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DOI: 10.17573/cepar.2022.2.06 1.01 Original scientific article
Simplification and Electronisation
of Administrative Procedure in
the Visegrad Group Countries
– A Sociological and Legal Approach1
Beniamin Rozczyński
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Faculty of Law and Administration,
Poland
beniamin.rozczynski@amu.edu.pl
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2019-7923
Received: 9. 8. 2022
Revised: 16. 10. 2022
Accepted: 7. 11. 2022
Published: 28. 11. 2022
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of the research was to examine the sociological
issues related to the biographical experience of a participant in the ad-
ministrative procedure in the Visegrad Group countries (the perception
of public administration bodies and their organisation, current demands
of the public in the field of public administration activities, providing ap-
propriate tangible and intangible tools for officials). The secondary goal
of the research was to determine the nature, significance, consequences
and form of comprehensive modernisation of existing simplifications of
the administrative procedure (The author understands the concept of
simplification of administrative procedure as “an administrative proce-
dure separated from the general administrative procedure and charac-
terized by simplification of general normative solutions”). Since the scope
of the concept of ”electronisation of administrative procedure” does not
fully include the concept of ”simplification of administrative procedure”,
the research referred to two areas of the administrative procedure that
are complementary to each other (the relationships that occur between
them, including by specifying common and separate parts of electronisa-
tion of administrative procedure, e.g. in the scope of keeping and making
available files of procedure in electronic form). Moreover, solutions were
presented in the field of simplification and electronisation of administra-
tive procedures in the V4 Group countries, in institutional, subjective and
objective terms.
1 The publication was prepared based on the implemented research grant entitled “Simplifica-
tion and electronisation of administrative procedure” (project number: 2020/37/N/HS5/01045,
project manager: Beniamin Rozczyński), financed by the National Science Center, Poland. The
sociological research was carried out with the participation of Marta Zaręba, grant’s contrac-
tor and PhD student from the Faculty of Sociology of the Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań, Poland
(marta.zareba@amu.edu.pl).
Rozczyński, B. (2022). Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure
in the Visegrad Group Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach.
Central European Public Administration Review, 20(2), pp. 123–146
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022124
Beniamin Rozczyński
Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis of domestic and foreign le-
gal texts was used to implement the research assumptions (general legal
regulation of administrative procedure presented by the Codes of Admin-
istrative Procedure and COVID-19 regulations in the V4 Group countries).
Empirical research using sociological research methods was conducted
in connection with the analysis of currently applicable simplifying solu-
tions [the author implemented a component of social research using both
qualitative methods – individual in-depth interviews with adult residents
with biographical experience of being a participant in the administrative
procedure (20 adults – 5 from each country of the V4 Group) as well as
quantitative methods – online survey with participants of the administra-
tive procedure (120 adults – 30 from each country of the V4 Group)]. In
the research, the statistical method was applied to better illustrate the
effectiveness of the currently conducted administrative procedure and
to answer the hypotheses regarding the legitimacy of the development
of the idea of administrative simplification.
Findings: The analysis shows that it is not yet possible to speak of an ad-
vanced development of administrative procedure in the Visegrad coun-
tries. The delay of the public administration in applying solutions that
simplify administrative procedure is mainly due to unclear regulations
and significant financial outlays needed. The above state of affairs has
a negative impact not only on entities participating in the procedure but
also on public administration bodies and administrative courts.
Practical Implications/Originality/Value: The initiated process of simpli-
fying and electronising administrative procedure must always take the
form of comprehensive legal solutions that will allow for effective and
efficient operation of public administration bodies and enable individuals
to exercise their fundamental rights. Therefore, the article presents the
latest difficulties related to the administrative procedure and examples
of their solution.
Keywords: electronic communication, digitalisation of public administration, good
administration, new technologies, principle of speed of the proceedings,
public administration in V4 countries
JEL: K40
1 Introduction
The presented research issues play an important role in simplifying and elec-
tronisation of administrative procedures in the Visegrad Group countries2.
Undertaking actions by the administration at the right time is a significant
standard shaping the relationship between the state and the individual. The
principle of speed and simplicity of operation, one of the cardinal principles of
operation of the administration, is adopted in every Visegrad Group country3.
2 Ustawa z dnia 14 czerwca 1960 r. – Kodeks postępowania administracyjnego (Consolidated
text, Journal of Laws 2021, item 735 as am., further: polish CAP); Act CL of 2016 on the Code
of General Administrative Procedure (as in force on 2.01.2018, further Hungarian CAP); zákon
č. 500/2004 Sb. ze dne 24 června 2004 further: Czech CAP); Zákon č. 71/1967 Zb. o správnom
konaní (správny poriadok) (v znení zákona č. 204/2011 Z.z., further: Slovak CAP).
3 Art. 12 of Polish CAP, sec. 4 of Hungarian CAP, § 3 sec. 3 of Slovak CAP, sec. 6 of Czech CAP.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 125
Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group
Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
The postulate, which means the obligation of the shortest procedure dura-
tion, requires using the most economical and effective means in a particu-
lar case. It should be remembered, however, that the principle of material
law applies equally, which affects the implementation of the principle of the
speed of simplicity of action.
