EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 15.12.2010 
SEC(2010) 1539 final    
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
accompanying the 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC  AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 
  
The European eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015 
Harnessing ICT to promote smart, sustainable & innovative Government 
   
COM(2010) 743 final  
EN 2   EN TABLE OF CONTENTS 
1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 4 
1.1. Aim of the staff working paper .................................................................................... 4 1.2. Preparatory work and consultations............................................................................. 4 2. BACKGROUND eGOVERNM ENT IN EUROPE..................................................... 5 
2.1. The achievements of online publ ic services in Europe................................................ 5 
2.1.1. eGovernment for businesses ........................................................................................ 7 2.1.2. eGovernment for citizens ............................................................................................. 7 2.2. Existing eGovernment policies at EU level ............................................................... 10 2.3. Actions at EU level so far .......................................................................................... 12 2.4. eGovernment policy development in the near future................................................. 15 2.5. Policy options............................................................................................................ . 16 
2.5.1. Scenario 1: Limite d Commission Activities .............................................................. 16 
2.5.2. Scenario 2: Focused Action Plan................................................................................ 18 2.5.3. Scenario 3: An extensive Action Plan ........................................................................ 20 2.6. Conclusion................................................................................................................ .. 21 
3. GENERAL POLICY OBJECTIVES ......................................................................... 21 3.1. Context of the Action Plan......................................................................................... 22 3.2. Malmö Declaration..................................................................................................... 22 3.3. Alignment with EU2020 and the Digital Agenda for Europe.................................... 23 3.3.1. Alignment with EU2020 ............................................................................................ 23 3.3.2. Alignment with the Digital Agenda for Europe......................................................... 24 3.4. Links between the eGovernment Action Plan and existing EU initiatives ................ 26 3.5. Links between priorities within the Action Plan........................................................ 26 3.6. Type of actions and measures .................................................................................... 27 3.6.1. Defining and reaching comm only defined targets with the Member States .............. 27 
3.6.2. Joint development of servi ces and sharing of results................................................. 28 
3.6.3. Creating enabling conditions...................................................................................... 28 4. PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIV ES OF THE ACTION PLAN ................................. 28 
4.1. User Empowerment.................................................................................................... 28 
EN 3   EN 4.1.1. User centric and inclusive services ............................................................................ 28 
4.1.2. Collaborative Production of Services......................................................................... 30 4.1.3. Re-use of Public Sector Information.......................................................................... 31 4.1.4. Improvement of Transparency ................................................................................... 32 4.1.5. User Involvement in Policy........................................................................................ 34 4.2. Internal Market........................................................................................................... 35 
4.2.1. Seamless Services for Business ................................................................................. 35 4.2.2. Personal Mobility....................................................................................................... 37 
4.2.3. Cross-border Services ................................................................................................ 39 4.3. Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governments and Administrations ......................... 40 
4.3.1. Improving Organisational Processes.......................................................................... 41 4.3.2. Reduction of Administrative Burdens........................................................................ 42 4.3.3. Green Government..................................................................................................... 44 4.4. Pre-conditions for Developing eGovernment ............................................................ 45 4.4.1. Open Specifications and Interoperability................................................................... 45 4.4.2. Key Enablers ............................................................................................................ .. 47 
4.4.3. Innovation .............................................................................................................. .... 49 
5. GOVERNANCE ........................................................................................................ 51 5.1. Monitoring Progress................................................................................................... 51 5.2. Evaluation ................................................................................................................ .. 51 
5.3. Governance ................................................................................................................ 52 
ANNEX 1: MILESTONES IN PREPAR ATION OF THE ACTION PLAN.......................... 52 
EN 4   EN 1. INTRODUCTION 
1.1. Aim of the staff working paper 
The present staff working paper accompanie s the Communication from the Commission to 
the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on the European eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015 (h ereafter: staff work ing paper). The aim 
of the Communication is to implement th e Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment 
(hereafter: Malmö Declaration
1) and to complement the Digital Agenda for Europe2. This 
staff working paper provides a rationale fo r the issues dealt w ithin the Communication. 
1.2. Preparatory work and consultations 
The Communication on the eGovern ment Action Plan 2011-2015 and this staff working paper 
have greatly benefited from background analyses and interactions with relevant stakeholders, 
including questionnaires to the Member States and studies. Th ese studies included extensive 
surveys of businesses, citizens and experts, concerning their n eeds, demands and the expected 
impacts of eGovernment innovatio n. Extensive interviews were  also conducted within the 
different services of the European Comm ission, with all the Un its concerned with 
eGovernment.  
In addition, an Orientations Paper that gave  guidance to the Malmö Declaration has been 
published. In parallel, prep aratory groundwork has been pe rformed by the eGovernment 
Subgroup3 which is the principal discu ssion forum where Member States4 and the European 
Commission jointly address Eu ropean eGovernment policy.  
The most important foundation for this Actio n Plan was laid on 18 November 2009, when 
Ministers agreed on the Declaration at the 5th Ministerial eGovernment  Conference in Malmö, 
Sweden. The Ministerial Decl aration has received wide support from both industry and 
citizens through an I ndustry Declaration5 and an Open Declaration on public services 2.06 
respectively. The Council restated  among others the objectives of the Malmö Declaration in 
its Council Conclusions7 on the post i2010 St rategy. The Action Plan supports and 
complements the Digital Agenda for Europe th rough actions in the area of 'ICT-enabled 
benefits for EU society', 'Interoperability and St andards' and 'A vibrant Digital Single Market'. 
Annex 1 lists the time line with the most important milestones in preparation of the 
eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015.   
                                                 
1 http://www.egov2009.se/wp-content/uploads/Min isterial-Declaration-on-eGovernment.pdf 
2 COM(2010) 245 (http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda) 
3 The objective for the i2010 eGovernment subgroup is to inform the i2010 High Level Group on the 
implementation of the i2010 eGovernment Action Plan; to share good practice; and to monitor the 
progress of the eGovernment Action Plan and national plans 
4 For the sake of convenience this staff paper uses the term "Member States" where it should read 
Member States including Norway, I celand, Croatia and Turkey. These fo ur countries have chosen to be 
actively involved in European eGovernment policy and the process leading to a European eGovernment 
Action Plan 2011-2015. 
5 http://www.digitaleur ope.org/index.php?id =34&id_article=390 
6 http://eups20.wordpress.co m/the-open-declaration/ 
7 Council Conclusions on Post i-2010 Strategy - towards an open, green and competitive knowledge 
society. 2987th Transport, Tel ecommunication and Energy Council meeting Brussels, 18 December 
2009. On-line: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedo cs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/trans/111999.pdf 
EN 5   EN 2. BACKGROUND  EGOVERNMENT  IN EUROPE 
eGovernment is on the verge of a profoun d transformation. Many new technological 
opportunities are arising which may contribute to  changing the way eGovernment services are 
delivered.  
The first part of this chapter highlights th e achievements within the EU in the area of 
eGovernment. Part two and three summarise th e existing policies and corresponding actions 
that have affected eGovernment in Europe so far. Part four describes how eGovernment is 
likely to develop in the future. The fifth part sets  out different scenarios for actions that can be 
taken at EU level and leads to the conclusion that it is necessary to act at  EU level in order to 
maximise the impact of actions conducted at national level. 
2.1. The achievements of online public services in Europe 
Europe has continued to make significant progr ess in the delivery of online public services 
since eGovernment appeared on the Eu ropean eGovernment Agenda in 20018. The online 
delivery of basic services9 has continued to increase steadily in recent years: their full online 
availability10 went from 21% in 2001 to 71% in 200911 (Figure 1). However, there is a marked 
difference between services for businesses and se rvices for citizens. Services for businesses 
reach 83% availability whereas services for ci tizens are still only at 63% availability.  
                                                 
8 eGovernment ministerial declaratio n 2001, Brussels, Belgium. See: 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/egove rnment/docs/ministerial _dec/ministerial_declara
tion_2001.pdf 
9 Basic Services refer to the 20 services (12 for citizens, 8 for businesses) used to benchmark online 
availability of public services. These are: income ta xes, job search, social security benefits, personal 
documents, car registration, building permission, decl aration to police, public libraries, certificates, 
enrolment in higher edu cation, announcement of moving, health -related services (citizens), social 
contributions, corporate tax, VAT, company regist ration, statistical data, customs declaration, 
environment-related permits, public procurement (businesses). 
10 Full online availability is an indicator which measures whether the service is delivered in a completely 
electronic way without need of in teracting through traditional (i.e. paper, face-to-face) channels. It 
corresponds to level 4 and above of the sophistication indicator introduced below. The composite indicator is an average of the values taken in the 20 services. 
11 The small decrease in 2004 is due to an enlargement of the sample to New Member States: until 2003 
the sample included only EU15 countries. 
EN 6   EN Figure 1: Full online availability, Trend from 2001 to 2009 for EU27+  
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2009CitizensBusinesses
All services
 
Source: CapGemini “Smarter, Faster, Better eG overnment: 8th Benchmark Measurement”, 2009. 
Despite major progress there are considerable discrepancies between Member States (Figure 
2). The gap between the best and worst perfor mer is large (68 pp.) although it has declined 
since last measured (85 pp. in 2007). Four countries (Austria, Malta, Portugal and UK) 
experience full online availability for all the 20 basic services considered in 2009. 
Figure 2: Full online availability for all services  
0102030405060708090100
AT MT PT UK SI SE EE FI DK IE FR ES NO NL DE BE IT LU LV HU CZ LT SK IS PL CY EL RO BG HR CHFull online availability for all services Avera ge of EU27+ 
Source: Cap Gemini “Smarter, Faster, Better eG overnment: 8th Benchmark Measurement”, 2009. 
EN 7   EN 2.1.1.  eGovernment for businesses 
eGovernment for businesses has progressed rapidly (Figure 1). It has also reached a high level 
of sophistication12 (91% in 2009 compared to 84% in 2007). Some crucial services for 
enterprises like VAT, corporate tax, customs d eclarations and social contributions are fully 
available online in almost all EU countries. However, services  concerning the registration of 
new companies are still lagging behind, although th ey are considered cruc ial to the European 
Growth and Jobs Strategy.  
In general, the use of online public services by  businesses has kept up wi th the supply (Figure 
3): on average, use was at 72% in 2009 for th e EU27 (up from 68% in 2008). Take-up is also 
relatively high for advanced ways of interac ting with the public administrations: 54% of 
enterprises use the internet to return comple ted forms and 43% interacted with the public 
administration entirely using electronic transactions. 
Figure 3: Supply vs. take-up - businesses13 
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IS IE IT LV LT LU MT NL NO PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UKeGovernment usage by businesses (2009) online sophistication for businesses (2009) 
Source: Cap Gemini “Smarter, Faster, Better eGovernment: 8th Benchmark Measurement”, 2009, and Eurostat, 
Community Survey on ICT use in Households and by Individuals, 2009. 
2.1.2.  eGovernment for citizens 
The take-up of eGovernment services by citi zens is less developed (Figure 4). The EU27+14 
average value for sophistication is 78%. Only 30% of EU27 citizens used the internet for 
accessing eGovernment services (over the past 3 months) in 2009, rising to 38% of citizens 
using eGovernment services in the past 12 months. EU citizens do not extensively use 
advanced modes of interaction with the administration. Only 17%  of them have downloaded 
                                                 
12 Sophistication is an indicator that measures th e degree of interaction po ssible between citizens and 
public administrations over the delivery of a given service. It consists of 5 possible levels: information, 
one-way interaction (downloadable forms), two way interaction (electronic forms), full transaction (full-electronic case-handling), personalisation (pro-active, automated).  
13 Take-up data for Belgium and Iceland refer to 2008. 
14 The EU27+ aggregate includes the EU27 countr ies + Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Croatia. 
EN 8   EN official forms from a public authority website a nd only 12% have used the internet to send 
back completed forms.  
Figure 4:  Supply vs. take-up - citizens 
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IS IE IT LV LT LU MT NL NO PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UKeGovernment usage by citizens (2009) online sophistication for citizens (2009) 
Source: Cap Gemini “Smarter, Faster, Better eGovernment: 8th Benchmark Measurement”, 2009, and Eurostat, 
Community Survey on ICT use in Households and by Individuals, 2009. 
However, the large disparity in eGovernment us e seems to be driven more by the degree of 
internet penetration in a country than by the degree of sophistication of its online provision. 
There is a strong correlation across countries between internet use15 and the percentage of 
users of eGovernment services (Figure 5).  
                                                 
