in an electronic document exchange format. These are the main goals we set ourselves.

Vladimir Putin: What services to citizens are you referring to?

Igor Shchyogolev: All government bodies interact with our citizens. We are talking about the granting of licenses, issue of certificates, the preparation of documents, maintaining of all kinds of registers and providing extracts from these documents.

So far as you know, these activities involve standing in long queues and a lot of nerves and of course inefficiencies in the work of our agencies. We have made a list of 46 priority services that are to start being provided before this year is out. We have set the target of preparing a plan for introducing these services for all the other agencies.

Vladimir Putin: I understand that the plan is not ready yet, but surely you have an idea when the measures we are talking about will actually begin to work. When will people become aware of the new opportunities and avail themselves of them?

Igor Shchyogolev: We will go through various stages as the agencies become ready: starting from the end of this year and throughout next year we will initially provide electronic services of the informational kind. This means that our citizens, using the Internet or telephone inquiry services, will be able to learn where they should apply at what hours and what documents they need to bring.

At present, people come to an office and just in order to be told what documents they need to prepare they have to stand in a queue, in fact not one but several queues. Now we will relieve them at least of that problem. After 2010, after we have built the prerequisites for this infrastructure, we have agreed to prepare a further programme. From the late 2010 to early 2011 we will gradually be able to provide our citizens with such services electronically.

Vladimir Putin: That's starting from 2011?

Igor Shchyogolev: From 2011.

Vladimir Putin: We should see to it that the information reaching citizens through these channels corresponds to the realities of the relevant agencies.

Igor Shchyogolev: Yes, of course.

Vladimir Putin: This is very important. Otherwise you will compromise the whole idea from the very beginning.

Igor Shchyogolev: The idea is that the information provided will have the same validity as the traditional documents with which we deal at present. This requires legal mechanisms, which we are now preparing, as well as technical ones. One aspect of this is to secure the validity of electronic signatures nationwide.

The documents sent through these channels with the use of these information systems should be certified by our state systems. The citizens and the agencies should be confident that they have received information from precisely the person it claims to come from and that the information received from the agencies is legally valid and authentic.

Vladimir Putin: This problem of electronic signature, when will it become fully effective?

Igor Shchyogolev: The whole point is that it involves distributing a large number of electronic keys. In 2010 we will create all the prerequisites and will start issuing these keys. But we are a large country. I think that by 2011 we will be able to say exactly when all our citizens will be able to obtain such documents and use all these systems fully.

Vladimir Putin: Good.