The right to good administration, which manifests itself even in the form of
effective and efficient administration, is included in the fundamental rights of
a citizen (Rixer, 2014, p. 125); therefore, ensuring appropriate conditions for
its implementation is the goal of a democratic state ruled by law (Gołębiowska
and Zientarski, 2016, p. 25). The fulfilment of the right to good administration
leads to the delimitation of the scope of the relationship between the public
administration and the individual (representing its own individual interest),
who seeks the possibility of resolving a dispute in collision with the interest
of the common good, represented by the administrative body (Srebalova and
Peráček, 2020, p. 52; Pitschas, 1990, p. 110). In addition, it makes it possible
to safeguard the rights of the individual and to systematise the conduct of
entities carrying out public tasks (Princ, 2016, p. 109). Administrative law in-
cludes many legal acts, the provisions of which apply to virtually all spheres
of citizens’ life and the activities of the state. Due to this, from the point of
view of good administration and access to an efficiently operating public ad-
ministration, it becomes necessary to standardise or simplify the basic issues
important for the functioning of public administration, which in the Visegrad
Group countries have been regulated in a fragmented or divergent manner
(Potěšil et al., 2021, p. 7).
The above state of affairs has a negative impact not only on entities partici-
pating in the proceedings but also on public administration bodies4 and ad-
ministrative courts that apply the currently applicable law, as they encounter
barriers limiting the ability to function efficiently, not only at the legislative
level but also at the technical, material and personal level. Therefore, it is
justified to conduct an analysis from a sociological and legal perspective and
draw appropriate conclusions that will allow counteracting the obstacles ex-
isting in the administrative procedures of the Visegrad Group countries.
The cognitive goal of the research was to examine sociological issues related
to the social perception of this issue (the perception of public administration
bodies and their organisations, current demands of the public in the field of
public administration activities or providing appropriate tangible and intangi-
ble tools for officials). Moreover, the secondary cognitive goal of the research
was to determine the nature, significance, consequences and form of com-
prehensive modernisation of existing simplifications of the administrative
procedure (Rixer, 2015, p. 82).
The fundamental assumption of the research was to answer the question:
whether the currently existing procedural measures of a simplifying nature
4 In the report entitled Poland 2030, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary were defined as countries
with ineffective and unproductive public administration, while the Czech Republic is on the
border between the indicated factors (Wysocki, 2016, p. 173).
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022126
Beniamin Rozczyński
are beneficial for an individual from the point of view of protecting his rights.
The criterion for assessing Visegrad Group countries’ administrative proce-
dures was their effectiveness5 and the simplicity of procedural measures of
a simplifying nature, which was manifested in an increase in the number of
cases handled in the same period of time and meeting social expectations
concerning the activities of public administration bodies.
The method of analysis of domestic and foreign legal texts was used to im-
plement the research assumptions. It is obligatory to refer to the procedures
functioning in other countries covered by the research to solve the issue of
simplification and electronisation of administrative procedures and to find ef-
fective solutions.
Empirical research using sociological research methods was conducted in con-
nection with the analysis of currently applicable simplifying solutions. In the
conducted research, the statistical method was applied better to illustrate
the effectiveness of the currently conducted administrative procedure and to
answer the hypotheses regarding the legitimacy of the development of the
idea of administrative simplification.
Parallel to the ongoing cabinet analysis, which consists of content analysis,
the research implemented a component of social research using individual in-
depth interviews6 with adult residents with biographical experience for being
a participant in the administrative process as well as a quantitative – online
survey (CAWI7) with participants of the administrative process. The implemen-
tation of the CAWI survey was part of a multi-stage research process related
to identifying and describing the simplification and electronisation of the ad-
ministrative procedure in the Visegrad Group countries, both in its current
and anticipated shape. The entire research process consists of implementing
the desk research method and using both quantitative (CAWI) and qualitative
techniques (including IDI).
2 Implementation of CAWI surveys
The survey in the countries of the Visegrad Group was carried out from 24th
of April 2021 to 25th of August 2021. The CAWI survey entitled “Handling of-
ficial matters in the opinion of customers (Where? What? How?)” was posted
on the webankieta.pl portal and made available to a wide group of potential
respondents, including through social networks, e.g., on Facebook.com. The
sample selection for the study was deliberate; the questionnaire was com-
pleted by adults who dealt with a matter that required contact with the public
administration in the last 1.5 years (from the end of 2019 to April 2021).
5 Consisting in ensuring the optimal sequence of procedural activities of the authority, flexibili-
ty and adapting the procedure to the type of tasks carried out by the administration.
6 IDI. The analysis of in-depth interviews were computer-aided and was carried out using MAX-
QDA software.
7 Computer-Assisted Web Interview – a computer-assisted interview using a website.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 127
Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group
Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
A total of 120 people (30 from each country) from the Visegrad Group coun-
tries took part in the research group. Less than 3/4 of the respondents who
completed the questionnaire were aged 18 to 34. 1/4 of the respondents
were aged 35 to 54, 2 were aged 55–59, and 1 person who completed the
questionnaire was of senior age.
In analysing the education level of the respondents, higher education was
predominant, and the remaining 19 respondents had secondary education.
Characterising the research sample in terms of place of residence, it was di-
verse. Almost half of the respondents supported themselves by paid work,
27 people had the status of students, 7 people were self-employed, 1 person
had the status of pensioner, and 1 respondent was unemployed.
The respondents declared contact (frequent or less frequent) with institu-
tions which, due to their specific nature and wide range of competencies,
are more often present in their everyday life – local government units (at the
commune and district level) and entities dealing with social insurance. The re-
spondents most often declared a lack of contact with ministries, voivodeship
offices and marshal offices. If someone declared contact with the ministry (17
such indications in total), it was rather frequent (5 indications) or definitely
rare (7 indications); with the voivodeship office (14 such indications in total) -
definitely frequent (4 indications) or rather rare (4 indications); and with the
Marshal’s Office (12 such indications in total) rather rare (5 indications) and
definitely rare (5 indications).
