Paraguay bill seeks to digitize administrative procedures

Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay

January 11, 2019

In order to streamline administrative procedures and avoid unnecessary spending from state coffers, several lawmakers submitted a bill "Streamlining public procedures (zero paper)," targeting significant savings and environmental protection.

The text was presented by the deputies Carlos Relax (PPH-Central), Tito Ibarrola (PPH-Central), Sebastian Garcia (PPQ-Capital), Marcelo Salinas (PLRA-Central), Pastor Vera (PLRA-San Pedro), Edgar Acosta (PLRA-Central), Enrique Mineur (PLRA-Pdte. Hayes), Walter Enrique Harms (ANR-Itapúa), Jorge Brítez (Indep.-Alto Paraná), Kattya González (PEN-Central).

The document states that the majority of administrative procedures are managed in documentary form and through the use of paper and that this causes, in a certain way, a bureaucracy in administrative procedures in the different state agencies.

"They even open doors to acts of corruption and indirectly cause damage to the environment," says part of the document.

In the explanatory memorandum it is detailed that, according to the General Budget Law of the Nation 2018, in item 330 (paper, cardboard and printed products), it represented for the Treasury some G. 38.511.473.388; that is, about US$6,527,368 approximately.

This regulation seeks to establish a legal tool that facilitates the "mandatory digitization" of administrative procedures. At present, technology has become an important tool to impersonalize and speed up various procedures that are carried out before public entities in different parts of the world," says the initiative.

The aforementioned bill is already in the different advisory committees for study and consideration.