PURPOSE: to present an EU eGovernment action plan
2016-2020 entitled Accelerating the digital transformation of
government.
BACKGROUND: eGovernment supports administrative
processes, improves the quality of the services and increases
internal public sector efficiency. Digital public services reduce
administrative burden on businesses and citizens by making their
interactions with public administrations faster and efficient,
more convenient and transparent, and less costly. In addition,
using digital technologies as an integrated part of
governments modernisation strategies can unlock further
economic and social benefits for society as a whole.
The digital transformation of government is a key
element to the success of the single market.
Previous eGovernment action plans (i2010 eGovernment
action plan 2006-2010, and eGovernment action plan 2011-2015)
encouraged the modernisation of public administrations and led to
joint actions on eGovernment.
The last eGovernment action plan 2011-2015 contributed
to the coherence of national eGovernment strategies as well as to
the exchange of best practices and the interoperability of
solutions between Member States. It led, in particular, to the
development of technological enablers that are key to facilitate
access to and use of public services. However, citizens and
businesses are not yet getting the full benefit from digital
services that should be available seamlessly across the
EU.
Current situation: the
current EU eGovernment action plan based on a shared
long-term vision - sets out a number of principles that
forthcoming initiatives should observe in order to deliver the
significant benefits that eGovernment can bring to businesses,
citizens and public administrations themselves. It provides for a
dynamic and flexible approach, to keep track of the fast changing
environment. It will serve as a catalyst to coordinate public
sector modernisation efforts and resources in the field of
eGovernment.
CONTENT: the underlying vision of the action plan is
that by 2020, public administrations and public institutions in the
European Union should be open, efficient and inclusive, providing
borderless, personalised, user-friendly, end-to-end digital
public services to all citizens and businesses in the
EU.
Several ideas are envisaged.
1) Principles applicable:
- digital by default:
public administrations should deliver services digitally (including
machine readable information) as the preferred option;
- once only principle:
public administrations should ensure that citizens and businesses
supply the same information only once to a public
administration;
- inclusiveness and accessibility: public administrations should design digital public
services that are inclusive by default and cater for different
needs such as those of the elderly and people with
disabilities;
- openness and transparency: they should share information and data between
themselves and enable citizens and businesses to access control and
correct their own data;
- cross-border by default:
they should make relevant digital public services available across
borders and prevent further fragmentation;
- interoperability by default: public services should be designed to work
seamlessly across the single market and across organisational
silos ;
- trustworthiness and security: all initiatives should go beyond the mere compliance
with the legal framework on personal data protection and
privacy.
2) Priorities for action: the action plan sets out concrete actions to
accelerate the implementation of existing legislation and the
related take up of online public services. The main actions are as
follows:
- modernise public administration using ICT, and using
key digital enablers, particularly in the framework of public
procurement;
- strengthen interoperability and the European
Interoperability Framework and ensure that EU public
administrations adopt it;
- gradually introduce the 'digital by default' and
'once-only' principles, and eInvoicing and
eProcurement;
- enable cross-border mobility with interoperable
digital public services (the Commission proposes the creation of a
Single Digital Gateway, based on existing portals, contact points
and networks, expanding, improving and streamlining all
information, assistance and problem solving services needed to
operate efficiently across borders - for 2016, this will include
the go-live of tools for direct communications between citizens and
courts in other Member States (e-CODEX), as well as the
introduction of the European Case Law Identifier search
engine;
- propose legislation to extend the Single Electronic
Mechanism for registration and payment of VAT;
- support Member States in the development of eHealth
services;
- facilitate digital interaction between administrations
and citizens/businesses for high-quality public services by
engaging citizens, businesses and civil society in the
collaborative design, production and delivery of public services
and to facilitate interaction between public administrations and
businesses and citizens.
This action plan includes actions to be launched in
2016 and 2017. Further actions may be needed to achieve the
objectives set out within each of the policy priorities.
Stakeholders (including a group of Member States) may also propose
actions for implementation under the eGovernment Action Plan,
through an interactive digital engagement platform.