Among the “other institutions” that 4 respondents contacted were: Okmányi-
roda8, Slovak National Center for Human Rights, GOAP9 and USC10, with which
the respondents described the frequency of contact as “rather frequent”.
Analysing the distribution of the aggregate responses of the respondents,
determining the type of contact with individual public institutions in order
to settle the matter, we can conclude that fully personal contact, compared
to the Internet and mixed contact, was experienced by a smaller number of
respondents. This is an important observation from the perspective of imple-
menting e-government solutions, the main goal of which is to increase the ef-
fectiveness of public administration in terms of providing services, simplify the
handling of official matters and enable obtaining information on them (Meier,
2012, pp. 60–61). Such a distribution of responses may also mean an increas-
ing catalogue of matters that can be managed remotely (Baranyi et al., 2018).
The Internet contact was the experience of 30 respondents, who settled their
case in the tax office, 24 respondents in the city/municipal office, 16 in ZUS11/
KRUS12, 8 in the district governor’s office, 6 in the voivodeship office and 5 in
the marshal’s office. A significant number of respondents’ responses in the
8 Hungarian body dealing with general administrative matters for citizens.
9 Waste Management of the Poznań Agglomeration in Poland.
10 Registry Office.
11 The Social Insurance Institution in Poland.
12 The Agricultural Social Insurance Fund in Poland.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022128
Beniamin Rozczyński
case of online contact with the tax office and the city/municipal office may re-
sult, firstly, from more frequent contact with these institutions in general, and
secondly, from the number of matters that can be fully settled in a given of-
fice via the Internet – e.g., submitting tax declarations, applying for an ID card,
etc. Full personal contact was more frequent in the case of the city/municipal
office (11 people), the district governor’s office (8 people) and the tax office
(7 people). Institutions where the respondents experienced mixed contact
more often were: the city/municipal office (20 people), the tax office (11 peo-
ple), the district governor’s office (9 people) and the ZUS / KRUS (8 people).
In the case of contact made entirely via the Internet, the respondents used:
a trusted profile13 (47 indications), ePUAP14, SZUF15 or Official electronic
central portal of public administration (Czech POINT)16 (27 indications), E-
Önkormányzat portál17 (10 indications) and mailbox18 (17 indications).
13 Provision of art. 3 point 14 of the Act of 17th of February 2005 on Informatization of the Activ-
ities of Entities Performing Public Tasks (Consolidated text, Journal of Laws 2021, item 2070,
as am., further: u.i.d.p), stipulates that the expression “trusted profile” shall be understood
as an electronic identification means that contains a set of data identifying and describing a
natural person who has full or limited legal capacity, and that has been issued in the manner
referred to in Article 20c or Article 20cb.
14 Electronic Platform of Public Administration Services, further: ePUAP. According to art. 3
point 13 u.i.d.p, the ePUAP system is an ICT system “in which public institutions make services
available through a single access point on the Internet”.
15 The changes adopted by the Hungarian legislator in 2015 allowed the introduction of a matrix
of ‘regulated electronic administration services’ (regulated e-administration services) into the
system, which is a kind of ‘toolkit’ (service kits) aimed at ensuring the electronicisation of public
administration. One of the elements included in the “toolkit” is the “space for personalised case
handling” (SZÜF), where more than 680 types of administrative cases can be handled by all indi-
viduals and legal entities that have a “customer gateway”. In 2019, the Hungarian legislator has
obliged all legal persons, as well as those representing the legal profession, to use the electron-
ic communication system through the so-called company gateway (Horvat et al., 2021, p. 141).
16 Czech POINT is a project aimed at reducing excessive bureaucracy in the relationship between
citizens and public administration. Czech POINT serves as an assisted point of public admin-
istration, enabling communication with the state through one place so that “data not the
citizen” circulates. The aim of the Czech POINT project is to create a guaranteed service for
communication with the state through one universal place, where it is possible to obtain and
verify data from public and non-public information systems of public administration, to offi-
cially verify documents and deeds, to convert written documents into electronic form and vice
versa, to obtain information about the course of administrative proceedings in relation to the
citizen and to file a submission for the initiation of proceedings of administrative authorities
(, accessed 20 June 2022).
17 Hungarian e-municipality portal. The e-municipal portal is the place for electronic local gov-
ernment administration in the ASP system of local government. Municipalities using the Local
Government ASP system provide their customers – both natural persons and legal entities –
with the services necessary for their customers to administer their affairs electronically via the
eMunicipal portal. General rules on electronic administration and trust services are obliged to
provide electronic administration pursuant to Section 9 (1) of Act CCXXII of 2015: the person
acting as a customer as the customer, state, local government, (a) a public body, a government,
a public administration or a budgetary body, public prosecutor, notary, public body, other ad-
ministrative authorities not covered by sub-paragraphs (a) to (a), and the legal representative
of the client (, accessed 20 June 2022).
18 On the 1 July 2009, in the Czech Republic, the Information System for Data Boxes (ISDS) was
launched on the basis of Act No. 300/2008 Coll., on Electronic Acts and Authorised Conver-
sion of Documents. The Czech legislator has obliged all public authorities, including admin-
istrative bodies, to use their so-called “data boxes”. If any of the addressees (parties to the
proceedings) have a data box set up, it is the duty of the authority to deliver any pleadings
only electronically. Most legal persons and individual members of certain professions, such as
lawyers, are obliged to set up and use data boxes. In addition, non-business individuals may
also voluntarily apply to set up a data box.
