EAEU heads of government: the EDB’s digital solutions eliminate barriers across Eurasia
Almaty, 3 February 2023. The Eurasian Economic Union’s (EAEU) heads of government noted the role of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EBD) Fund for Digital Initiatives in eliminating barriers across Eurasia.
Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, said that the COVID-19-Free Travel app, which had been effective in ensuring safe cross-border travel during the pandemic, should be developed further.
“I believe that, although the pandemic has subsided and unrestricted travel has been restored, the COVID-19-Free Travel app could help to promote cross-border digital health services, information exchange and digitalisation of health records in line with national requirements and making sure that personal data is fully protected. I would say that it is high time for us to discuss the use of this app as an epidemiological shield and trusted mechanism for exchanging important medical information,” he added.
Nikol Pashinyan also noted that another solution by the Fund for Digital Initiatives, the Work in the EAEU app, had integrated Armenian services since 31 January 2023 and this was expected to simplify labour migration and public services for foreigners and promote one of the EAEU’s fundamental freedoms – the freedom of movement.
“The digital service added to the Work in the EAEU app is workpermit.am, providing residence and work permits in Armenia. The only thing that needs to be done is submitting an online request. The app coordinates the work of five public institutions involved in this process. In addition, EAEU citizens who are officially employed in Armenia and their family members can use this service free of charge to obtain a card certifying the legality of their stay. Other public and commercial services will be added to the platform with time,” he said.
Nikol Pashinyan emphasised that Armenia and Russia had been the first participants in the COVID-19-Free Travel and Work in the EAEU platforms.
“Our participation in these initiatives demonstrates the effectiveness of our collaboration and the integrated advantages offered by national services. We welcome the Russian government’s invitation to create national segments on the platform and support the employment of skilled personnel for the benefit of our economies and the EAEU as a whole,” he said.
Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia, noted that the COVID-19-Free Travel project is an example of cooperation between Eurasian countries.
“I absolutely agree with what Mr Pashinyan said – we should think about how to use this app in the future. Work in the EAEU, a new mobile app, has been built with the same principle in mind. It contains a Russian database with hundreds of thousands of vacancies. As Mr Pashinyan said, Armenia joined the platform very recently and we are counting on other partners, too. The app should become a modern platform for a common labour market. It is in demand today, especially owing to greater migration between our countries,” he said.
Tigran Sargsyan, Vice Chairman of the EDB Management Board and Supervisor of the Fund for Digital Initiatives, also noted that the COVID-19-Free Travel app could be integrated with the Work in the EAEU solution.
“These solutions have a common goal of ensuring the free movement of citizens. Today, around 5,000 EAEU residents use the Work in the EAEU app. Considering that the COVID-19-Free Travel app has been used more than 5 million times for cross-border travel, the new solution should have significant potential, too. We are tracking user statistics to provide the most needed services and will add new digital services regularly. To expand the app’s geography, we are working with the governments of Belarus and the Kyrgyz Republic. I believe that we will see the results of these efforts very soon,” he said.
Work in the EAEU is an online platform to ensure one of the EAEU’s fundamental freedoms – the free movement of labour. The app, developed by the EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives, helps to eliminate technical, information and service barriers, improve living and working conditions for EAEU citizens, facilitate access to national information services and promote links between public and commercial digital services.
The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Additional Information:
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international financial institution investing in Eurasia. For more than 17 years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia and Tajikistan. The EDB's charter capital totals US $7 billion. Its portfolio consists principally of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering. The Bank’s operations are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles.
The EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives, which is supervised by Tigran Sargsyan, Vice Chairman of the EDB Management Board, was established in June 2020. Its objective is to assist the EDB member states in creating digital transformation tools and practices by integrating their information resources and participating in the development and financing of projects. The Fund’s flagship project is the COVID-19-Free Travel mobile app used in nine CIS countries.
The EDB Media Centre:
Aigerim Akhanova
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