15 i.e. Individuals who used the inte rnet in the last three months.  
EN 9   EN Figure 5: Use of Internet vs. Use of eGovernment (and ot her) Services (2009, EEA countries + Croatia)16.  
y = 0.8001x - 0.0531
R2 = 0.7306y = 0.2573x + 0.7005
R2 = 0.607
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
used Internet in last 3mm as % of populationused egovernment services in last 3 months as % of those who used 
internet in last 3 mm
email egov 
Source: Eurostat, Community Survey on ICT use in Households and by Individuals, 2009. 
In addition, limited skills combined with a lack of education also contri bute to the low use of 
eGovernment services, as they are the primary sources of disa dvantage among groups at risk 
of exclusion from the digital society. A disparity indicator on eGovernment use17 (Figure 6) 
shows that there is no clear  ‘digital divide’ in eGovern ment use among internet users 
belonging to traditional groups at risk of ex clusion. The various groups show usage only 
slightly below the population av erage and the age group 55-64 s hows even greater usage of 
eGovernment services than th e average population. For this latter category eGovernment 
usage may even be a major driver of intern et use, for example to monitor accumulated 
pension rights in proximity of  retirement. The main category at risk of exclusion from 
eGovernment usage (as well as from internet use) is that of not well educated people. This could signal that people with little educati on may lack the skills for use of ‘advanced 
services’. 
                                                
 
16 x-axis: Used internet in last 3 months as % of po pulation. y-axis: Used eGovernment (or email) services 
in the last 3 months as % of (i) people that used internet in last 3 months (ii) population. 
17 The indicator has been calculated by taking the ratio of (proportion of eGovernment users in 
disadvantaged groups) over the (proportion of eGovernment users in the population). Therefore, a value 
of 1 would indicate pattern of usage for the concerned group equal to that of the population, while values closer to zero would indicate greater disparity in use. The groups not using eGovernment have 
been further split into two analytical subgroups: people not using the internet (and therefore 
eGovernment services either ) and internet users not us ing eGovernment services. 
EN 10   EN Figure 6: Disparity indicator on use of Internet for eGovernment services in the last 3 months. 
Decomposition of Internet use effect a nd eGovernment use effect (2009, EU27).  
00.20.40.60.811.2
women low income low educated rural lagging region economically
inactive/retiredunemployed aged 55 to 64 aged 65 to 74internet use egovernment use 
Source: Eurostat, Community Survey on ICT use in Households and by Individuals, 2009. 
In essence, although online provi sion of eGovernment services has made great progress in 
recent years, it has not been followed by an equal progress in take-up, especially on the 
citizens' side. The use of eGovernment servi ces seems to be driven by both the degree of 
internet penetration in a country, skills, and by the degree of sophistication, availability and 
personalisation of online provision. 
2.2. Existing eGovernment policies at EU level  
In the past decade, the European Commissi on has contributed to the development of 
eGovernment by bringing together the actors and creating synergies in order to facilitate the 
modernisation of the public sector in the European Union. In 2001 Ministers agreed in 
Brussels18 that higher priority should be given to eGovernment issues. In 2003 in Como 
(Italy)19 Ministers emphasised the importance of effective eGovernment throughout Europe. 
The third policy orientation crystallised in the eGovernment Ministerial Declaration issued in 
Manchester20 in November 2005 during the UK Presiden cy. This Declaration resulted in the 
i2010 eGovernment Action Plan21 that was welcomed by the C ouncil of the European Union 
in June 2006.  
                                                 
 
18 http://ec.europa.eu/information_s ociety/activities/egovernment/docs/ ministerial_dec/ministerial_ 
declaration_2001.pdf 
19 http://ec.europa.eu/information_s ociety/activities/egovernment/docs/ ministerial_dec/ministerial_ 
declaration_2003.pdf 
20 http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/egov2 005conference/documents/proceedings/pdf/ 
051124declaration.pdf 
21 COM(2006) 173 final: i2010 eGov ernment Action Plan: Accelerating eGovernment in Europe for the 
Benefit of All 
EN 11   EN The i2010 eGovernment Action Plan provided a concre te basis for joint activities at EU level. 
It was a comprehensive five  point plan and integral part of the i2010 initiative22. It addressed 
the following five priority areas: 
– inclusive eGovernment – no citizen left behind,  
– eParticipation – re-engaging citizen s in the political processes,  
– efficiency & effectiveness – reducing administrative burden,  
– key enablers – e.g. mutual rec ognition of electronic identity, 
– high impact services – e.g. borde rless electronic procurement.  
Significant efforts have been ma de in all Member States to implement the Action Plan. All 
Member States now have policies and implementation plans in place for eGovernment and the five priority areas of the eGovernment Action Plan are reflec ted in the majority of the national 
action plans. In addition, the ma jority of Member States share the opinion that many subjects 
of the current Action Plan will remain relevant for the next five years
23. This was confirmed 
by the Progress Report on the i2010 eGovernment Action Plan in the EU27+24.  
One of the conclusions of the Progress repo rt was that eGovernment performance and 
development seem to be positively correlated with  the amount of time policies have been in 
place (See Table 1). In general, EU15 countries are more likely to have eGovernment policies 
in place for a longer period than  the EU12. EU12 countries, on the other hand, are catching up 
quickly and see the Action Plan as a chance to  engage directly within a framework of 
cooperation, support and learning. 
                                                 
22 i2010 was the EU policy framework for the information society and media between 2006 and 2010. It 
promoted the positive contribution that information and communication technologies (ICT) can make to 
the economy, society and personal quality of life. 
23 Source: Analysis of the questionnaire to Member States on 16 October 2008. The general message from 
the feedback to the questionnaire was to continue along the same main lines as in the former action 
plan, but to refocus and sharpen by bringing in new elements, and reducing the number of priorities 
while enlarging their scope.  
24 Millard Jeremy, Shahin Jamal et al. (2009). i20 10 eGovernment Action Plan Progress Study. Report for 
the European Commission, Brussels: Information So ciety and Media Directorate. Note: Belgium has 
not been incorporated in the survey, and France indicated that it does not have a national eGovernment 
Action Plan.  
EN 12   EN Table 1: Countries with overall eGovernment strategies or policies, 2005-2009 
By 2005 = 12/30  By 2007 = 20/30  By 2009 = 29/30  
Austria 
Bulgaria 
Cyprus Estonia 
Ireland 
Latvia  Lithuania 
Luxembourg
Netherlands Portugal 
Sweden 
UK 
 Austria 
Bulgaria 
Cyprus Czech R 
Denmark 
Estonia Germany 
Greece 
Ireland 
Latvia 
 Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Netherlands Norway 
Portugal 
Slovenia Spain 
Sweden 
Turkey 
UK 
 Austria 
Bulgaria 
Croatia Cyprus 
Czech R. 
Denmark Estonia 
Finland 
Germany 
Greece 
Hungary Iceland 
Ireland 
Italy Latvia Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta Netherlands 
Norway 
Poland Portugal 
Romania 
Slovakia 
Slovenia 
Spain Sweden 
Turkey 
UK  
 
Overall, the Progress report conc luded that the Action Plan ha s been very successful in 
encouraging both general and specific eGovernment  policies to be put in place in European 
countries, coordinating these wher e appropriate at European le vel, linking them to related 
information society and public sector policie s, and kick-starting or supporting policy 
implementation. Actions contributed  to the effectiveness of th e internal market and have 
spurred innovation in public or ganisations in order to increase their efficiency and 
effectiveness. In essence, th e commitment to the Action Plan  has stimulated alignment and 
coherence of national policies and new momentum  to make public services more efficient, 
effective and more oriented to wards the needs of the user. 
2.3. Actions at EU level so far 
The European Commission was and is engaged in deployment projects through pilots under 
the "ICT Policy Support Programme"25 as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation 
Framework Programme (CIP ICT PSP), proj ects funded under subsequent Research 
Framework Programmes and the IDABC26 (Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment 
Services to public Administrations , Businesses and Citizens) and ISA27 (the Interoperability 
Solutions for European public administrations) programmes. The projects launched play and 
will continue to play, a key role in impr oving innovation and supporting cross-border public 
services in the internal market. In addition, th e EU has taken the lead in a number of sectoral 
initiatives. 
                                                 
25 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/ict_psp/index_en.htm 
26 http://ec.europa.e u/idabc/en/home 
27 Interoperability solutions for European public admini strations (ISA) (OJ L 260, 3.10.2009, p. 20). ISA 
replaces the IDABC programme (Interoperable deliver y of pan-European eGovernment services to 
public administrations, businesses and citizens (OJ L 181, 18.5.2001, p.25).  
EN 13   EN The CIP ICT PSP programme has three main in struments relevant to eGovernment: large-
scale Pilots Type A, Pilots Type B28, and thematic networks. The Large Scale Pilots Type A 
implement interoperability of services between  cooperating Member States in the context of 
agreed policy priorities with th e aim to close missing links in the internal market. B Pilots 
demonstrate the implementation of innovative ICT solutions under realistic conditions in 
several countries. The thematic networks bring together stakeholders to explore new ways of 
using ICT to implement policies. 
In this context, notable European success stories in the eGovernment area are three Large 
Scale Pilots Type A29 funded by the European Commission. PEPPOL implements a European 
system of eProcurement that will facilitate the participation of businesses in (electronic) calls 
for tenders everywhere in the Union. STORK w ill enable citizens and businesses to identify 
themselves when interacting with their ow n and other national ad ministrations over the 
internet. The third pilot Type A project, called SPOCS, is related to the Services Directive. It 
will enable service providers from all Member States willing to offer professional services outside their "home" country to deal electronically with all necessary administrative 
procedures.  
In 2006, at the request of the European Parliament, the Commission launched the 
eParticipation Preparatory Action
30. This eParticipation Preparat ory Action supported real-life 
pilot projects to demonstrate how using mode rn ICT tools can make it easier for people to 
participate in decision-making and can contribute to better legislation. Since 2009, 
eParticipation has been included in the CIP ICT PSP.  
The 7th Framework Programme for Research31 (FP7) is funding research projects under "ICT 
for governance and policy modelling". The projects aim to develop new tools and technologies to manage digital democracy as we ll as analytical tool s to help understand and 
interpret citizens' debates and opinions. Pr eviously, eGovernment research in FP6 (2002-
2006) has focused on modernising public agencies  at all levels, innovating to create new 
and/or improved services fo r citizens and businesses.  
Under the former IDABC programme, the Eur opean Commission and Member States have 
been working together on interoperability fo r European eGovernment services. Today several 
of these services are online and allow European  public administrations to work together in 
                                                
 
28 Under the umbrella of the CIP ICT PSP also Pilots Type B have been or are being launched. Pilots B 
require fewer participants than Large Scale Pilots; also  the duration is shorter. Examples of these pilots 
are projects addressing the reduction of administra tive burdens across the EU or innovative solutions 
for inclusive and effective eGovernment. 
29 The cross-border Pilots A tackle potential fragmentation on the internal market in three areas: cross-
border eProcurement (PEPPOL - Pan European Public Procurement OnLine) enables companies, 
especially SMEs, to respond electronically to public tenders issued in another country; interoperability 
of electronic identities (STORK - Secure idenTity acr Oss boRders linKed) is a key enabler of future 
eGovernment services; the pilot on the Services Di rective (SPOCS - Simple  Procedures  Online for 
Cross-border Services) contribute to achieving interoperability of the electronic processes. These pilots 
provide a new dimension to cooperation and a framework on which Member States can build and which 
can leverage their existing investments. At the same time these pilots help to  find a common European 
way forward while respecting national approaches. PEPPOL has 8 participating countries, STORK 14, 
and SPOCS 7. The countries are those that were official partners at the time of writing (i.e. September 
2010). Links: www.peppol.eu, www.eid-stork.eu, www.eu-spocs.eu. 
30 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activ ities/egovernment/impleme ntation/prep_action/ 
index_en.htm 
31 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/ activities/egovernment/r esearch/index_en.htm 
EN 14   EN critical areas such as health and consumer pr otection, the internal market for services and 
employment. These services are enabled by the definition of common frameworks. The best 
known is the European Interoperability Framew ork for pan-European eGovernment services. 
The IDABC programme has been replaced by the ISA programme, as IDABC came to an end in 2009. Under ISA, the Commission w ill launch actions in four areas: 
– Creation and improvement of  common frameworks in s upport of interoperability 
across borders and sectors; 
– Assessment of ICT implications of proposed  or adopted Community legislation as 
well as planning for the introduction of ICT systems in support of the 
implementation of such legislation; 
– Operation and improvement of existi ng common services as well as the 
establishment, industrialisation, op eration and improvement of new common 
services; 
– Improvement of existing reusable generi c tools as well as the establishment, 
provision and improvement of ne w reusable generic tools. 
At EU level initiatives in many sectors have al so contributed to the eGovernment agenda by 
creating interoperability. A few examples: 
– The Services Directive 2006/123/EC
32 requires Member States to set up Points of 
Single Contact (PSC) through which prov iders can complete electronically 
procedures and formalities necessary to provide a service. Interoperability of eIdentification, eSignatures and eDocumen ts is key for seamless functioning of 
electronic transactions.  
– In the area of Environment, the INSPIRE Directive 2007/2/EC
33 aims to establish a 
cross-border infrastructure for spa tial information to support Community 
environment policies.  
– In the area of Justice and Ho me Affairs, a communication34 stressed the benefits of 
improved effectiveness, enhanced interope rability and synergies among European 
databases such as the VIS, the SIS II, and Eurodac. 
– In the area of support of the Community policies for customs, taxation and excise 
duties, the Commission coordinates and manages a set of operational activities 
relying on interope rable systems.  
                                                 