On the 1 August 2016 Slovak data boxes for receiving documents were created for all natural
persons and corporate bodies residing in Slovakia and divisions registered in the commercial
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 129
Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group
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In analysing the distribution of respondents’ answers concerning the trusted
profile, it can be observed that if someone already knew this solution, they
usually used it – 54 respondents knew and used it, compared to 13 respond-
ents who knew and did not use it. Only 1 person did not know this tool. The
distribution of answers looks similar in the case of the ePUAP, SZUF and Czech
POINT platforms, 37 respondents knew and used this solution, and 22 re-
spondents knew and did not use it. In the case of e-services: E-Önkormányzat
portal, podatki.gov.pl19, PUE ZUS20, empathy21, there is also an advantage be-
tween those who know and use (32 persons) and those who know and do not
use (26 persons), but it is small and amounts to 6 indications. In the case of
securing a qualified signature and e-IDcard, the trend is the opposite, as more
people know and do not use these solutions. In the case of the qualified sig-
nature, 15 people know and use it compared to 43 who know and do not use
it; in the case of the e-evidence, 10 people know and use and 46 people know
and do not use it. In case of not knowing particular solutions, the respondents
indicated more often ePUAP, SZUF and Czech POINT (9 persons), secure quali-
fied signature (9 persons), e-services (7 persons) and e-evidence (11 persons).
However, indications of not knowing the tools were at a low level.
The respondents most often indicated “taxes and fees” (44 responses) and
“civic matters” (39 responses) as those matters which required contact with a
public institution in the last 1.5 years. Administrative matters with the small-
est number of indications, which may be specific and are handled occasional-
ly, include – “environmental protection” (1 indication), 2 indications were ob-
tained for cases related to “regional development”, “protection of consumer
rights”, and “security and crisis management”.
Analysing the distribution of responses in each category of matters, the most
numerous indications of handling matters entirely via the Internet concerned:
“taxes and fees” (29 indications), health and social affairs (9 indications), real
estate, housing and commercial premises (4 indications), business activities (5
indications), access to public information (4 indications).
Most respondents indicated that they had already used particular e-govern-
ment tools before the pandemic. The pandemic became a mobilising factor
to use, particularly the trusted profile (for 14 people) and the ePUAP, SZUF,
Czech POINT or electronic mailbox (for 8 people).
register on the website www.slovensko.sk. The data boxes are created by the Government
Office of the Slovak Republic automatically and free of charge to all citizens over 18 years.
The box is activated automatically during the first log-in of an operator to the e-portal. When
activated the data box can be used for receiving documents from public authorities electroni-
cally. The obligation to use data boxes relates only to corporate bodies and divisions; for natu-
ral persons (i.e. self-employed persons) it is voluntary (, accessed 20 June 2022).
19 The tax platform of electronic services in Poland.
20 The Platform of Electronic Services of the Social Insurance Institution in Poland (PUE ZUS) is a
tool that facilitates access to services provided by the Social Insurance Institution in Poland.
21 The Empathy system allows to submit applications via the Internet, among others for: grant-
ing social assistance, family allowance and supplements, childcare allowance, care allowance.
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Beniamin Rozczyński
During the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents had the opportunity to use the
existing e-infrastructure. The pandemic situation, particularly the lockdown
and the related temporary limitation of the possibility to enter offices and
personally contact an official22, was quite a test for public institutions (Hoff-
man and Balázs, 2021, p. 113; Horvat et al., 2021, pp. 150–152; Szewczyk,
2020, p. 19). Probably in many cases, the choice of handling their affairs with
the help of e-government tools became necessary for some citizens, mobilis-
ing them to set up, for example, a trusted profile or mailbox.
3 IDI interview
In order to deepen the knowledge acquired during the implementation of
the CAWI surveys, it was decided to develop selected issues in the qualita-
tive research, consisting in conducting individual in-depth interviews (IDI)23.
The respondents (20 adults – 5 from each country from the Visegrad Group
countries) were selected for the qualitative research in a targeted manner by
giving a positive answer to the initial - filtering question, “Have you dealt with
the Office in the last 2 years?”.
3.1 Respondents’ experiences in contact with public
administration bodies
Respondents described the difficulties arising in connection with the han-
dling of their case, for example:
– the need for a personal visit to the office,
– long terms for online appointment appointments,
– the necessity to obtain a number traditionally and the related waiting in
the long queue,
– no possibility to settle the matter online,
– the need to fill in official forms by hand.
Apart from official matters, the simplicity and ease of dealing with other mat-
ters of everyday life is increasingly often experienced, especially through:
the possibility of arranging them online, computer-filled forms, products and
services delivered to the client’s door without leaving home and collecting
a number, in order to wait for the queue. Such experiences taken from the
commercial market change the standards of service through the prism of
which the client defines his expectations in relation to services provided by
22 In accordance with Article 15zzzzzn of the Act of 2nd of March 2020 on special solutions relat-
ed to prevention, counteraction and eradication of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and
crisis situations caused by them (Journal of Laws 2021, item 2095 as am.); Act No. 67/2020
Coll. on certain emergency measures in finance relations related with the spread of the dan-
gerous contagious human disease COVID-19; Act XII of 2020 on the containment of corona-
virus; resolution the Government of the Czech Republic of 15th of March 2020 No. 241 on the
adoption of a crisis measure.
23 In the IDI, the respondent has the opportunity to express himself unlimitedly, to answer all the
questions asked with his own words, without having to limit himself to ready-made proposals
for answers in the cafeteria of a closed question, as is the case when filling in the question-
naire (Gudkova, 2012, p. 113; Kaczmarek, Olejnik, and Springer, 2016, p 113).
