RIGA, March 2 (LETA) - Uniform state customer service centers will be set up in approximately 500 municipalities across Latvia, as Gatis Ozols, director of the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry's Information Society Development Department, told Saeima Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee on Wednesday while commenting on digital transformation issues addressed by Latvia's plan under the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Under the plan, EUR 158.8 million will be allocated for digital transformation in public administration, explained Ozols. Part of the amount will go to the establishment of uniform state customer service centers in the entire territory of Latvia. At the moment, there are approximately 100 such centers in Latvia, said Ozols.

Eventually, the centers will also be set up at the county level. Therefore such centers will operate in about 500 locations across Latvia, offering municipal-level public services - mostly electronically or by phone, said Ozols.

After hearing Ozols' presentation, no definitive decisions were taken by the Saeima committee today.

As reported, Latvia's plan under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility was submitted to the European Commission at the beginning of February. The plan will later be upgraded following the Commission's recommendations and in cooperation with the government's social and cooperation partners.

The work on introduction of the Recovery and Resilience Facility is being organized in six directions - climate change and sustainability, digital transformation, transformation of economy and productivity reform, health, reducing inequality and the rule of law. Following the Commission's recommendations, 20 percent of the facility's funds are planned to be allocated to digitization and 37 percent - for achieving climate objectives. EUR 330 million will be allocated for reducing inequality, EUR 181.5 million - to the health sector projects, EUR 165 million - to transformation of economy and productivity reforms, and EUR 33 million - for strengthening the rule of law.