32 OJ L 376 of 27.12.2006 http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:376:0036:0068:en:PDF) 
33 OJ L 108/1 of 25.04.2007 (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:108:0001:0014:FR:PDF) 
34 On 24 November 2005 the Commission adopted a Communication COM(2005) 597 final on improved 
effectiveness, enhanced interoperability and synerg ies among European databases in the area of Justice 
and Home Affairs highlighting how IT systems can more effectively support the policies linked to the 
free movement of persons and serve the objective of combating terrorism and serious crime.  
EN 15   EN In addition, the European Commission has set up platforms for good practice exchange 
mechanism (ePractice.eu, OSOR and SEMIC35) and provides a c onsistent progress 
benchmarking measurement36 of Member States. 
2.4. eGovernment policy developm ent in the near future 
The European Commission launched two vision studies37 on the future of eGovernment. Both 
studies see the public sector as moving into a new era, in which the provision of public 
services will be oriented towards the creation of public value and user  empowerment. In this 
context, empowerment means to increase the capacity of citizens, businesses and other 
organisations to function in society which can  be stimulated through the creation of public 
value.  
One vision study38 has described the paradigm shift in  the way that governments need to 
completely re-think and in many cases rede sign the service provision approach. It has 
summarised how eGovernment is like ly to develop in the future: 
– An international environment should be cr eated in which government organisations 
will be connected, networked and fully join ed-up and in which public organisations 
will interact and connect inte lligently with each other and with private actors – 
citizens, civil society organisations and businesses. 
– Services should be increas ingly responsive to user needs by providing more 
individualised servi ces and allowing users to tailor the services to their personal 
requirements. Increasingly, users should be able to design, create and self-direct their 
own services, while providers should be able to differentiate and target recipients. In 
this regard, users should also have the possi bility to easily access applications that 
use or processes their personal data.  
– Governance must become much more open,  participative and democratic and be 
receptive at all levels to inputs and interests from all segments of society. New 'crowd-sourcing' instruments should be deve loped to support ev idence-based policies 
that are more effective in their own right  and better justified in terms of their 
rationale by a presentation of the underlying evidence.  
– Governments and public administrations mu st make better use of ICT to improve 
monitoring and evaluation techniques. Th is will allow them to increase their 
performance. E.g. ICTs can be used to auto matically provide sta tistics on the uptake 
use of eGovernment solutions. The respective functions should be built in during the 
implementation phase.  
                                                
 
35 http://www.epractice.eu /, http://www.osor.eu/ (Open Source Observatory and Repository for European 
Public Administrations), http://www.semic.eu (Semantic Interoperability Centre Europe). 
36 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/benchmarking/index_en.htm 
37 Botterman Maarten, Millard Jeremy et al. (2009). Value for citizens: A vision of public governance in 
2020. Report for the European Commission, Brusse ls: Information Society and Media Directorate and 
Codagnone Cristiano & Osimo David (2008). Future technology needs for future eGovernment 
Services: Services platform report. Report for th e European Commission, Brussels: Information Society 
and Media Directorate.  
38 Botterman Maarten, Millard Jeremy et al. (2009). Value for citizens: A vision of public governance in 
2020. Report for the European Commission, Brussels : Information Society an d Media Directorate.  
EN 16   EN Another vision study39 confirms that government and civil society will both invest in 
providing services and continuously collaborate to innovate, provide better services and to 
address complex societal challenge s. This new approach is refl ected in the proposal for a new 
ICT service architecture for eGovernment. This architecture should be flexible and modular, 
so that both administrations an d third parties can collaborate and share responsibilities in 
producing and providing services according to the accepted princi ples of subsidiarity. There 
may still be a 'one-stop-shop' on the internet where users can access all governmental services 
at once. However, it will also be possible to em bed these services into other platforms. These 
platforms may be managed by businesses or by pr ofessional organisations , acting as providers 
of value added services or simply as gateways . Alternatively, users may prefer to embed some 
services in their own electronic environment, be that their inte rnet hub, a social networking 
site or their personal page.  
The above visions have been confirmed by Mi nisters in the Malmö Declaration, as they 
"…aspire to a vision, whereby European governments are recogni sed for being open, flexible 
and collaborative in their rela tions with citizens a nd businesses. They use eGovernment to 
increase their efficiency and effectiveness and to constantly improve public services in a way 
that caters for users’ different needs a nd maximises public value, thus supporting the 
transition of Europe to a lead ing knowledge-based economy."  
2.5. Policy options 
When considering possible effective policies fo r eGovernment in Europe , three policy options 
have been taken into account: limited European Commission activities, a focused Action Plan 
and an extensive Action Plan. These three sc enarios estimate the impact of Commission 
activities in the development of eGovernment in Europe. All scenarios take into account that 
the organisation of government is primarily the competence of national governments. This 
means that - according to the principles of su bsidiarity - eGovernment  measures are also 
mainly the responsibility of national administrations. The scenarios focus on the added value 
of a European eGovernment Action Plan that  complements and brings together national 
initiatives.  
2.5.1.  Scenario 1: Limited Commission Activities  
This scenario is based on the situation where the number of activities at European level will 
be cut back, where an Action Plan will not be adopted, and where the emphasis is on activities 
at national level. The scenario to cut back on eGovernment projects might be tempting in 
times of economic austerity. 
The consequences would be, among others: a limited coordination role for the European 
Commission in the area; less empha sis on standards and interoperabi lity; less visibility of the 
concrete outcomes of the pol itical objectives; limited resear ch and piloting of innovative 
eGovernment solutions in the FP7 research programme and the CIP ICT PSP programme. In 
addition to this, common politic al aspirations reflected in th e Malmö Declaration would not 
be realised, as the European Commission would not propose a ne w Action Plan for 
eGovernment to translate the political priorities into concrete actions. This might lead to a 
                                                 
39 This architecture is derived from the TAO scenario an d is adapted from a scenario exercise presented in 
Codagnone Cristiano & Osimo David (2008). Future technology needs for future eGovernment 
Services: Services platform report. Report for th e European Commission, Brussels: Information Society 
and Media Directorate.  
EN 17   EN reduced level of political suppor t for European eGovernment po licy. Member States would be 
expected to identify and resolve a number of common problems such as a lack of cross-border 
activities.  
Moreover, pilots launched unde r the CIP ICT PSP programme w ould not be followed up. The 
36 million Euros40 in the three Large Scale Pilots could be regarded as lost, although 
experience gained from them may be useful for national purposes.  
The impact will be that the pace of developments in critical areas will likely slow down in 
some Member States and will significantly vary across the EU.  
Some Member States would have  fully fledged personalised systems in place, while others 
would not have started the im plementation of such systems41. In addition, many Member 
States – due to time constraints, budget restrict ions or other reasons – would choose a rather 
minimal implementation approach ba sed on legacy IT systems. Th is would lead to a situation 
where eGovernment services might remain basically silo-centric, top-down, with little service innovation, expensive, and with just as many failures as successes.  
The overall figures for Europe's take-up of eGovernment will presumably not grow much 
further, as the take-up of ICT by governments a nd public administrations in countries lagging 
behind will not catch up with the private and civic sector. The assumption is that in the 
lagging countries the main focus of eGovernment services remains first and foremost to serve 
the needs of government, while disregarding user take-up.  
The risk of not acting in this area is that valuab le expertise will not be shared with peers in the 
absence of events and initiatives to exchange  best practices. Countries that might have 
developed efficient, sustainable and user-centr ic eGovernment services would need to make 
additional effort to get their message across.  Furthermore, experience with new innovative 
concepts such as offering serv ices in the cloud might not be fu rther exploited. This would be a 
missed opportunity to further reduce costs and to advance eGovernment services.  
As for the internal market, most of the cu rrent barriers would not be addressed and the 
potential of current and future initiatives  being set-up would not be reaped. Evidence
42 
suggests that current barriers on the internal market are mainly caused by national, regional 
and/or local regulation. Despite  the increasing sophistication of national systems, legal, 
linguistic and procedural differences can can cel out the advantages gained by ICT. In 
addition, a proliferation of IC T services would cause new di gital barriers to the free 
movement of people, goods and services in the European Union. 
Without the implementation of standards and sp ecifications to support interoperability, new 
and cross-border eGovernment services would not  become available. This would result in 
untapped potential for the future strengtheni ng of the internal market. This would have 
negative consequences, such as:  
                                                 
40 This figure is based on the total estimated eligib le costs of STORK, PEPPOL and SPOCS for the entire 
duration of the projects and includes the share of co-funding of participating Member States and other 
partners. 
41 Capgemini, The User Challenge Benchmarking The Supply Of Online Public Services 7th 
Measurement, September 2007. 
42 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Plan. 
EN 18   EN – An EU-wide common framework for electron ic identities may not be set-up. This 
would be the most severe bottleneck for th e progress of eGovernment services – both 
at the national level as well as for cross-border services. The potential of it, encompassing a wide use of B2B and B2 C cross-border services, will not be 
exploited. 
– The ISA programme would make progress on  interoperability, but would not fully 
gain political visibility  through a coordinated eG overnment Action Plan. 
– Many providers would experience difficulties when exporting their services to other 
EU Member States, in setting up businesse s in different Memb er States, or in 
procurements involving foreign orga nisations. The share of cross-border 
eProcurement in total eProcu rement would remain low. 
– The potential benefits of the EU Services Di rective would only be pa rtially realised if 
it remains implemented on the basis of legacy  IT systems. The large potential of the 
EU Services Directive to serve as a refere nce for future cross-bor der services and to 
reduce significantly administrative burdens may be lost. 
– Vendor lock-ins might remain, with a ri sk of hindering innova tion and distorting 
competition, and of decreasing transparency and the efficiency of IT solutions. 
The option of reducing the activities of the Eu ropean Commission is considered to have a 
significant negative impact in Europe far outwei ghing any savings in the short term and with 
likely higher costs to society in Europe in th e long-term. Therefore, this scenario is not 
considered a viable option. 
2.5.2.  Scenario 2: Focused Action Plan 
The Progress Report on the i2010 eGovernment Action Plan in the EU27+
43 underlined the 
need to reap the benefits of existing policies an d strategies. The report observed that there is 
still a gap between policy and practice and stated  that this "is a natural reflection of the 
current phase of the many European countries which have only recently put their policies in 
place". Thus, the next eGovernment Action Plan  must build on implementing the policies and 
strategies already in place. The report furthe r observes that "[f]or ex ample, the roll-out of 
"Inclusive eGovernment" solutions is still in its very early stages in most countries, and in the 
"Efficiency and Effectiveness" priority area many countries still do not have eGovernment 
measurement frameworks in place. In "High Imp act Services" and "Key Enablers", the Large 
Scale Pilots on eProcurement and electronic identity management (PEPPOL and STORK) are 
still in their early days and need to attract more countries and stakeholders, whilst the 
coordination of separate "eParticipation" policie s and practices across European institutions is 
lacking". The report concludes that there is a need to act at EU level in order to maximise the impact of actions implemented at the national level.  
This requires that the European Commission plays a clear coordination role, setting out 
practical objectives for Member States and itse lf. Activities on a number of focused areas are 
agreed, and can have high impact on eGovernment  in Europe. Pilots will build on current 
experiences and will have maximum impact and function as an enabler for wider deployment 
                                                
 
43 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activ ities/egovernment/docs/i2 010_action_plan_p rogress_ 
study_summary_report_2009.pdf 
EN 19   EN in the EU. Management and monitoring of pr ogress towards common goals will be focused 
around political priorities descri bed in the Malmö Declaration. 
The role of the European Commission is to support this transition to more efficient and more 
user-friendly eGovernment services  for business and citizens, as part of Europe’s overall drive 
to strengthen competitiveness, which remains an important priority for Europe over the next 5 years. The European Commission will continue helping Member States to accelerate their 
development of eGovernment services by maxi mising actions done at national level and by 
exploiting the complementarities  of national and European Union policy instruments.  
Regarding the expenditures for the European Commission and the Member States, these will 
remain at current and predicted levels. Fo r the European Commi ssion, this would entail 
continued financial support through the CIP ICT PSP, ISA and FP7 programmes at 
comparable levels to today. 
At the same time the current economic climate cannot be neglected. 'Doing more with less' 
means that public money can be spent on IC T more effectively. Effective eGovernment 
involves rethinking organisations  and processes, and changi ng behaviour so that public 
services are delivered more efficiently to the pe ople who need to use them and in the way they 
expect them to be delivered. Money, time and energy can be saved by a more coordinated and 
collaborative approach (stand ardisation, interoperability, sharing and re-use) for the 
establishment of eGovernment services. 
The European Commission will play a key role in optimising the use of available resources 
and instruments, as eGovernment services wi ll be developed more economically and more 
effectively by pooling resources. Examples of pooling resources  are, among others, research 
and development, studies, exchange of best pract ice and training at a European level, sharing 
software components and infrastructure. The pr ivate sector could also contribute to the 
development of eGovernment services. 
The benefits will be that overall political goals will likely be achieved in 5 years and that the 
take-up by citizens will increase. Fo r all Member States the focus is to ensure that citizens and 
businesses have easy, robust and use r-friendly access to administrati ve services in the internal 
market, and at the same time being responsive to those who are poten tially excluded. Among 
others, this creates an opportunity for public  organisations to embr ace emerging technologies 
enabling citizens, businesses and other organisations to effectively participate in the design 
and operation of eGovernment services.  
As for the internal market, eGovernment services  have the potential to ensure that Europeans 
wishing to travel, work, study, reside or retire  in another country, can  move from one EU 
country to another as easily and smoothly as they can in their own country. Businesses will be able to seek new opportunities in other Member States, and reply to tend ers issued in another 
country
44, or process financial claims taking into account that there are 27 different systems in 
the EU.  
The underlying information and communication technologies offer the possibility to 
interoperate by exchanging inform ation and re-using the informati on that has been exchanged. 
This demonstrates the need to further 'join- up' some of the most critical eGovernment 
                                                 