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 131
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public institutions. The expectation of a quick course of the procedure, which
will be carried out remotely with the use of new technologies, seems to be
justified in the period of technological and digital acceleration that we have
recently experienced (Gramlich, 2010, p. 288; Taman, 2020, p. 693, Smítka
and Borkovcová, 2019, p. 1481)24. It is worth noting that nowadays, genera-
tions of people are entering adulthood for whom the Internet is a natural
environment for functioning, and personal visits to settle the matter, queues
at the office or handwritten filling in of forms are a kind of archaism.
In the opinion of the majority of respondents, the way a specific public admin-
istration body handles a given case translates into the way such an institution
is perceived and makes positive or negative assessments about its function-
ing: “I think so. Tax offices always have a patch for very basic procedures where
the slightest mistake is unforgivable.” (Respondent No. 5).
3.2 Strengths and weaknesses of public administration
Summarising the statements of the respondents regarding the strengths and
weaknesses of the institutions in which they dealt with their affairs and the
handling of handled cases, several dominant factors can be distinguished:
24 2030 Digital Transformation Strategy for Slovakia, At , accessed 24 June 2022.
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Beniamin Rozczyński
Table 1. Strengths and weaknesses of public administration and handling
matters handled therein, in the opinion of respondents
S
T
R
E
N
G
T
H
S
simplification of procedures
through the possibility of
settling the matter online
(without leaving your home)
W
E
A
K
N
E
S
S
E
S
the need to submit and collect
documents in person
queues
assistance from officials and
their explanations
difficult to fill in, and illegible
forms
speed of settling the matter
unpleasant service - impression of
mass market service
available procedure instructions
(FAQ)
slowness of action and a long time
to get things done
developing electronisation and
computerisation of the process
sense of scattered responsibility,
excessive procedures
substantive correctness of
issued decisions
complicated procedure
openness to new technologies
requirements for individual
certificates / documents (the so-
called »paperwork«)
better communication, clear
descriptions of procedures
high rotation of employees in
service positions
providing online forms on
websites
different interpretations of the
law and procedures by officials
the possibility of booking a visit
in the form of online
office hours
lack of communication between
public administration bodies
administrations to exchange
information
no digital security
Source: own study based on the respondents’ answers in the qualitative research.
Respondents were asked to assess the work of officials, in particular the
working tools available to officials and the general conditions of their work.
Three out of 17 respondents said that conditions and tools are rather suf-
ficient. However, in their statements, respondents mentioned possible ways
to improve the situation of officials and the quality of their work. Six people
explicitly mentioned insufficient working conditions. From the statements of
the respondents, a catalogue of areas for improvement was created:
– low salaries,
– high workload (high number of cases handled),
– old hardware and software,
– shortage of equipment,
– lack of training to improve soft skills.
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Most of the areas for improvement mentioned by the respondents lie with
the managers of offices and the need to undertake institutional changes, not
necessarily individual ones implemented by the officials. Obviously, depend-
ing on whether we are dealing with self-government or government adminis-
tration, a lot will depend on the system of financing the activities of particular
offices (whether those funds come from their budgets or the State Budget).
Eliminating the problems indicated by the respondents requires a decision of
the management in order to implement structural, organisational and techni-
cal changes in public administration units (Peters, 2009, pp. 23–25).
3.3 Factors facilitating authority-customer contact
On the basis of the respondents’ statements concerning the actions taken by
the public administration to facilitate the parties in administrative proceed-
ings with the administrative authorities, the following table formulates a list
of “factors facilitating contact”.
Table 2. Factors facilitating residents’ contact with the office
Factors facilitating
contact
Examples of concrete solutions identified by respondents
1. Implementation
of procedures
"Contact with the office online", "possibility to
contact the office by email or via e-domain",
"change of office hours to the afternoon"
"Increasing the
possibility to contact
a specific, responsible
employee by phone"
2. Personnel factors Increase in staff numbers Customer service
training
3. Providing access
to information
"Mobile information points of offices"
“An accessible
helpline that can
actually be called".
4. Use plain
language
"It would certainly be a big help to use simple
language in communication with the inhabitants.
Having a comparison between a municipality office
in a small town and a voivodeship office in Poznań,
I could see that communication is much simpler
and more accessible in a small town, where the
official communicates with the customer in
a simpler and more accessible way and, most
importantly, has more time to serve him, so
contact with the office is much more satisfying."
"Delaying of a person
helping to fill in
documents"
Source: own elaboration based on respondents’ answers in the qualitative survey.
Particularly noteworthy is an issue that received little attention in the CAWI
survey related to the use of plain language25 in public administration. In the
current public discourse, there is a lot of focus on using plain language, which
25 , accessed 22 June 2022.
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Beniamin Rozczyński
would change the level of understanding of official letters, instructions and
forms (Sobczak, 2018; Żach-Kubicka, 2019; Vinnai, 2019, p. 102; Dvořáková,
2021, p. 8; Schöpflin, 2009).
Simple communication is when accessible language is used, and the principles
of plain language are applied. They can significantly improve the quality of
documents produced by officials, and such communication benefits both the
sender and the recipient. Simple language works well both in communication
with the recipients of public services (citizens or foreigners) and with people
who hold the highest positions in the state26.
The conviction that a sign of professionalism and high competence are letters
written in very advanced and specialised [technocratic (Krężołek, 2012, pp.
