[{"bbox": [85, 153, 323, 186], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 219, 235, 247], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [95, 264, 1136, 503], "category": "Text", "text": "While the COVID-19 health pandemic has put significant pressure on the Cuban economy, it has also put to the test the provision of public services, the care of citizens, and the social protection of groups living in vulnerable situations. Forcing many of the public services and activities to be carried out digitally, the crisis also highlighted the challenges for the public administration to deliver services and ensure wellbeing, and particularly the lack of capacity, digital policies and digital infrastructure. Replying to these issues in part, the Revision of the Conceptualisation of the Cuban economic model and the 2021-2026 Guidelines for the implementation of the National Plan for Economic and Social Development until 2030 (PNDES)¹ approved in 2021 are highly relevant. Apart from seeking to revitalise the economy, the PNDES contains a strategic axis on e-government and its use for the modernisation of services."}, {"bbox": [95, 511, 1136, 938], "category": "Text", "text": "Currently, the country’s digital transformation process is taking place rather gradually and challenges in the public sector are still very prominent with rather little use of digital tools for better public management, transparency and participation. On the one hand, digital technologies are partly being used by national, provincial and municipal governments to develop public management processes, to create timely and better communication, and to improve the quality of public services. On the other hand, the number of administrative processes and services accessible online is still low, with high bureaucratic barriers and long waiting periods remaining the norm. These barriers are even more evident for the older population and their need for social services in a context of an ageing population, coupled with other phenomena such as the emigration of the skilled and active population. In addition, there is almost no digital infrastructure and habits of digital payments of e.g. taxes which contributes to tax evasion, the informal economy, unfair practices, and a shrinking fiscal space. These weaknesses hamper the process of opening up the economy to important economic actors, in particular the new ones such as MSMEs and local development projects, which are targeted in a parallel project. Already during the last programming cycle, the EU has supported governance and economic processes with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the civil service and supporting inclusive public policy-making. Based on the dynamics created, this project aims to continue this cooperation by adapting it to the new national context, focusing on e-Governance and e-commerce and its facilitating effect for new economic dynamics in Cuba, in close synergy with the project to support new economic actors."}, {"bbox": [95, 944, 1136, 1421], "category": "Text", "text": "In this context, this action aims to support the digital transition of the Cuban public administration and economy to contribute to the modernisation of the economy and greater inclusion, fairness, transparency and civic participation in a sustainable manner. It will support the development of knowledge and skills to improve the quality and equitable access of citizens to public services, promote the use of online information among citizens and entrepreneurs, and contribute to the development and implementation of fair tax policies to gradually reduce the size of the informal economy and increase the fiscal space. It will accompany the public administration in its digital transition, guided by a high level of data protection, privacy and interoperability. It will strengthen the legal framework for the management, use, access and sharing of data, respecting the high international standards established, for example, by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)² of the European Union. In addition, it will form the basis for an exchange between Cuba and the EU on public policies on the wider digital transition following a human-centric approach and will support the preparation of statistics and data analysis linked to sustainable development. Similarly, the initiative will seek to address the digital gender gap, contribute to digital literacy and digital skills targeting women, young people and older adults with priority, ensuring that public services respect gender equity. Given the good implementation experiences gained with the past EU-funded *Experts Exchange programme* concluded in June 2022, the action will follow a demand-driven logic based on the needs of the institutions involved. Support will be concentrated around the themes addressed under the project, with the Ministry of Communications as leader and coordinator of work in the different areas, involving the other relevant actors."}, {"bbox": [95, 1428, 1136, 1511], "category": "Text", "text": "In its digital essence, the action responds strongly to the *Digital Compass Communication*³ and the *Digital4Development* strategy⁴ in its various axes, covering both the digital governance and e-Governance and digital skills issues, reflecting the ambition to support a human-centric digital transformation. The approach to"}, {"bbox": [85, 1548, 1010, 1573], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹ https://www.presidencia.gob.cu/es/gobierno/plan-nacional-de-desarrollo-economico-y-social-hasta-el-2030/"}, {"bbox": [85, 1572, 480, 1597], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj"}, {"bbox": [85, 1596, 780, 1622], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0118"}, {"bbox": [85, 1621, 274, 1644], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ Home - d4dhubdev"}, {"bbox": [1037, 1680, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 20"}]