E-GOVERNMENT ACT CONSTITUTES A MILESTONE FOR MAIL COMMUNICATION OF THE FUTURE

• Act expected to be passed on 7 June 2013
  
• De-Mail enables modern administration with digital services
  

Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG, a mail communications expert and accredited De-Mail provider, supports Germany’s E-Government Act (GovG). The Bundesrat, one of the two bodies that make up the German legislative branch, is set to vote on the act on 7 June 2013. The act establishes the legal framework for administrative modernisation and the reduction of bureaucracy. Citizens, administrative authorities and the business community can then communicate with each other electronically in a legally secure manner.

Francotyp-Postalia’s De-Mail procedure, in addition to other procedures, will become a legally fixed standard for fully electronic administrative communication. “The act constitutes a milestone on the path towards communication with no media discontinuity, particularly in relations between citizens, the business community and administrative authorities. For this reason, it is important that the act is passed in June as planned,” says Andreas Drechsler of the Francotyp-Postalia Management Board.

Francotyp-Postalia has been offering products and services for mail communication for 90 years and has been investing in the De-Mail procedure for several years. As the first accredited De-Mail provider, FP subsidiary Mentana-Claimsoft secured the relevant approvals at CeBIT back in March 2012. In particular, the FP Group works together with medium-sized companies and authorities in order to integrate the De-Mail infrastructure in the customers’ existing IT systems. Numerous authorities now have at their disposal the possibilities that come with legally binding, electronic mail communication. For example, municipal IT service provider Citkomm, which is integrating De-Mail in the communication infrastructure of the Hochsauerland district.

“Whereas an e-mail is the electronic twin of a postcard, De-Mail is the electronic twin of a letter – but with lower costs for the customer. The regulations of the E-Government Act will deliver great potential to boost efficiency, which will benefit the business community and administrative authorities as well as each individual citizen,” says Drechsler.