63–64; McKenna and Graham, 2000, p. 220)] language and accompanied by
appropriate legal footnotes and quotations from laws and codes is a convic-
tion that is not reflected in the needs of participants in administrative pro-
ceedings and other clients dealing with matters in offices27. Participants of
the proceedings, regardless of their level of education and age, need simple
and undisguised communication, particularly in administrative acts (admin-
istrative decisions or decisions), which grant rights and, above all, impose a
certain type of administrative obligation.
3.4 Simplifying the use of public administrations
As part of the thematic block “simplifying matters in the office”, respondents
were obliged to interpret the term: “a matter that is easy to settle in the office”.
Graphic 1. Features of a simple matter to be dealt with, mentioned by
the respondents
Source: own elaboration based on respondents’ answers in the qualitative survey.
26 This issue is also recognised by administrative courts in Poland. In the judgment of 16th of
September 2016, II FSK 2216/14 (LEX No. 2108987), The Supreme Administrative Court raised
the issue of misunderstanding the content of the letter as a prerequisite for reinstating the
time limit for filing objections to enforcement proceedings.
27 According to the experience of the 2nd Tax Office in Zielona Góra (Poland), the collection of
overdue payments has significantly improved following the introduction of a new format of tax
notices (, accessed 22 June 2022)
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 135
Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group
Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
Most respondents knew the meaning of the term “simplification of adminis-
trative procedure”. Respondents were able to point to specific features of a
simplified procedure and list actions that lead to simplification.
“Simplification of the procedure” in the descriptions of the respondents is a
process leading to simplification of the procedure, its de-formalisation, opti-
misation, i.e., settling matters that will become uncomplicated, and their pro-
cedure will be faster and will take place remotely.
The simplification of the procedure, in the opinion of the respondents, is en-
capsulated in a few words:
less faster better simpler
Table 3. Categories of factors which, in the opinion of respondents, influence
the simplification of the procedure
List of
factors
Quotes from respondents
Factor 1.
Forms
Fewer forms, simpler to fill in Interactive applications
Factor 2:
Service
Changing
the way
officials
work
The internal organisation of
the administration, which is
aware of the procedures and
follows them by properly
organising the whole process.
Reducing queues
Opening of offices during hours
when it would be possible for full-
time staff to use the services of the
office.
Factor 3.
Form of
contact
Email
contact with
the office
Enabling contact with officials by email
Factor 4.
Regulations,
procedures
Application
of the
simplified
handling of
cases under
the CAP.
Opening electronic
databases from which
an official could directly
attach evidence
from a previous case
concerning the same
person.
Possibility of elec-
tronic publication
of an administra-
tive act (in the case
of multiple parties
to proceedings).
Extension of
the scope of the
e-PUAP system.
More cases should
be dealt with on the
basis of statements
made by the
applicant (the parties
to the proceedings).
Digitisation of files, possibility to issue
certificates/extracts on the spot in the
form of print-outs from the IT system,
modelled on the court information
portal.
Improving the flow of information within
the office so that it is not the customer
who runs between windows and depart-
ments but officials who quickly get to the
necessary information they already have.
Source: own elaboration based on respondents’ answers in the qualitative survey.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022136
Beniamin Rozczyński
Respondents were asked to identify specific issues that they felt should be
simplified freely. After analysing the individual responses of the respondents,
3 criteria emerged which were used by the respondents:
– The criterion of being goal-oriented,
– Urgency criterion,
– Criterion relating to the subject matter.
Table 4. Things that respondents think should be simplified
Criterion of target orientation
• obtaining certificate extracts from the land register
Urgency criterion
• matters requiring a quick solution (issuing important documents,
certificates)
Criterion relating to the subject matter
• civil affairs (vehicle registration documents, civil status records, identity
cards, passports),
• tax matters,
• building matters,
• social and community matters,
• legalisation of residence of foreigners,
• real estate matters,
• matters related to economic activity,
• matters related to municipal management.
Source: own elaboration based on respondents’ answers in the qualitative survey.
3.5 E-administration
In the case of the respondents in the qualitative study, all of them were able
to use the Internet on a daily basis, generally frequently, on different devices:
computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and in different professional and
private situations.
Eurostat’s report entitled “Internet access of households, 2016 and 2021”28,
shows that among the countries of the Visegrad Group, Poland leads the way in
terms of household Internet access (92 pp.). It is followed by Hungary (91 pp.),
Slovakia (90 pp.) and the Czech Republic (89 pp.). Poland and Hungary scored
the biggest upward trend in the period 2016-2021 – by 12 pp. The level of this
indicator varied depending on the type of household, class and degree of urban-
isation of the place of residence and area of the Visegrad group country. House-
28 , accessed 21 June 2022.
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Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group
Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
holds in areas with a high degree of urbanisation and large cities were more
likely to have access to the Internet at home than households in other areas.
Source: Eurostat
Therefore, the fact that among the 20 IDI respondents, all of them had access
to the Internet has a statistical justification in quantitative research.
Graphic 2. Types of e-services used by respondents
on a daily basis
e-services
Banking - e-
payments
Mobile
messengers
e.g. WhatsApp
Applications
e.g.
Mobywatel
Online
shopping
Social
networks
E-
administration
Source: own elaboration based on respondents’ answers in the qualitative survey.