44 Today cross-border procurement represents only 5% of  all procurements. So, there is a huge potential to 
strengthen competition at EU level. 
EN 20   EN services, thus ensuring that eGovernment servic es are seamless and bord erless and contribute 
to economic growth across Europe.  
A focused action in eGovernment will be a bett er response than cutting back on eGovernment 
projects. Common actions will contribute to reducing public expenditure on the long term. 
The Citizens' Declaration of Malmö45, for example, underlines the necessity to cooperate, as 
the "needs of today’s society are too complex to be met by government alone". It calls for 
Europe to "grasp this opportuni ty and rebuild the relationship between citizens and the state 
by opening up public institutions and by empowering citizens to take a more active role in 
public services". 
In conclusion, the focused Action Plan scenario has a high likelihood of success and the 
realisation of expected results  is high. It proposes a balanced level of European Commission 
intervention, focussing on the cl ose cooperation with the Member States with the aim of 
improving the internal organisation of administra tions, of increasing the quality of electronic 
interactions with citizens, businesses and othe r organisations, and of  creating more added 
value for the internal market at large. 
2.5.3.  Scenario 3: An extensive Action Plan 
The extensive Action Plan would build upon the focused plan by accelerating the 
identification of areas for additional Eur opean action, extending s upport programmes, and 
initiating legislative measures. Typical examples  of additional areas w ould be: more extensive 
activities in standards and interoperability areas; widespread benc hmarking and analysis; 
more extensive R&D, piloting, validation a nd implementation support to convert technology 
developments and organisational learning into re al advancements and the delivery of tangible 
benefits. The transformational ch ange would be supported by legisl ative actions at  EU level in 
order to make the electronic implementati ons of eGovernment at national level more 
compatible with each other. 
The main benefit of this scenario would be  faster progress on a mu ch broader range of 
services and activities than in the focused Action Plan. Fi nancial benefits beyond scenario 2 
would, however, not necessarily increase proportionally with th e number of areas addressed 
as learning and re-use may satu rate, though the leverage of ke y enablers such as eID would 
increase. It is difficult to make a financial es timate of the benefits. However, even if the 
additional benefits are in the same order as thos e in scenario 2, there is a considerably larger 
risk associated with attaining them. 
Despite the accelerated progress of eGovernment in  Europe, the costs of reinforcing pilots at 
the EU level are significantly higher for the Euro pean Commission and Member States than in 
scenario 2, and would require the availability of substantial additiona l budget in the next 5 
years. It would entail higher management and c oordination costs. The risk would also be that 
Member States cannot find the resources to match EU co-funding for the IP ICT PSP Large 
Scale Projects. In addition to this, there is a risk  that Member States would perceive actions at 
EU level as overambitious, which could lead to a reduced level of Member States' commitment in advancing eGovernment in Euro pe. As a result, some Member States could 
decide to withdraw from projects they are part icipating in. Another risk is that legislative 
measures would be proposed before the Large Scale Pilots have been  tested thoroughly and 
                                                
 
45 http://eups20.wordpress.co m/the-open-declaration/ 
EN 21   EN their results have been fully achieved. Th is would reduce the su pport for legislative 
intervention at European level. 
Scenario 3 seems to be attrac tive, as it would advance eG overnment through an increased 
intervention at EU level. Howe ver, it involves a higher cost for the European Commission and 
Member States to deliver results, a need fo r greater coordination and management, and an 
increased risk of losing some Member States' commitment. In conclusion, the combination of 
increased costs, higher management and coordi nation overhead and risk  of withdrawal of 
commitment makes this option less sustai nable and favourable than scenario 2. 
2.6. Conclusion 
eGovernment in Europe is going through a paradigm shift, which is much more than a simple 
transformation of paperwork-based processes in to an on-line equivalent. Rather, it entails a 
complete re-thinking, and in many cases redesign of the service provision approach. 
Nevertheless, although online provision of eGove rnment services has made great leaps in 
recent years, it has not been followed by an equa l progress in take-up, especially by citizens.  
The evidence summarised in this chapter sugges ts that in order to increase the take-up by 
citizens, policies need to focus on increasing th e quality of public services by adopting a more 
user-centred approach rather than administra tion-centred. Both the public and the private 
sector should increasingly colla borate in order to maximise the value for society at large. In 
order to avoid fragmentation in the internal market both sectors should consider the cross-
border aspect in their collaboration. 
A comprehensive eGovernment Action Plan w ould be complementary to national Action 
Plans. The role of the European Commission is  to support innovation in eGovernment in order 
to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of eGovernment and to support the development and provision of cross-border services. This will improve the functioning of the internal 
market and empower all social and economic actors in the European Union. The focus of 
actions at EU level should correspond to the po litical commitments that Member States have 
agreed upon in order to achieve a high likeli hood of success. The following chapter will deal 
with these issues and will expl ain in depth how the political co mmitments that Member States 
have made in the Malmö Declaration s hould be converted into an Action Plan.
  
3. GENERAL  POLICY  OBJECTIVES 
This Action Plan includes a range of compleme ntary actions aimed at the provision of a new 
generation of eGovernment servi ces for businesses and citizens. Both Member States and the 
Commission will cooperate closely in order to implement the Action Plan. The role of the 
European Commission is to contribute by bringi ng together the actors and creating synergies 
in order to facilitate the modernisation of the public sector. Both the Commission and the Member States aim to address potential fragme ntations of the internal market caused by 
uncoordinated or non-interoperable implement ations of ICT-based public services.  
The first part of this chapter describes th e context of the new Action Plan. Part two 
summarises the Malmö Declaration. The third part  explains the alignmen t of the Action Plan 
vis-à-vis the EU2020 initiative and the Digital Ag enda for Europe. Part four links the Action 
Plan to current legislative initiatives. Part five describes the links within the Action Plan. The sixth part elaborates on the implementation measures. 
EN 22   EN 3.1. Context of the Action Plan 
The eGovernment Action Plan responds to a call from Member States for a shared 
eGovernment policy in the European Union in  order to build on past achievements and 
increase collaboration on eGovernment. This includes joint action between Member States 
and close collaboration with the European Commission. This call was made in the Malmö 
Declaration. 
The Action Plan aims to implement the Malmö Declaration and is the successor of the Action 
Plan 2006-201046. The Ministerial Declaration has also received support from the industry as 
DigitalEurope adopted an Industry Declaration47 that was presented at the conference. An 
Open Declaration48 on public services 2.0 resulted in the involvement of citizens and the 
endorsement of three key principles includi ng transparency, particip ation and empowerment. 
The Council Conclusions49 on post i2010 of the European  Council of 7 December 2009 
restated the importance of the Malmö Declara tion and invited the European Commission and 
the Member States to implement its  objectives. The Granada Declaration50 reaffirmed a 
number of priorities of the Ma lmö Declaration. The Digital Agenda51 further supported 
among others, a number of eGovernment related actions. 
3.2. Malmö Declaration 
The Malmö Declaration calls for an Action Plan that will contribute to a new generation of 
open, flexible and personalised eGovernment servic es of administrations at local, regional, 
national, and European  level. Those services should em power citizens and businesses and 
should seamlessly interact. The Malmö Declara tion on eGovernment defines four political 
priorities, of which one is a horizontal priority: 
1. To support the creation of eGovernment services, which empower citizens and 
businesses. Such services should be designed around their needs and possibly 
developed in collaboration with users. Th ey should provide better access to public 
information, make governments and administrations more transparent and provide 
effective means of increasing the involve ment of citizens and businesses in the 
policy-making process. 
2. To increase the mobility of citizens and businesses in the single market. Cross-border 
services should be developed that corre spond to real social and economic needs. 
Seamless services should enable entreprene urs to set up and run a business anywhere 
in Europe independently of their original  location and allow individuals to study, 
work, reside and retire anywhe re in the European Union.  
                                                 
46 Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European 
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, i2010 eGovernment Action Plan: 
Accelerating eGovernment in Europe for the Benef it of All {SEC(2006) 511} . COM(2006) 173 final, 
Brussels, 25.04.2006. 
47 http://www.digitaleur ope.org/index.php?id =34&id_article=390 
48 An Open Declaration reflecting the growing interest of citizens in eGovernment was presented in 
Malmö in response to the Ministerial Declaration (http://eups20.wordpress.com/the-open-declaration/). 
49 Council Conclusions on Post i-2010 Strategy - towards an open, green and competitive knowledge 
society. 2987th Transport, Tel ecommunication and Energy Council meeting Brussels, 18 December 
2009. On-line: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedo cs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/trans/111999.pdf 
50 Informal Ministerial Declaration,  Granada, Spain, 19 April 2010. 
51 COM(2010) 245 (http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda) 
EN 23   EN 3. To improve the efficiency and effectiv eness of governments and public services. 
This includes actions that use eGovernment to reduce the administrative burden, to improve organisational processes and to pr omote a sustainable low-carbon economy.  
4. To create the legal and t echnical pre-conditions enabli ng the implementation of the 
above priorities. This includes the developm ent of key enablers such as eIdentity 
management, the promotion of interopera bility through open specifications and the 
stimulation of innovation in eGovernment in general. 
In addition, the Malmö Declar ation provides guidance on the governance and implementation 
of the priorities in the Declaration. In brie f, Member States have  invited the European 
Commission to organise the joint governan ce through collaboration and coordination on the 
development of the Action Plan for 2011 to 2015.
 
3.3. Alignment with EU2020 and the Digital Agenda for Europe 
By supporting digitally enabled public services in the European Union, the Action Plan also 
contributes to building a knowledge based, sustainable and inclusive economy for the 
European Union, as set forth in the EU 2020 Strategy52. It supports and complements the 
Digital Agenda for Europe, thr ough actions in the area of ICT for governments and public 
services.  
Combined, the actions proposed in the Action Plan  have the ambition to increase the take-up 
of eGovernment services from approximately 38 % of citizens on average in Europe in 2010 to 
50% in 201553 and from just over 70% of busin esses in 2010 up to 80% in 201554.  
3.3.1.  Alignment with EU2020 
The priorities in the Action Plan are in line with 'the Political Guidelines for the next 
Commission' proposed by President Barroso an d support the vision for a European Digital 
Agenda for Europe outlined by Vice President Kroes. To achieve a sustainable future, the 
European Commission launched the Europe 2020 Strategy in March 2010 to prepare the EU 
economy for the next decade.  
The eGovernment Action Plan contribut es to the EU2020 agenda as follows: 
1. In the context of the current economic, social and environmen tal challenges, the 
Action Plan points out how the potential of eGovernment can be increased and 
stresses the need to deliver better public services with fewer resources. The need for 
a quicker transformation in th e public sector as a result of public sector reforms has 
been highlighted by the financial crisis55. The Action Plan has the ambition to 
support further reduction of administrative  burdens, improve the integration of 
administrative processes and hence cont ribute to increasing efficiency and 
effectiveness in the design a nd delivery of public services. 
                                                 
