[ From the Media ]

Balkan cities become e-municipalities with open source

The Bulgarian city of Kardjali serves as a pilot within the framework of the project “Support to e-government initiatives at local level through free and open source software in South East Europe”. This project, which started in June 2004, is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Internet Society of Bulgaria (ISOC-Bulgaria) and implemented by the Internet Society Bulgaria. Initially launched in Bulgaria, the project has already extended to Macedonia and Kosovo, and will soon expand to include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro.

The project aims to help municipal governments in South Eastern Europe to better respond to citizens’ needs. It is the first e-government project in the region to use Free Open Source Software (FOSS) applications.

Under this project, which will last 18 months in its first phase, several Balkan cities will benefit from the creation of e-municipalities. By the end of January 2005, six Bulgarian municipalities have started active migration to free and open source software – Kardjali, Peshtera, Vratza, Kostenec, Dryanovo and Belovo. Besides these municipalities in Bulgaria, the project activities towards migration to free and open source software started also in Macedonia (municipality of Gevgelija, December 2004) and in Kosovo (municipality of Klina). The project will soon expand to include Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and more countries from the region.

more at http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/3920/470