The concept of e-government was familiar to most respondents (19 out of 20
people), and they were able to define it. Often the definitions referred to as-
sociations and common-sense attempts to explain the meaning of the term,
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022138
Beniamin Rozczyński
e.g. “It is an e-government system for handling official matters and communicat-
ing with customers.” (Respondent No. 9)
In response to the next question, the respondents stated that the operation
of e-government affects the handling of official matters; all agreed on the
positive impact of e-government on their handling of matters at the office:
1) “I am convinced that e-administration could do a lot of good. It would certainly
speed up the operation of offices, the waiting time for cases would not be so
long.” (Respondent No. 5)
2) “It certainly speeds up certain processes, which saves a lot of time, especially
for people working during the hours when the office is open, and they do not have
the opportunity to come to the office in person”. (Respondent No. 8)
Graphic 3. Types of issues which, according to the respondents, would be
most effective in dealing with e-government
Source: own elaboration based on respondents’ answers in a qualitative study.
The matters which the respondents settle with the use of the Trusted Profile,
data box or client gate are diverse:
– applying for an IDcard,
– access to information about current state of a case,
– applying for social allowances,
– filing a tax return in the tax portal,
– applying for registration of economic activity.
In their statements, the two respondents who expressed their positive atti-
tude towards simplifying the procedure and e-government highlighted some
issues that may contribute to civic exclusion among certain types of custom-
ers dealing with their affairs. These are: experiencing digital exclusion and
having a low level of digital skills and knowledge of Internet use. In particular,
older people29 are more exposed to a digital exclusion experience. The re-
29 In 2019, among seniors aged 65–74 asked about their computer use in the past 3 months,
34.1% confirmed that they had used a computer during this time (i.e., 2.4 percentage points
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 139
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Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
search shows that older people are most often deprived of Internet access
or have low computer and Internet skills. Paradoxically, e-government, which
would be additionally connected with minimising the possibility of settling
issues in a fixed office, would be connected with a significant hindrance and
deepening of digital exclusion, also in the civic dimension. It is worth noting
that, on the issue of digital exclusion, the Czech Constitutional Tribunal took
a position, stating in its judgment of 21 July 2011 that “in today’s global com-
munication society, the objective impossibility of access to the Internet can-
not be considered at all. The complainant’s assertion that he ‘does not have
the internet’ does not in itself imply an objective impossibility of fulfilling the
obligation imposed by law. Again, the fact that compliance with a statutory
obligation requires, for example, the payment for an internet service cannot
be characterised as unconstitutional, since the performance of certain activi-
ties always entails certain costs, which must be taken into account. The excep-
tion would be if such costs were liquidating or disproportionately high”30.
3.6 Public administration during the COVID-19 pandemic
Respondents’ experiences of the impact of the pandemic on changing the
way they do official business were varied. For some respondents, the pan-
demic situation did not affect the quality of their errands, as even before the
pandemic, they had handled all their errands, which were possible to handle,
online. One respondent pointed out that they did not have to do any errands
in the office when the pandemic started. they did them before the pandemic
and 1.5 years after the pandemic started. During this time, adequate and well-
functioning solutions were found in many areas of functioning to the chang-
ing social reality in which offices overcame the initial impasse in functioning.
One respondent stated that the pandemic was a motivating factor in starting
to use e-government. Some respondents pointed to the negative impact of
the pandemic on time taken to handle cases (delays), their protraction and
the inaction of authorities.
In their statements, respondents drew attention to the negative impact of
the pandemic on the work of public administration during the first months of
its duration.
Respondents perceived and experienced difficulties in:
more than in 2018). People of this age are increasingly likely to use computers regularly (i.e.,
at least once a week), but still the percentage of regular users in the analysed age range was
lower compared to younger people (Kamińska-Gawryluk, 2021, p. 17; Lacová et al;, 2022, p.
150). The authors of the report “Wykluczenie cyfrowe podczas pandemii. Dostęp oraz korzystanie
z Internetu i komputera w wybranych grupach społecznych” state that digital exclusion in Poland
(not only during the pandemic) has the face of seniors – “in 2019, 3.63 million people aged
55–74 have never used the Internet, such people represent 80.4% of all nonusers. 3.74 million
people aged 55–74 have never used a computer, such people account for 78.1% of all non-us-
ers” (, accessed 23 June 2022). A similar phenomenon can be encountered in Slovakia
(, accessed 22 June
2022) and in Czech Republic (Lupač and Sládek, 2008, , accessed 22 June 2022).
30 Judgment of the Czech Constitutional Tribunal of 21 July 2011, III. ÚS 1513/11.
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Beniamin Rozczyński
– appointment of office visits,
– additional restrictions on making an appointment for a fixed visit,
– the submission of documents (letter boxes located in the halls of public
offices),
– delays in dealing with cases.
Respondents, in the first weeks-months of the pandemic, observed a lack of
preparedness of offices to work online to issue decisions remotely, as the
handling of cases was based on paper documents that were not digitised
(Horvat et al., 2021, pp. 150–151).
Respondent No. 7 pointed out a positive change in the performance of the
offices as the pandemic progressed. According to the respondent, the au-
thorities started to respond adequately to the changing situation. Offices can
be described in this case as “learning” institutions which try to improve their
functioning even in crisis situations where the time to adapt and change is
very limited (Valenza et al., 2022, pp. 67–69).
One respondent pointed out that the pandemic had become a catalyst in
terms of increased use of remote communication tools that were already
available before the pandemic, e.g., email and telephone contact.
Respondents who noticed facilitations introduced by the public administra-
tion pointed out to:
– improvement of email and telephone communication,
– introducing an appointment calendar and the possibility of booking an
appointment online,
– intensifying the electronisation of public administration.
Respondent’s statements regarding the introduction of solutions in offices
to make it easier to deal with cases during the pandemic tended to be domi-
nated by proposals for e-solutions, e.g., the data cloud (on official computers)
and e-government platforms.