52 Communication from the Commission. Europe 2020. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive 
growth. COM(2010) 2020, Brussels, 3.3.2010. 
53 This figure is defined in the Digital Agenda for Europe. 
54 The figures presented assume a st able growth of internet broadband penetration and adoption in the 
same period. 
55 OECD: The Financial and Economic Crisis – Impact on eGovernment in OECD countries - 
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/57/57/44089570.pdf 
EN 24   EN 2. One of the priorities of the Action Plan is the empowerment of citizens and 
businesses; it aims at ensuring that open and user-driven, participatory and 
collaborative public services contribute to this empowerment. eGovernment services 
need to be provided in a transparent wa y, designed for all, and personalised.  
3. Sustainable growth is at the heart of the Action Plan. It proposes ways to close the 
remaining gaps in the internal market and promotes mobility of citizens and 
businesses through the portability  of services. One of the pr iorities of th e Action Plan 
is that eGovernment supports the internal market so th at citizens can study, work, 
reside and retire in any country and that  businesses can start a company or provide 
and purchase services and goods anywhere in the internal ma rket. In a broader sense, 
the Action Plan proposes to identify legal, technical and organisa tional obstacles that 
hinder the development of cross-border eGove rnment services. The Action Plan also 
promotes innovation in eGovernment.  
4. The Action Plan calls for efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of government 
operations and public services and to c ontribute to wider carbon-reduction targets 
through the efficient use of technology. 
eGovernment can help with reinforcing EU citizen s' participation, supports an internal market 
fit for the 21st century, and ensures that public services can serve an economy which relies on 
the networks of the future. 
3.3.2.  Alignment with the Digital Agenda for Europe 
On 19 May 2010 Vice-President Kroes has presented the Digital Agenda for Europe56 with 
the aim of contributing to the EU's economic grow th and spreading the be nefits of the digital 
era to all sections of society. Th e Digital Agenda is the first of  seven flagship initiatives under 
the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It outlines seven priority 
areas for action: creating a dig ital Single Market, greater inte roperability, boosting internet 
trust and security, much faster internet access, more investment in research and development, 
enhancing digital literacy skills and inclusi on, and applying informa tion and communications 
technologies to address the challenges facing society like climate change and the ageing 
population. In these seven areas, the Digital Ag enda foresees some 100 follow-up actions, of 
which 31 would be legislative. Five of thos e areas have a clear link with eGovernment. 
The Digital Agenda for Europe  clearly states that Member  States should "implement 
commitments on interoperability and standards in the Malmö and Granada Declarations by 
2013" and that "European governments are comm itted to making user-centric, personalised, 
multiplatform eGovernment services  a widespread reality by 2015." 
In addition, it provides guida nce to the European eGovernme nt agenda by defining clear 
actions in the priority areas. The list below provides the most notable  actions related to 
eGovernment: 
– In the priority area 'A new Single Market to deliver the benefits of the digital era' the 
European Commission urges public authoritie s to make public sector information 
available and calls for more secure electronic identity solutions ensuring 
interoperability based on standard s and open development platforms. 
                                                 
56 COM(2010) 245 (http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda) 
EN 25   EN – The priority 'Improve ICT standard-setti ng and interoperabili ty' defines the key 
action to promote interopera bility between public admini strations which will involve 
the Commission's adoption of a European Inte roperability Strategy and the European 
Interoperability Framework to be drawn up under the ISA programme. 
– The priority 'Boost cutting-edge research and innovation in ICT' emphasises that 
"Europe’s public sector expe nditure should be used to spur innovation while raising 
the efficiency and quality of public servi ces." In particular, it notes that Europe 
makes little use of procurement of innovation and R&D to improve the quality and performance of its public serv ices. To that end innovative and interoperable solutions 
in areas of public interest should be test ed and developed in the framework of the 
CIP. In addition, an EU-wide strategy on "cloud computing" notably for government 
(and science) should be developed
57. 
– The priority "Empower all Europeans with digital skills and accessible online 
services" aims to bridge the digital di vide by helping members of disadvantaged 
social groups to participate on a more equal footing in se rvices such as eGovernment. 
In particular, public websites a nd online services in the EU that are important to take 
a full part in public life shoul d be brought in lin e with internationa l web accessibility 
standards. 
– eGovernment is very prominent in the priority area "Unleash the potential of ICT to 
benefit society"58. This key action foresees that  the European Commission should 
propose a Council and Parliament Decision  to ensure mutual recognition of 
eIdentification and eAuthentication acro ss the EU based on online 'authentication 
services' to be offered in all Member States. In addition to this, actions for the European Commission encompass the support of seamless cross-border 
eGovernment services in the internal market through the CIP ICT PSP and ISA programmes, a White Paper on how to inte rconnect eProcurement  capacity across the 
internal market, and the implementati on of an eCommission 2011-2015 Action Plan. 
Actions that address Member States are the interoperability of eGovernment services, 
overcoming organisational, t echnical or semantic barr iers and supporting IPv6, 
ensuring that the Points of Single Cont act function as fully fledged eGovernment 
centres beyond the requirements and areas covered by the Services Directive, an 
agreement on a common list of key cro ss-border public serv ices – enabling 
entrepreneurs to set up and r un a business anywhere in Europe independently of their 
original location, and allowing citizens to study, work, reside and retire anywhere in 
the European Union.  
– The Digital Agenda also points out a targ et aiming at 50% of the citizens using 
eGovernment, with more than half of them returning completed forms. In addition, it 
defines that the key cross-border public servi ces contained in the list to be agreed by 
Member States by 2011, should be available online by 2015. 
eGovernment related actions  listed in the Digital Agenda for Eu rope will be ela borated in this 
eGovernment Action Plan. 
                                                
 
57 The strategy should consider economic, legal and institutional aspects. 
58 The actions referring to a review of the Public acce ss to Environmental Inform ation Directive, and the 
implementation of cross-border eEnvironment services have not been taken into consideration in the 
eGovernment Action Plan.  
EN 26   EN 3.4. Links between the eGovernment Action Plan and existing EU initiatives 
A growing number of EU legislat ive acts relate to, or rely o n, eGovernment services for their 
implementation. Examples incl ude the Services Directive59, the eSignatures Directive60, the 
Directive on the protection of personal data61, the Directive on the re-use of Public Sector 
Information62, legislation in the area of procurement63, and the INSPIRE Directive 
2007/2/EC64 on spatial information. Furthermore, a nu mber of important policy initiatives are 
of direct interest to eGovernment, such as the Action Plan on eSignatu res and eIdentification 
to facilitate the provision of cross-bo rder public services in the Single Market65, the Action 
Plan for the implementation of the lega l framework for electronic procurement66, the Action 
Programme for Reducing Admini strative Burdens in the EU, Sectoral Reduction Plans and 
2009 Actions67, Interoperability Solutions for European Public Administrations68, the Seventh 
Framework Programme for R&D69, the ICT Policy Support Programme under the 
Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme70, and the Lisbon Treaty providing 
for a citizens’ initiative71 and supporting administrative cooperation72. 
3.5. Links between priorities within the Action Plan 
This Action Plan follows the sequence of the four political priorities in the Malmö 
Declaration. However, these four  political priorities should not be regarded as independent 
                                                 
59 Directive 2006/123/EC of the Eu ropean Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on 
services in the internal market, OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, on-line: http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriSer v.do?uri=CELEX:32006L0123:EN:NOT 
60 Directive 1999/93/EC of the Eu ropean Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a 
Community framework for electronic signatures, OJ L 013 , 19/01/2000 P. 0012 – 0020, on-line: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/Lex UriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri= CELEX:31999L0093:EN:HTML 
61 Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the 
protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of 
such data, Official Journal L 281 , 23/11/1995, on-line: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriSer v.do?uri=CELEX:31995L0046:EN:HTML 
62 Directive 2003/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the re-
use of public sector information, Official Journal L 345 , 31/12/2003 P. 0090 – 0096, on-line: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriSer v.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0098:EN:HTML 
63 http://ec.europa.e u/internal_market/p ublicprocurement/legislation_en.htm 
64 Directive 2007/2/EC, OJ L 108/1 of 25.04.2007 (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:108:0001:0014:en:PDF) 
65 COM(2008) 798 final: Communication from the Commission to the Council and European Parliament, 
Action Plan on e-signatures and e-identification to fac ilitate the provision of crossborder public services 
in the Single Market, (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0798:FIN:EN:PDF) 
66 OJ L 134/1, 30.04.2004 (http://www.dkom.si/util/bin.php?id=2004121408020465 and http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:134:0001:0113:EN:PDF) 
67 COM(2009) 544 final: Communication from the Commission to the Council and European Parliament, 
Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the EU, Sectoral Reduction Plans and 2009 Actions, on-line: http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0544:FIN:EN:PDF 
68 Decision 922/2009/EC, of 16.09.2009 (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:260:0020:0027:EN:PDF) 
69 http://cordis.europa.eu/home_en.html 
70 Decision No 1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 
establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013), on-line: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/e n/oj/2006/l_310/l_31020061109en00150040.pdf 
71 Art. 11 of the Treaty on  European Union and Art. 24 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union 
72 Art. 6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 
EN 27   EN priorities, as they are very closely interlinked. A few examples are descri bed below in order to 
explain some of the links: 
– The possibility to re-use public sector info rmation throughout Europe  will not stop at 
national borders and will stre ngthen the internal market.  
– An increased participation of users may be taken one level up by actively involving 
businesses and citizens in the developmen t and production of eGovernment services, 
thus also contributing to more efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of 
government services. 
– There is a direct link between the setting up of an electronic identities management 
infrastructure in Europe and the creat ion of new cross-border services.  
– New computing paradigms such as services in the cloud and advanced service 
oriented architectures may allow administ rations to innovate in a more flexible 
manner, reduce costs of service development and enhance the conditions for further innovation.  
There are many more examples that demonstrate that the priorities of the Malmö Declaration 
and of this Action Plan are interdependent. The first three priorities (empowerment, internal 
market, and efficiency and effectiveness) ca n only be achieved if pre-conditions and key 
enabling technologies are put in place. This would improve the interoperability and the 
quality of services, offer guarantees for securi ty and privacy and create the conditions for 
further service innov ation. In a climate of economic austerit y it therefore make s sense to start 
with improving the back-office systems that re quire immediate invest ment and create the 
conditions for new social and economic developm ents and to put in place the key enablers, 
such as electronic identities,  that are the foundation of a ny new and improved eGovernment 
service. 
3.6. Type of actions and measures 
The Action Plan distinguishes three types of actions and related measures to support the 
implementation of the priorities of the Malmö Decl aration. Most of thes e types of actions can 
also be undertaken by a group of Member States  which aim to work more closely together. 
3.6.1.  Defining and reaching commonly defined targets with the Member States 
This type of action focuses on areas where ac tions in the field of eGovernment are led by 
Member States, using their own resources. While the main respons ibility for defining targets 
and reaching them rests with the Member States, the role of the European Commission lies mainly in the stimulation, support and coordination of th ese activities.  
In this context, the proposed measures can  include the setting up working groups, the 
exchange of best practice, studi es to generate new knowledge, th e exchange of information in 
order to define and to agree on targets and th e formulation of recommendations or guidelines 
on how to reach them, and the monitoring and ev aluation of the achievements of the Member 
States by the Commission. 
EN 28   EN 3.6.2.  Joint development of services and sharing of results 
This type of action involves the European Commission and the Member States working 
jointly to develop or deploy new services, typically cross-border  services, or to improve or 
extend existing ones. Typically, the Commission w ill take the lead in activities where joint 
resources are used, such as deployment proj ects or research and development, while the 
Member States hold the final re sponsibility for imple menting activities that  rely more on their 
own resources.  
Such actions may involve research and developm ent projects, the setting up of pilot projects, 
the roll-out of the results and solutions of p ilot projects, the collaborative development of 
services by Member States, or the tr ansfer of knowledge to the market.  
3.6.3.  Creating enabling conditions  
For this, the European Commission can make use of policy actions to leverage the activities 
of the Member States in eGovernment. This ma y involve the formulation of guidelines, the 
development of legal instruments, the setting of standards, the implementation of enabling 
technologies and provision of (re -usable) technical building bl ocks as well as ensuring 
interoperability.  
It should be noted that, with respect to the proposed three types of instruments, not all 
activities should be undertake n simultaneously by all Member  States. A limited frontrunner 
group of Member States could take action and de monstrate the potential of the activities and 
actions while others could join at a later stage. 
4. PRIORITIES  AND  OBJECTIVES  OF THE  ACTION  PLAN   
The eGovernment Action Plan implements the four main priority areas of the Malmö 
Declaration subdivided in 14 pol icy priorities. This chapter reviews in depth the policy 
priorities and seeks to provide ev idence to develop sound policies.  
4.1. User Empowerment 
User empowerment is the key objective of this  priority. The new generation of eGovernment 
services will better meet the expectations of  users by ensuring that  services are designed 
around their needs and developed in collaboration  with them, whenever possible. They should 
provide better access to public information, make governments and administrations more 
transparent and provide effective means of in creasing the active involvement of citizens and 
businesses in the policy-making process thro ugh the implementation of newly available 
technologies. The main considerat ion is that the customer must  always be at the centre of 
what administrations do.  
4.1.1.  User centric and in clusive services 
The Progress Report on the i2010 eGovernment Action Plan in the EU27+73 has addressed the 
"need for a more deep-seated transformation in the way governments use ICT to provide 
services…", by explaining that "the  use of services hit a ceiling [… ] as far as citizen usage is 
                                                 
