Medvedev sees universal e-card as payment instrument in Russia and abroad
MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - The planned universal electronic card for Russian citizens will be an accepted payment instrument in Russia and abroad, President Dmitry Medvedev said.
"Everything must be done so that the card, which we have approved, is universal in nature, is a universal financial instrument, which can be used in Russia and abroad, and not some kind of homemade product that is not recognized in other countries," Medvedev said at a meeting of the commission on modernization and technological development of the economy.
The card will elevate interactions between the citizen and the state, bureaucratic structures, to a new level and provide new possibilities to Russians, he said.
The e-cards represent "a radical elevation of the digital culture" and the ordinary citizen will feel "better protected in dealings with the state," Medvedev said.
"The universal card may be used as an instrument for cash-free payments and also as a full-fledged payment instrument, in Russia and abroad," he said.
Medvedev directed the government to present the cost projections for introducing the e-card before May 1.
"The economics of the project must be tallied. The interest of banking and financial structures in its implementation is clear. Of course they support it, but the volume of state financing must also be determined. Therefore I am giving the pertinent order to the government: to prepare and present the spending justification by May 1, 2011, in order that the required funds are allocated in next year's budget," Medvedev said.
"We are ready to begin implementation of this massive, socially important project. Its results will have a pivotal effect on people's lives, on the interaction between the citizen and the state. I am certain that as soon as we introduce this system, it will simplify life for tens of millions of people," he said.
Medvedev also directed that the legislation needed to introduce the card be drafted by the summer of 2011.
"All these documents must be approved by the summer. That is my direction to the government, he said.
The drafts include a law on digital signatures, a host of government resolutions concerning the technical requirements, including the data storage material, the technical requirement for electronic applications and the documents concerning procedures for issuing the e-cards.
Medvedev also warned the banks against using the e-cards to generate outsized profits.
"We must first figure out how to regulate the tariffs [on transactions for commercial and state services]. Clearly, not by squeezing the organizations that engage in the transactions, but at the same time preventing these transactions from becoming a source of unjustified profits, because in that case we would be discrediting the very idea of the card," he said.
"If operations with the cards cost the citizen a lot, that's going to look very bad. Therefore, everyone that services the cards, all the major bank structures, must understand that this is in fact a social mission and not a source for big earnings," Medvedev said.