Based on the suggestions made by the respondents, the proposed solutions
have been prepared and can be seen in the graphic below.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 141
Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group
Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
Graphic 4. Solutions to improve office operations during a pandemic
Source: own study based on the respondents’ answers in the qualitative research31.
4 Summary
The issue of simplifying and electronising administrative proceedings is one
of the most pressing social issues in the Visegrad Group countries (Skulová
et al. 2019, pp. 44–50, Jendrośka, 2003, pp. 28–31), which are discernible in
the sociological research conducted on a survey group of people from the
Visegrad countries (in a CAWI survey – 30 residents from each country and in
an IDI interview – 5 residents from each country), and manifests itself in four
assumptions:
1) legal regulations should be more flexible and understandable;
2) the level of procedural formalism, relating, e.g., to a smaller number of
required documents or the possibility of submitting declarations binding
for the authority, should be reduced and adjusted to the subject matter of
the case;
3) public administration bodies should focus on the use of the simplest so-
lutions, including e-administration solutions aimed at settling the matter
within a reasonable time;
4) the entity participating in the procedure should be more aware of its ri-
ghts, including the possibility of using simplified procedural measures, e.g.,
simple and transparent official forms, which would have instructions for
correct filling in.
Despite the fact that in each of the Visegrad Group countries, national legisla-
tors have adopted slightly different solutions in terms of simplification and
electronisation of administrative proceedings, the conducted research shows
that the existing problems, which affect public administration bodies on the
one hand, and the participants of the proceedings on the other, are the same.
The above leads to the conclusion that a more effective solution to the ex-
isting problems (especially the most currently “burning” ones) would be the
31 The proposals have been developed using the following studies as an aid: Kučera and Kyncl,
2010, pp. 107–108; Apter, 2022, p. 280; Sabri, 2016, pp. 49–54; Kim et al., 2022, pp. 365–366.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022142
Beniamin Rozczyński
adoption of solutions at a supra-national level and an attempt to implement
them into national legal orders.
The analysis of the presented issue concludes that it is not yet possible to speak
of an advanced development for administrative procedures in the Visegrad
countries. The current legal acts pertaining to this issue require further mod-
ernisation, which manifests itself, for example, in numerous new amendments
undertaken by national legislators. The delay of public administration in the
use of solutions simplifying administrative procedures is mainly due to unclear
regulations, and the significant financial outlays needed (e.g., modernising the
IT infrastructure of public administration offices) (Frumarová, 2022, p. 140).
It is worth noting that some of the solutions related to the electronisation
of administrative proceedings already existed in the Visegrad countries long
before the COVID-19 pandemic (databox in the Czech Republic since 2009, in
Slovakia since 2016, ePUAP in Poland since 2005, and SZUF in Hungary since
2015). Only the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of
numerous restrictions (change in the organisation of offices, rotation work of
officials, and the inability to establish personal contact with the participants of
the procedure) in the Visegrad countries, was its ‘booster’ resulting in signifi-
cant use of electronic tools. On the other hand, the outbreak of the pandemic
has very much curtailed innovation and the willingness to introduce new 21st
century technologies in public administration that would correspond to the
current technological level, e.g. artificial intelligence or data clouds (Vogl et
al., 2020, p. 950; Leśniak, 2022). It should be justified by the lack of common
knowledge on this subject and the imperfection of the existing, less advanced
technological solutions currently used by public administration bodies, but re-
quire further modernisation to meet the current standards. The current state
of affairs in all the countries of the Visegrad Group is visible, for example, in
the results of The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) ranking, published
by the European Commission, where the Czech Republic is ranked 25, Poland
– 28, Slovakia – 29, and Hungary – 32 (Bełcik, 2022).
The functioning of e-government in the Visegrad countries in many admin-
istrative matters is still limited to the provision of information and the pos-
sibility to download website forms or to handle only selected administrative
matters via IT platforms (ePUAP, SZUF, Czech POINT). The issue of the lack
of IT competencies of officials and the users themselves (participants in the
administrative procedure) still arises. In addition, there is also the problem
of technological exclusion resulting from the advanced age and the lack of
access to electronic devices and the Internet. However, as the excerpt from
the Czech Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling quoted in the study shows, the sig-
nificant development of internet accessibility in households does not allow
the conclusion that the imposition of certain public law obligations on an indi-
vidual requiring only electronic solutions, e.g. making payments electronically
to public entities, can be considered unconstitutional.
It is worth noting that the potential of the digital skills of the inhabitants of
the Visegrad Group is noticeable and manifests itself, for example, in the use
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022 143
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Countries – A Sociological and Legal Approach
of various types of applications for dealing with everyday matters, e.g., bank-
ing applications for making bank transfers or making purchases.
Effective e-government is one of the pillars of simplifying and electronisation
of administrative proceedings. At the same time, thanks to the development
of e-administration, there is a noticeable improvement in the democratisa-
tion process of the Visegrad Group countries, which will lead in the future to
building a solid Central European information society. In order for the above
goal to be achieved, it should be remembered that the initiated process of
simplifying and electronising administrative proceedings must always take
the form of comprehensive legal solutions that will allow for effective and
efficient operation of public administration bodies and, on the other hand for
individuals to exercise their fundamental rights32.
32 Document entitled “Good Administration through a Better System of Administrative Pro-
cedures” has been produced by OECD with financial assistance of the EU , accessed 25 June 2022.
Central European Public Administration Review, Vol. 20, No. 2/2022144
Beniamin Rozczyński
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