73 Millard Jeremy, Shahin Jamal et al. (2009). i20 10 eGovernment Action Plan Progress Study. Report for 
the European Commission, Brussels: Inform ation Society and Me dia Directorate.  
EN 29   EN concerned given that citizen services are still largely based on existing silos and a 
government-centric approach." It is therefore im portant to identify, assess  and consider users' 
needs and expectations when designing and deliv ering services. One of the major challenges 
that should be addressed is the diversity of us ers of services. It is not possible to create a 
single service that everyone will ea gerly use and be satisfied with.  
Instead public administrations should offer t ools that are designed around users' needs and 
provide flexible and persona lised ways of interacting with public administrations. 
Personalised services allow citizens and businesses to perform transactions with most public service providers, and to monitor the progress of administrative actions relating to them. In 
addition, the usability of eGovernment services should be improved in or der to cater for the 
different needs of users by de livering eGovernment services th rough multiple channels and by 
ensuring that new electronic content is also full y available to socially disadvantaged persons.  
This group typically consists of  people with low income, poor e ducation, marginalised status, 
or living in isolated locations (rural areas). It st ill represents a significant part of the European 
population and it is therefore important to design,  implement and provide services that respect 
accessibility principles and, more specifically, that comply with the WAI guidelines (Web 
Accessibility Initiative from the World Wide Web Consortium).  In addition, service provision 
for socially disadvantaged groups needs to be improved by working on multi-channel 
delivery.  
The objective of these actions is that public sector websites (and websites providing basic 
services to citizens) should be fully accessi ble by 2015. By the same time Member States 
should have personalised we b services in place.  
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011-
2013 The Commission will support Member States  in developing eGove rnment services 
designed around user needs, and in en suring inclusiveness and accessibility by: 
– agreeing common targets and evaluation criteria with the Member States, 
– organising exchanges of valuable expertise at national, regional or local level to 
support additional take-up,  
– supporting effective and concrete accessibili ty solutions, compliant with relevant 
European and international standards wh en available, through demonstration . 
2013 Member States will develop personalised  online services including functionalities 
such as monitoring the progress of tran sactions with public administrations. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
support to the Member States to: 
– assist the Member States in defining common targets, corresponding tools and 
evaluation criteria for user-centricity, acces sibility and inclusiveness of eGovernment 
services. Where appropriate, it will suppor t European standards for eAccessibility 
and referring to the latest specifications  from the Web Accessibility Initiative; 
– organise the exchange of knowledge and expertise between Member States about 
delivering socially inclusive public serv ices including the development of multi-
channel strategies; 
EN 30   EN – organise the exchange of knowledge and expertise between Member States about 
delivering personalised services, including f unctionalities monitoring the progress of 
interactions with public administrations; 
– evaluate the achievements of Member Stat es on user-centricity, accessibility and 
inclusiveness of eGovernment services. 
4.1.2.  Collaborative Production of Services 
Although internet users get increasingly involve d in shaping and customising the services 
they want, the involvement of citizens and bus inesses in collaborative production and design 
of eGoverment services is still a relatively unexplored topic. The reason for this is that most 
European governments still seem cautious to e ngage third parties to deploy collaborative 
approaches. Third parties can be businesses, civi l society or individual citizens, e.g. software 
producers facilitating the interaction between ad ministrations and users. The Progress Report 
on the i2010 eGovernment Action Plan in the EU27+74 notes the need "to undergo a transition 
from an eGovernment 1.0 government-centric phase to a second generation eGovernment 2.0 
[…] user-driven phase before further significant take-up and impacts will be seen". The impact of the sharing production of  services with others will l ead to the creation of more 
innovative, flexible and personalised services. This will increase the overall effectiveness of eGovernment services and maximise public value. In this respect, the Ci tizens' Declaration of 
Malmö
75 emphasises that the "capacity to collab orate with citizens should become a core 
competence of government". 
In order to achieve this, it should be possible to analyse the possibilities offered by ICT-based 
collaborative production techniques with the aim of engaging third parties, in developing 
services. This should lead to new open and collaborative services.  
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 Based on a study, the Commission will first assess how to involve users actively in 
design and production of eGovernment services and further elaborate 
recommendations / guidelines with and for the Member States.  
2011-
2013 The Commission will facilitate excha nges of knowledge and experience between 
stakeholders, and, agree with Member St ates on common targets for the roll out 
collaborative services. 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– initiating a study on the possi bilities for developing eGovernment services using 
methods of collaborative production. The study will assess the user needs and establish a joint mechanism to analyse how and for which purpose collaborative 
technologies and methodologies  can best be implemented in public administrations. 
                                                
 
74 Millard Jeremy, Shahin Jamal et al. (2009). i20 10 eGovernment Action Plan Progress Study. Report for 
the European Commission, Brussels: Inform ation Society and Me dia Directorate.  
75 See: http://eups20.wordpress.com/the-open-declaration/ 
EN 31   EN – supporting the Member States in defini ng targets and measurements for the 
development and provision of  collaborative services; 
– facilitating the exchange of experience be tween Member States and stakeholders 
such as national, regional and local administrations as well as private and civil parties; 
– supporting the Member States in evaluating the mutual achievements in developing 
and offering services for collaborative production; 
– monitoring and evaluating the achievements of Member States in developing and 
offering open and collaborative services. 
4.1.3.  Re-use of Public Sector Information 
Information produced and stored by public admini strations represents a massive resource with 
unique potential for re-use by thir d parties to create new products  and services and to offer 
consumers more choice and more value for money. Through value added services and new 
products, the re-use of public information can stimulate public engagement, as well as business innovation, growth and jobs. 
There are many issues that need to be addresse d to ensure optimal re -use of public sector 
information. It is often difficult to determine what information is available and under what 
conditions it can be accessed. The lack of common principles  for storing and describing 
information at various levels of administrati on and across countries ma y make it difficult to 
combine (mash) data from different sources to provide new insights and potentially new 
services. Re-using information at the European  level faces additional linguistic, semantic, 
regulatory, organisational, and cultural challenges
76. 
The Directive77 of 17 November 2003 on the re-use of  public sector information (PSI 
Directive) aims to overcome the barriers that limit the re-use of  public sector information. The 
actions under this priority are linked to th e implementation of this Directive. Well 
implemented, the PSI Directive enables Member Stat es to maximise the va lue of PSI re-use at 
national level.  
Member States have been required to identify a nd make public data res ources that are readily 
available for re-use in all pre-existing format s and languages, and to take practical measures, 
such as the establishment of national PSI portals , to support re-use. Othe r rules established by 
the Directive include an obliga tion to provide clear rules for charging based on re-use-friendly 
principles, and to apply transparent and non-di scriminatory conditions to re-use. While the 
Directive allows for charging for the informa tion, Member States are encouraged to make 
their information resources available at – at maximum – marginal costs. 
                                                 
76 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Pl an. Preliminary Report, 
Assumptions Analysis: reconstructing the interventio n logic. Prepared for the European Commission, 
Rand Europe: Brussels. 
77 Directive 2003/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the re-
use of public sector information, OJ L345/90: 31 December 2003. See: 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ psi/docs/pdfs/directive/psi_directive_en.pdf 
EN 32   EN Although progress in PSI re-use has been made since the adoption of the PSI Directive, the 
full potential of PSI still remains underexploite d in Europe. Remaining problems concern high 
prices, unfair competition in the market by public sector bodies, pe rsisting restrictive 
licensing conditions, lack of tr ansparency, practical problems to identify public sector 
information resources, and a lack of machine readable formats. 
Additional points for action for Member Stat es have been included in the Commission 
Communication on the review of the application of the PSI Directive78. In the context of the 
Digital Agenda for Europe, the second review of  Directive has been signalled as one of the 
key actions of the initiative. 
In order to maximise the potential of PSI re-use , Member States are invited to take proactive 
deployment measures. 
To achieve the above, th e proposed actions are: 
2011 Member States will agree on a common set of PSI re-use indicators. 
2011 The Commission will conduct a study to asse ss to what extent  open data catalogues 
and/or PSI portals (e.g. data.gov.uk) ha ve been developed and implemented by 
Member States  
2011-2013 The Commission will facilitate exchange s of good practice and awareness-raising 
activities, and will adopt its own internal PSI strategy based on a review of the PSI Decision.  
2011-2012 The Commission will review the PSI Directive,  as indicated in the Digital Agenda 
for Europe, and will consider the possibility of an extended strategy for European PSI. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include: 
– organising meetings of the PSI Group79 where Member States will define and agree 
on a common set of PSI re-use indicators to be monitored over time, and where 
Member States can exchange information and best practices. 
4.1.4.  Improvement of Transparency 
Transparency of public administration is a m eans to acquire public support for policies and 
institutions in the long term. Transparency also  involves the use of new technologies to allow 
users to trace their personal data stored by public administrations, to check who accessed their 
administrative files and for what purpose, and to gain insight into the reasoning behind actions 
and the process of decision making. This is by fa r the most requested feature of eGovernment 
                                                 
78 For more information, see http://ec.europa.e u/information_society/policy/psi/index_en.htm 
79 In 2002, the Commission set up an expert group called PSI Group. It consists of Member State officials, 
local or regional authorities, and representatives from private sector organisations who meet regularly to 
exchange good practises of PSI re-use and initiatives supporting PSI re-use and discuss practical issues 
regarding the transposition of the PSI Directive. 
EN 33   EN services by citizens. In the Rand80 survey of citizens 51% of  respondents request this 
possibility, and the Citizens' Declaration of Malmö also called for more transparency. By 
providing citizens with more, clearer and better informa tion, administrations will become 
more accountable for their actions. If app lied effectively, transparency can reduce 
administrative burden, duplicat ion and corruption, and thus  increase efficiency and 
effectiveness. As a result, it will incr ease trust of citizens and businesses. 
Hence, transparency needs to be defined furthe r, especially consideri ng that the public tends 
to become more demanding. Although many indivi dual Member States ha ve defined goals for 
transparency, Europe has not yet defined commo n objectives for transparency. This provides 
a ground for setting common objectives on a voluntar y basis and for sharing experience. On 
this basis, the European Commission will in itiate actions that support reaching commonly 
defined targets. 
The objective is that, depending on their nati onal legislation, by 2013 Member States will 
publish on-line all public information on g overnment policies, public budgets and 
expenditures, as well as laws and regulation. In addition, the aim is that EU citizens should be 
able to check on-line which personal data ar e kept electronically on them by public 
administrations. Actions should be in accordance with the Data Protection Directive81. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 The Commission and Member States wi ll set common volunt ary transparency 
targets and exchange available experiences. 
2013 Member States and the Co mmission will provide online access to information on 
government laws and regulations, policies and finance. 
2014 In accordance with Data Protection Direct ive 95/46/EC, Member States will enable 
citizens to have electronic ac cess to those personal data that are held on them when 
available electronically and will inform th em electronically when ever such data are 
being processed by automatic means, in a simple and unambiguous manner. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include: 
– organising the exchange of best practi ce examples on transparency enhancing 
measures with a view to making admini strative processes widely accessible; 
– stimulating the Member States to provide  personal data websites where users can 
control their personal data. 
                                                 
80 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Pl an. Preliminary Report, 
Assumptions Analysis: reconstructing the interventio n logic. Prepared for the European Commission, 
Rand Europe: Brussels. 
81 OJ L 281, 23.11.1995 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriSer v.do?uri=CELEX:31995L0046:EN:HTML) 
EN 34   EN 4.1.5.  Involvement of citizens and busine sses in policy-making processes  
The Rand82 survey of citizens reveals th at a vast majority of citizens feel that their opinion is 
not sufficiently valued by the government, and th ey estimate that online tools are an effective 
means to remedy this situation. New participat ive Web 2.0 technologies can provide citizens 
with means to understand legislative processes and to voice their opinions and views on 
policy issues. This will boost the legitimacy of policies and administrative decisions. By 
improving the quality of decisions, user involvem ent in policy has great pot ential to bridge the 
perceived gap between governments and citizens.  
In order to strength en participation and democratic decision-making, more knowledge is 
needed on how online consultati ons (including blogs and other forms of eParticipation) can 
actually influence the political discourse and political agenda setting. In fact, how 
accountability and responsibility is tracked and controlled, and how information is distributed 
and checked still need to be explored in more  detail. Member States are seeking concrete 
suggestions on how to engage people for an ac tive democracy and how to exploit ICT when 
dealing with empowered citizens. This also  encompasses digital applications for mass 
involvement of citizens in policy-making, tran sparent decision-making, accessible legislation 
processes and digitally interactive relati ons between politicians and citizens.  
At EU level, the Treaty of Lisbon defines the principles of democratic governance of the EU 
one of which is participatory democracy (notab ly the Citizens' Initiative provisions in Article 
11). These new forms of interaction between c itizens and the European Institutions in the 
EU's decision-making processes provide new imp etus for active user involvement in policy 
making and create a new institutional framework for developments. This will support the implementation of 'eParticipation' tools for citizens.  
The Malmö Declaration proposes to actively de velop and promote more useful and better 
ways for businesses and citizens to participate in  the policy processes. Some actions in this 
context have already been initiated in 2010 and will be pursued under this Action Plan.  
In 2010, the European Commission has launc hed several FP7 projects on governance and 
policy modelling as well as eParticipati on pilots under the CIP ICT PSP programme, 
supporting the involvement of stakeholders  in policy-making processes and productive 
collaboration. These projects provide a base fo r implementation schemes and the exchange of 
best practices. The first resu lts of projects launched und er the CIP ICT PSP and FP7 
programme should be disseminated by the European Commission to  administrations at local, 
national and European level. In addition, the ava ilability of operational participative services 
based on pilot projects in Member States needs to be assessed. 
The intended outcome of these actions is the availability of operational services in the 
Member States.  
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 The Commission will collaborate with Member  States on developing the electronic 
                                                 
