In Lviv, a new service has been launched in the city app MISTO, allowing users to support electronic petitions. From now on, residents can find current initiatives of their community and sign them directly from their smartphone.
The new feature has been implemented thanks to the integration of MISTO with the Ukrainian e-democracy platform e-DEM. The service has already been tested and put into operation. At the same time, the existing electronic petitions system remains unchanged: as before, it runs on the e-DEM platform, while the MISTO app serves as an additional, convenient access interface. User identification is carried out through integration with the state service “Дія”.
According to Olena Hunko, Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Development for Digital Transformation at Lviv City Council, the city's task is to make participation tools as accessible as possible for residents. Integration with e-DEM enables Lviv residents to use the petitions service in their familiar city app and to pass on their proposals to the city authorities.
Several everyday services are already available to Lviv residents in MISTO today: public transport tracking, parking, appointments at the Administrative Service Centre (ЦНАП), a shelter map and city news. Adding the electronic petitions tool expands opportunities for residents to take part in community life.
As noted by Oleksandra Radchenko, Project Manager for E-Democracy and Youth Policy at the EGAP Programme, the e-DEM platform brings together more than 2 million users and is designed to provide simple tools for influencing community development. Integration with MISTO is intended to make the use of such services an organic part of Lviv residents' everyday lives.
MISTO is a platform for urban digital services that brings together local services, useful information and tools for engagement with the community in a single app, with the set of services adaptable to the needs of each individual city. The e-DEM platform provides communities with tools for residents' participation in local self-government, in particular through electronic petitions. It was created within the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP Programme, implemented by the East Europe Foundation.