The Cluj County Council approved, in the ordinary session on September 30, the project "CLUJ SMART COUNTY – Integrated Digital Ecosystem", along with a cooperation agreement with all 81 town halls in the county that joined the initiative.

Chairman Alin Tișe explained that this administrative stage was necessary to prepare the financing file to be submitted to the North-West Regional Development Agency (ADR Nord-Vest), to access financing of approximately 5.5 million euros. According to Tișe, the project will reduce bureaucracy and will offer town halls common digital solutions, without additional costs for them, the investment being supported through European funds and co-financing from the County Council.

The common system, hosted in the regional cloud through the North-West Regional Data Center, will enable document digitalization, online management of local taxes and fees, urban planning services, agricultural registry, and petitions, as well as the use of a GIS platform for land information.

The total value of the project is 30,006,949 lei, including VAT, of which 26,216,949 lei will be covered through the North-West Regional Program 2021-2027.

For a Cluj resident living abroad, the news shows how local administrations in the county are preparing to offer citizens common digital services with less bureaucracy.