82 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Pl an. Preliminary Report, 
Assumptions Analysis: reconstructing the interventio n logic. Prepared for the European Commission, 
Rand Europe: Brussels. 
EN 35   EN service to support ‘cit izens initiatives ’ (as foreseen by Art. 11 of the Treaty on 
European Union). 
2011 The Commission will assess existing re search projects and launch new ones under 
the ‘ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling’ objective of the 2011-2012 FP7 
Work Programme and ensure further exch anges of knowledge and best practice. 
2011-
2015 Member States, the Commission and other representative institutions such as 
parliaments should develop services that i nvolve stakeholders in public debates and 
decision-making processes building on pilots and demonstration.  
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– organising the exchange of experiences betw een Member States and stakeholders on 
services that involve stake holders in public debates a nd decision-making processes; 
– following-up the CIP ICT PSP pilots on eParticipation; 
– following-up the evaluation of the FP7 re search projects on policy modelling and 
governance; 
– making available the results of eParticipa tion projects under the CIP and the research 
projects on policy mode lling and governance; 
– assessing the availability of participative services in Member States. 
4.2. Internal Market 
eGovernment should support the further construction of the internal market . There is a need to 
do ground breaking work: the delivery of cross- border services and the stimulation of 
mobility for citizens and businesses. Substant ial problems remain to be solved in the 
transferability of public services such as those re lated to social security rights, health benefits, 
pensions and other personal serv ices, or to facilitate eProcurement across borders. The 
barriers which still exist can  be broken down by means of better and more effective 
eGovernment services, by facilitating mobility for citizens and businesses, and by creating synergies in eGovernment solutions.  
In addition to this, cooperation among dispersed organisations in different countries, with 
different cultures, jurisdictions, legal traditions, incentives and concerns, obviously makes 
cross-border cooperation a challe nge. With this in mind, the aim of this priority is to support 
the easier provision of services that can be  offered to all businesses and citizens across 
borders in the internal market. 
4.2.1.  Seamless Services for Business  
The objective of this priority is to increa se business mobility by supporting cross-border 
eProcurement and capitalising on the implementa tion of the Services Directive. Actions in 
these areas help businesses to interact a nd do business with publ ic administrations by 
electronic means, as well as across borders. 
EN 36   EN The first objective of this priority addr esses an interoperabl e and easily accessible 
eProcurement infrastructure, so that European  companies can provide their services more 
easily to clients in other Member States . Currently, public procurement represents 
approximately 16% of the EU's GDP and the va lue of public procuremen t advertised at EU 
level amounts to around €1500 b illion. Therefore, Europe ha s substantial opportunity to 
benefit from an internal market approach83. Nevertheless, the lack of common standards for 
electronic data exchange is c onsidered an obstacle for comp anies to participate without 
barriers in public procurement processes. An in teroperable eProcurement infrastructure would 
result in economies of scale, so that Europ ean companies could provide their services more 
easily to clients in other Member States. This will contribute further to the implementation of Public procurement directiv es 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC a nd of the Action Plan for 
electronic public procurement adopted in 2004 (COM(2004)841). 
In this regard, the Large Scale Project PEPPOL
84 has contributed to generating solutions to 
interoperability challenges in key eProcurement processes. As a next step, a plan for the long-
term sustainability for concrete eProcureme nt solutions needs to  be established and 
implemented in order to reach a critical mass.  
The second objective of this priority  aims to support the activities that develop further and go 
beyond the implementation of the Services Directive85. The Services Directive (Directive 
2006/123/EC) obliges Member States to ensure th at "Points of Single  Contact" (PSCs) are 
fully functioning after the end of 2009. It is the first time that Member States have a 
horizontal legal obligation to put in place eGovernment services. The PSCs are destined to become an online gateway through which busine sses can exercise thei r rights in all EU 
countries by electronic means.  
As a next step services should be develope d in the framework of the Large Scale Pilot 
SPOCS
86. This would entail the extension of the application of the Services Directive to 
business areas other than those currently covere d by this Directive. This should eventually 
lead to a "second generation" of Points of Single Contact. To this end, PSCs need to be 
developed by enhancing their functionality, ma king them more user- friendly (including the 
use of other languages, customised informati on, reducing the amount of  information required 
from service providers), and ensuring enhanced  cross-border accessibility and the use of 
eSignatures, eIdentifi cation and eDocuments. 
The primary objective of these actions is to  achieve a cross-border and interoperable 
eProcurement infrastructure and to make it as easy as possible for businesses to provide and 
use cross-border services in the EU.  
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 Member States and the Commission w ill assess outcomes of PEPPOL and SPOCS 
and ensure sustainable follow up. 
2011 The Commission will issue a White Pape r on practical step s to inter-connect 
                                                 
83 Smarter, Faster, Better eGovernment, 8t h Benchmark Measurement, November 2009 
84 PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Proc urement Online) (http://www.peppol.eu) 
85 OJ L 376, 27.12.2006 (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriSer v.do?uri=CELEX:32006L0123:EN:NOT) 
86 SPOCS (Simple Procedures Online for Cross- border Services ) (http://www.eu-spocs.eu) 
EN 37   EN eProcurement capacity across the internal market. 
2012-
2014 Member States should roll out cross-bo rder services based on the results of 
PEPPOL and SPOCS. 
2013 Member States will ensure that a ‘sec ond generation’ of points of single contact 
will function as fully fledged eGovernm ent centres beyond the requirements and 
areas covered by the Services Directive. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– disseminating and exploiting knowledge a nd expertise produced by the SPOCS 
Large Scale Pilot;  
– carrying out a high level study on the functioning of the PSC (including the 
eProcedures) and their further enhancement. It will look at  the state of play, identify 
the main challenges and propose conc rete ways of addressing them;  
– following-up on the findings of the study on the PSCs and also assessing the need to 
take further initiatives; 
– disseminating and exploit knowledge and expertise produced by the PEPPOL Large 
Scale Pilot, including the promotion of successful eProcurement platforms and 
applications, and supporting the re-use of successful solutions across the internal market; 
– preparing a White Paper with  concrete steps on how to  inter-connect eProcurement 
infrastructure. This could include co mmitments to review EU procurement 
legislation if needed to pr ovide a clearer environment for the operation of on-line 
procurement and remove bottlenecks to on -line completion of procurement related 
processes (authentication); initiatives to promote standardised and interoperable 
solutions particularly in critical pre-award phases (tendering/submission) where limited progress has been made to date ; actions to promote use of (PEPPOL-
generated) solutions to inter operability challenges in key eProcurement processes. If 
the PEPPOL Large Scale Pilot is successful, implement a sustainable plan and define 
a roadmap for a trans-national infrastructure for eProcurement. 
4.2.2.  Personal Mobility 
The overall aim of the actions in this area is to increase citizen mobility across Europe. 
According to the Monti report
87 intra-EU mobility concerns more than 11.3 million 
Europeans. For example, around 350 000 European s per year engage in an international 
marriage with a national of another Member State. Every year 180 000 European students 
move to another Member State for the Eras mus programme or to attend a post graduate 
degree. However, according to the Monti re port progress in this area has been slow. 
                                                 
87 Mario Monti: A new strategy for the Single market at the service of Europe's economy and society 
(2010) (http://ec.europa.eu/bepa/pdf/monti_report_final_10_05_2010_en.pdf) 
EN 38   EN In the Malmö Declaration, actions  are also based on the European  Directive on the right of 
citizens of the Union to move and reside freel y within the territory of the Member States88 and 
on the fundamental freedom of free movement of persons.  
eGovernment can reduce the costs as well as the legal and administrative burdens of mobility. Although these administrative burdens are in rea lity only a fraction of people’s concerns when 
they decide to move to a different country, eGovernment may facilitate it by making mobility 
cheaper and less burdensome, as users should be able to complete all administrative procedures without the necessity to physically appear in forei gn offices. In addition, possible 
data on citizens could be exchanged between ad ministrations without re quiring citizens to 
submit data already stored by pub lic administrations. In the Rand
89 survey, a secure delivery 
(and storage) system for information and docum ents is by far the eGovernment service which 
is most requested by ci tizens in terms of concre te applications, and it is second in the list of 
most requested services by businesses. 
In the area of citizens the focus will be on facilitating the development of services enhancing 
their mobility with regard to study, work, health  care, residence and retirement. The aim of 
these actions should be interope rable services for secure cro ss-border exchange and safe 
storage of electronic information (eDelivery) , including functionalities such as receipt 
confirmation and eSignatures. eDelivery enables citizens to communicate, as well as send and receive electronic documents and informati on to and from public administrations. 
The objective is to achieve interoperability of  electronic delivery of mobility documents and 
information in the above mentioned areas by 2015.  
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2012-
2014 The Commission will support the exchange of best practices and coordinate the 
efforts of Member States to jointly de velop and set-up interoperable eDelivery 
services. 
2015 Member States shall provide cross-border  and interoperable eD elivery services for 
citizens to e.g. study, work, resi de, receive health care an d retire anywhere in the 
European Union. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– coordinating and stimulating the activities a nd efforts of the Member States to set-up 
a system of secure cross- border eDelivery services; 
                                                 
88 Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of 
citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the 
Member States amending Regulation (EEC), OJ: L 158/ 77 
89 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Pl an. Preliminary Report, 
Trend analysis. Prepared for the European Commission, Rand Europe: Brussels. 
EN 39   EN – supporting the coordination between the Member States to achieve in teroperability of 
the electronic delivery of mobility docume nts and information when countries use 
different formats; 
– coordinating the activities of the Member St ates leading to a better integration of 
eGovernment services related to study, work, health, reside nce and retirement. 
4.2.3.  EU-wide implementation of cross-border services 
The objective is to develop seamless cross-border eGovernment services that correspond to 
well defined needs – enabling entrepreneurs to set up and run a business anywhere in Europe 
independently of their original  location, and allowing citizens to study, work, reside and retire 
anywhere in the European Union. These serv ices should be supported through the CIP ICT 
PSP.  
The CIP ICT PSP Large Scale Pilots (suc h as PEPPOL, STORK, SPOCS, epSOS90 and 
possible new ones such as on  eJustice and eEnvironment)  are designed to remove 
administrative barriers to ensure that services  can be offered on a non-discriminatory basis to 
all businesses and citizens across Europe. The next step is that  these projects should benefit 
from each other's synergies by re-using existing infrastructures, by sharing results from the 
Large Scale Pilots, and by identifying gaps  and opportunities in order to facilitate 
interoperability and to maximise their impact. In this way, development efforts may have to 
be aligned. Further emphasis shoul d be on the exploitation of the results of the pilots and on 
the use of these results for setting up operational  services. This includes investigating how 
strategic partnerships with third parties can be used to find appropriate solutions. 
In doing so, it is necessary to assess the real social and economic needs, costs and benefits, 
and barriers for future cross-border services  where interoperability is key. Based on the 
assessment, Member States will agree on a list of key eGovernment cros s-border services that 
have the potential to be av ailable in 27 Member States by 2015. The Malmö Declaration 
already puts forward the idea of  cross-border services for st arting and running a business. 
In this context, the "Interoperability Soluti ons for European Public Administrations" (ISA) 
programme is an important instrument that co uld analyse and suggest ways to ensure the 
sustainability of common se rvices and generic tools  developed and demonstrated in the Large 
Scale Pilots.  
These actions will also gain insight in the ad ministrative procedures related to cross-border 
life-events or life-stages. 
The aim is seamless, interoperable and sustaina ble cross-border eGovernment services that 
can be offered to all businesses and citizens across Europe by 201591. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 The Commission will conduct a study with  the Member States, on the demand for 
cross-border services and assess the organi sational, legal, technical and semantic 
                                                 
90 epSOS (Smart Open Services for Eu ropean Patients) (http://www.epsos.eu) 
91 Except for the action on life events, all actions in this paragraph are defined in the Digital Agenda for 
Europe. 
EN 40   EN barriers. 
2011 Member States will agree on a number of key cross-border public services to be 
rolled out between 2012 and 2015 and will iden tify appropriate life events/stages92. 
2012-
2015 The Commission will support and coordinate th e efforts of Member States to roll 
out Large Scale Pilot projects and to  start new ones, while encouraging 
coordination and re-use of results and solutions between them.  
2012-2015 The Commission will 
work with Member States and stakeholders to implement cross-
border eEnvironment services  
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– initiating a study in order to assess the need s for further cross-border services, where 
interoperability is key. This analysis s hould comprise the orga nisational, legal, 
technical or semantic barriers to deploy su ch services. This study will also make a 
cost-benefit analysis for services in the business and citizen co mmunity and assess 
obstacles to such services. As a conclusi on, this analysis should propose options for 
how the internal market can stimulate the mobility of citizens and businesses and identify the most potential cross-border services; 
– supporting experience sharing and the ex change of good practice between running 
and new pilots (such as PEPPOL, STORK,  SPOCS, epSOS and possible new pilots 
on eJustice and eEnvironment) in order to benefit from synergies by re-using existing 
infrastructures and building blocks
93, sharing results and by identifying gaps and 
opportunities in order to fac ilitate interoperability and to maximise their impact94; 
– supporting and coordinating the efforts of Member States to continue and roll-out 
existing Large Scale Pilots;  
– supporting the efforts of the Member States to develop new cross-border services, in 
particular those that correspond to identifie d needs capitalising on past investments;  
– supporting the long-term sustainability of services developed a nd demonstrated in 
pilot actions; 
– organising workshops to disc uss the potential for future  cross-border services.  
4.3. Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governments and Administrations 
This priority includes the re duction of administra tive burden and introduces the topic of 
organisational change on the European eG overnment agenda. The latter includes the 
horizontal integration of proce sses across administrative boundaries , the vertical integration of 
                                                 
