EU Declaration challenges countries to use ICT to transform public services

[Nikos Kartalis]

Europe needs to get more creative in how it uses IT to improve public services and deliver social and economic benefits to businesses, governments and citizens, EU Ministers for e-Government agreed today in Manchester, UK.

Speaking at the EU Conference on Transforming Public Services, hosted by the UK Presidency of the European Council and the European Commission, Jim Murphy, UK Cabinet Office Minister, announced the principles behind a ground-breaking Declaration on the future of e-Government. This was agreed today by EU Member States and other invited European countries. Mr Murphy spoke as the Presidency chairman of the meeting of Ministers that discussed the Declaration, and said:

'This Declaration sets out a new strategic direction for European e-Government over the next 5 years, one that aims to include every citizen, business and government in the social and economic benefits IT-enabled public services can deliver.

'Our focus has to be on seizing the potential social and economic outcomes available through creative use of IT in public service delivery.

'This Declaration paves the way for EU businesses and governments to save money and become more effective. And importantly it is about improving the day-to-day experiences EU citizens have of using their public services. This Declaration will provide a new political and economic rationale for eGovernment in the EU from now until 2010.' He added:

'By giving people choices and personal services delivered through ICT, we can drive through economic and social advances for all. The next 5 years is no longer about simply putting services online, it’s about making ICT really work for citizens, whether they live in small, remote villages, or big cities.

'Our carefully agreed set of eGovernment objectives now link directly to achieving an economically and socially successful Europe.'

Welcoming the declaration, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding said:

'The Ministerial declaration today is an important step forward. It is ambitious, shows vision and commits governments to make progress.'

'The Commission is also committed to progress,' she added. 'Yesterday we adopted a new plan to improve the online services we use internally, and which we ourselves offer to the public. Next year we will announce a new eGovernment Action Plan for Europe as a whole, as part of our i2010 strategy to boost growth and jobs.'

The Declaration focuses on delivering clear social and economic benefits to citizens, businesses and governments, through four key challenges to governments:

• No citizen left behind: To build IT innovatively into policy design, public service delivery, and information provision to actively include the disadvantaged.
• Effective and efficient government: To use IT to improve the consumer’s experience of public services; reduce costs – especially to business – of dealing with government; improve administrative efficiency; and improve the transparency of government.
• High impact European services: To identify and implement services that most benefit the freedom of movement of labour, services, goods and capital. eg eProcurement has been identified for immediate action because of known benefits for markets, suppliers, and value for money in public purchasing.
• Simple and secure access to online public services: To work together at EU level to address the issues of complexity, security and public confidence around electronic authentication to access public services.

This Declaration proposes Member States integrate these objectives into their national strategies for eGovernment, and set out in 2006 the activities they propose in order to meet these goals.

[nMIK-3]

Was about time for the European market...
Lets hope to see results very soon