Luxembourg launches plan to get more IT savvy
Luxembourg is to launch a range of programmes aimed at helping residents to become more digitally literate, in the latest strategy designed to make the country more tech-friendly, Digitalisation Minister March Hansen announced on Wednesday.
The plan includes schemes such as helping those who struggle with using a computer develop basic digital skills, and teaching people how to browse the internet safely.
The Grand Duchy will also continue to develop the MyGuichet website which allows people to complete vital administration tasks online, such as accessing Covid vaccination certificates and applying for criminal record checks.
Research suggested elderly people often find it hard to use computers and technology, as well as the disabled and those with fewer academic qualifications, the Digitalisation Ministry said in a press release accompanying Wednesday's announcement.
However, the strategy - entitled the National Action Plan for Digital Inclusion - is not the first time Luxembourg has unveiled proposals aimed at improving the country's digital services.
In July, Luxembourg’s Chamber of Commerce hit out at a government roadmap launched the previous month, criticising what it described as the “absence of a concrete plan" in the announcement of six new digital projects to help businesses and the health sector better cope with future crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those plans, which aim to make the country's economy more digital-friendly by 2025, include an online business platform which will give companies advice on how to securely use their personal data and intellectual property rights. Companies will also be provided with training kits on how to effectively use artificial intelligence.
The announcement came amid criticism of online access to government services in Luxembourg, which has improved in recent years but lags far behind other EU states, such as Estonia, which digitised most of its public health system a decade ago. Access to online systems was brought into sharp focus last year when the pandemic forced many in-person services to be halted.
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