The Minister of Home Affairs, Catalin Predoiu, says that by issuing the first electronic identification card – an event that took place on Wednesday in Cluj-Napoca – Romania is taking an important step towards its future.

„Today we are taking an important step towards the future. A holder was issued the first Electronic Identification Card in Romania – an expected moment, which marks a significant stage in the digital transformation of Romania’s public administration. The Ministry of Home Affairs actively contributes to the modernisation of state bodies, and this new identification card is clear proof that the direction in which we are going is the right one: better, faster, safer public services,” said Predoiu is quoted as saying in a press statement released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MAI).

According to him, the issuance of the new Electronic Identification Card is part of an extensive process of digital transformation of the ministry’s departments, which work every day so that citizens can get modern, accessible and efficient services.

„The advantages for the public are multiple: advanced security, which offer increased protection against forgery or identity theft; the possibility of using the document as an intra-EU travel document; easy access to electronic services, including the possibility of using the electronic signature. I want to thank the teams at the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Directorate for Personal Records and those who developed this ambitious project. I also want to thank the people who choose to adopt this new form of document, becoming part of Romania’s digital future. We continue, step by step, the digital transformation of public services, with respect for fundamental rights and with a clear vision of the future.”

The Director General of theMAI Directorate for Personal Records and Database Administration, Police officer Catalin-Aurel Giulescu, on Wednesday participated in Cluj-Napoca in the handing over of the first electronic identification card in Romania.

„I reckon that in two weeks’ time it will be extended to include Bucharest city and immediately after the holidays, in two to three weeks, to the level of all county seats. We intend to extend the issuance of electronic identity cards at national level by May 20,” Giulescu told a news conference on Wednesday.

On March 20, the Cluj County Council (CJ) announced that, starting with that date, all community public services for the registration of persons in the county take over the photographs, fingerprints and documents necessary for the issuance of the new electronic identification cards.

The electronic identification card pilot project was released in the city of Cluj-Napoca on August 2, 2021, and later extended to the Cluj County Directorate for the Personal Records on August 2, 2022.

AGERPRES