92 See Digital Agenda for Europe 
93 Such as the DAE actions on eID, Points of Single Contact, and eSignatures. 
94 In this regard, in May 2010, a meeting with a ll the running Large Scale P ilots took place; another 
meeting is foreseen.  
EN 41   EN back and front-end processes as well as the colla boration with private and civic parties. In 
addition, this priority expresses a legitimate conc ern to make the best use of ICT to reduce the 
carbon footprint. 
4.3.1.  Improving Organisational Processes 
Improving organisational processes concerns in ternal efficiency and effectiveness in 
administrations. Along with outdated eGovernme nt infrastructures and the lack of key 
enablers, ill-defined institutional boundaries a nd working processes represent a net extra cost 
to administrations. These aspects are mainly due  to a lack of integration between inherited 
administrative procedures and organisation sche mes. Investing in new methods of working 
and changes in back-offices will reduce operati onal costs and increasing efficiency in the 
delivery of government services in the long term. For example, the Austrian government 
reduced the costs of filing and archiving by 38%95. However, in the short term, the 
investments might lead to an overall increase in government spending.  
In a climate of economic austerity, it is im portant to generate knowledge on improving 
organisational processes and the implementation of key enablers. The ro le of the European 
Commission will be to launch European traini ng and learning experiments on organisational 
change along with a programme for staff exch ange between administrations in different 
Member States. The ePractice.eu portal could play a pivotal role in enabling the learning 
experiences. Besides ePractice.eu, the OSOR and SEMIC are platforms which als support the 
Member States' eGovernment practitioners a nd possible synergies should be exploited. 
In addition, the Commission will lead by ex ample in implementing smart eGovernment 
services. These services will support streamlin ed administrative processes, facilitate 
information sharing and simplify interaction with the Commission, thereby empowering users 
and improving the efficiency, effectivene ss and transparency of the Commission. 
In addition to this, the object ive of the eCommission 2011-2015 Acti on Plan is to evolve from 
today's 'Integrated Commission' to tomorrow' s 'Transformed Commission' whereby public 
services are built from the viewpoint of external  and internal users, rather than based on the 
organisation’s structure, with completely automated end-to-end processes crossing 
organisational boundaries, where information is shared in transparency among services, and 
cross-DG working groups collaborate and share knowledge and expertise. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 The Commission will facilitate the excha nge of experience, encouraging re-use of 
successful solutions and applications and exploring new approaches to support the 
Member States in improvi ng organisational processes 
2011-
2012 The Commission will transform the ePractice. eu portal into an e ffective experience 
exchange and information tool for Memb er States’ eGovernment practitioners. 
2013 The Commission, in close cooperation with Member States, will set up a 
programme for staff exchanges between administrations in different Member 
States. 
                                                 
95 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Plan. 
EN 42   EN 2011-
2015 The Commission will implement an ambitious eCommission 2011-2015 action 
plan, including full electronic procurement. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– facilitating an exchange of best practices between Member States  on the benefits of 
organisational processes and generating knowledge on the implementation of key 
enablers; 
– stimulating the learning experiences in the Member States th rough the coordination 
of staff exchange programmes;  
– improving the dissemination of knowledge and expertise by providing access to 
available didactic and other material on the subject; 
– organising workshops with expe rts in order to rethink the functions of ePractice.eu, 
OSOR and SEMIC and to exploit sy nergies between these platforms; 
– assessing the eCommission 2006-2010 achieve ments, defining the vision for the 
eCommission 2011-2015, and preparing the asso ciated roadmap for the envisaged 
actions under the umbrella of the eCommission 2011-2015. 
4.3.2.  Reduction of Administrative Burdens 
The Industry Declaration of Malmö96 states that "the reduction of  administrative burden for 
citizens and businesses should be one of the key raisons d’être for eGovernment". The 
development of services based on workflows in stead of the traditional 'silo' approach of 
public administrations can lead to substantial efficiency gains and a reduction in administrative burdens. Users can save time and money due to the simplification or 
elimination of processes and requirements, e.g. the multiple submissions of similar information for both businesses and citizens.  
'Once only registration of data' is number one on the wish list of citizens in the Rand Study
97. 
The citizens' survey reveals that 41% of users wa nt to have to provide their personal data once 
only, so that it can be re-used in subsequent in teractions with public administrations. Despite 
some concerns regarding privacy protection and access to their personal data, users do 
understand that they will profit from such func tionality as they will save time with other 
possible gains still to emerge. 
The High Level Group of Independent Stakeholde rs on Administrative Burdens has in many 
of its opinions emphasised the importance of the efficient use of eGovernment and ICT as 
tools for reducing the administrative burden for en terprises. In this context, in January 2007 
                                                 
96 See: http://www.digitaleurope.org/index.php?id=34&id_article=390 
97 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Pl an. Preliminary Report, 
Trend Analysis: Prepared for the European Commission, Rand Europe: Brussels 
EN 43   EN the European Commission presente d an ambitious Action Programme98 for Reducing 
Administrative Burdens in the European Union. The European Council endorsed the 
Programme in March 2007 and agreed that ad ministrative burdens arising from EU 
legislation, including national measures implemen ting or transposing this legislation, should 
be reduced by 25 % by 2012.  
The outcome of these actions should be that  the Member States to eliminate as many 
unnecessary administrative burdens as possible,  especially where electronic procedures and 
communications can replace paper-based procedur es. This can be done, for example, through 
the implementation of the prin ciple of 'once only' regist ration of data by 2015 under the 
condition that data protection and privacy protection requirements are respected.  
Another important aspect of reducing burde n for businesses and citizens would be to 
introduce functions for automatic statistical da ta collection and reporting into eGovernment 
solutions. Statistics on the use of the electroni c services would be created as part of the 
normal business process. Measures would have to  be taken to assure data confidentiality. 
Following this approach could lead to a signi ficant reduction of burden on the one hand and 
would satisfy growing need to providing statis tical evidence and benchmarking on the other 
hand.  
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011-
2013 The Commission will organise the sharing of  experiences with Member States on 
the implementation of the 'once-only' re gistration principle and of electronic 
procedures and communications having b ecome a dominant channel for delivering 
eGovernment services, conduct a cost-benef it analysis and designing a roadmap for 
further implementation. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– assessing the costs and benefits of the princi ple of 'once only' registration of data and 
designing a roadmap to implement the principl e of 'once only' regi stration of data by 
businesses and citizens; 
– evaluating and assessing the achievements of the Member States in implementing the 
principle of 'once only' registration of data; 
– exploring and assessing possibilities for inte grating statistical data collection tools 
into eGovernment solutions consideri ng necessary harmonisation process for 
reporting purposes; 
– stimulating the exchange of informa tion and best practice examples on how 
electronic procedures and communications  can replace paper-based procedures; 
                                                 
98 COM(2007) 23 (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2007:0023:FIN:EN:PDF) 
EN 44   EN – evaluating the impact of ICT usage in achieving the objectives of the Action 
Programme for reducing administrative burdens; 
– exploring through the ISA programme the po ssibilities offered by ICT technologies 
to support an effective and efficient implem entation of new legislation by assessing 
the ICT implications of new legisla tion on existing or new ICT systems.  
4.3.3.  Green Government 
The Malmö Declaration assumes that the use of  ICT by governments can play a leading role 
in the fight against climate change by contri buting to the reduction of carbon emissions. In 
fact, emissions can be decreased by reduc ing the energy consumed directly by ICT 
equipment. At European level, the Commission Recommendation99 on mobilising information 
and communications technologies to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low-carbon 
economy of 9 October 2009 includes public  organisations in its framework.  
Although the Commission Recommendation does not contain specific meas ures pertaining to 
eGovernment, this Action Plan underlines that eG overnment can play a key role in leading to 
a greener environment. Exampl es of green government are: 
– Considerable energy savings from what is called dematerialisation or substitution, by 
replacing offline administrative processes w ith on-line applicati ons and services, and 
the use of electronic delivery; 
– The public sector can stimulate the de mand for notably green ICT products and 
services through public procurement; 
– Promoting teleworking, telephone conf erencing and virtual meetings;  
– Shared services, as well as developi ng power-efficient ICT systems could be 
promoted.  
To this end, the European Commission togeth er with Member States will assess the 
possibilities for administrations  to reduce their carbon footpr int and agree on actions and 
evaluation procedures for the reduction of th e carbon footprint of administrations. Energy 
saving targets should be in line with the Comm ission Recommendation on mobilising ICTs to 
facilitate the transition to an en ergy-efficient, low-carbon economy.  
The aim of the actions w ill be that the carbon f ootprint of administrations in Member States 
will be reduced by 2015. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2012 The Commission will conduct a study on the potential of eGovernment to reducing 
carbon footprint of government s including best practices 
2013 Member States should develop and agree indicators and evalua tion procedures for 
measuring the reduction of the carbon footpr int of their administrations as a result 
                                                 
99 COM(2009) 111 
(http://ec.europa.eu/information_s ociety/activities/sustainable_gr owth/docs/com_2009_111/com2009-
111-en.pdf) 
EN 45   EN of eGovernment services. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– supporting a collaborative effort of the Memb er States to define green ICT targets 
and guidelines for Member States; 
– organising the exchange of expertise on how eGovernment services contribute to 
reducing public administrations' carbon footprint and how to measure this contribution;  
– coordinating an assessment of the Memb er States performance in reducing the 
carbon footprint of their administrations. 
4.4. Pre-conditions for Developing eGovernment 
A number of pre-conditions need to be fulfilled to allow for secure and efficient electronic 
collaboration between Member States. Actions in this respect include the development, deployment and interoperability of ICT infrastruc tures. The pre-conditions take into account 
the benefits of open spec ifications as a means to promote in teroperability, the key enablers for 
improving existing and developing  new services, and the innova tion in eGovernment service 
architectures brought about by research and development, pilot projects  and other 
implementation schemes. 
4.4.1.  Open Specifications and Interoperability 
Europe does not yet reap the maximum benefit from interoperability. When establishing 
National eGovernment Services, there is a risk  that Member States opt for incompatible 
solutions and that new electronic barriers em erge. Member States an d the Commission should 
increase their efforts to avoid market fragme ntation by striving towa rds interoperability. 
Interoperability fosters the delivery of cross-bor der public services and is an important pre-
condition for the open, flexible delivery of eGove rnment services to ci tizens and business. It 
enables collaboration between administrations in Eu rope, as it facilitates the exchange of data 
across Member States. This invol ves technical as well as seman tic interoperability, as the 
latter in particular allows for the seamless ex change of administrative data across Member 
States. The role of ICT standard s and specifications is essential to achieve interoperability in 
the area of eGovernment.  
The Malmö Declaration emphasises the need to pay "particular attention to the benefits 
resulting from the use of open specifications in  order to deliver services in the most cost-
effective manner." The Granada Declaration notes in addition that it is important to "embed 
innovation and cost effectiveness into eGovernme nt through the systematic promotion of open 
standards and interoperable syst ems, development of EU wide eAuthentication schemes and 
proactive development of eInvoicing, eProcure ment (and pre-commercial procurement)."  
Open specifications have advantages in terms of securing business model freedom, as well as 
providing a number of other bene fits including faster innovation, lower costs, and lower entry 
EN 46   EN barriers. Nevertheless, public administrations de cide which formal specifications they select 
to ensure interoperability.  
The Commission will further improve the conditions for intero perability and open 
specifications. In addition, the Commission aims for a level of smart interoperability that 
maximises synergies at both national and EU levels. Member States have already made 
investments. Consequently, the approach toward s Member States fully takes into account the 
subsidiarity principle. 
By 2010, the Commission will have adopted an amb itious European Interoperability Strategy 
(EIS100) and the European Interoperability Framework (EIF101) to be drawn up under the ISA 
programme (Interoperability  Solutions for European Public Administrations102). ISA will 
implement activities to make the EIF and EI S concrete through a rolling work programme. 
EIS will build on experience in the fields of trusted information exchange, architecture and 
interoperability awareness. The strategy focuses on actio ns to foster cross-border 
interoperability by recommending how to improve  cross-border intero perability, providing 
common tools and services in support of inte roperability, and proposing a governance model 
in order to maintain an overview of initiatives. 
The EIF will recommend, among others, that wher e possible, public admi nistrations use open 
specifications when establishing public services. Member States should follow the EIF in their 
activities while design ing, implementing and using ICT sy stems. Failing to do so, might 
hinder or significantly prolong the process of ove rcoming the difficulties in data exchange 
between ICT systems across Europe. Efficiency gains as well as cost savings may also be 
limited as a result.  
The aim is a common strategy for achieving inter operability at European level and for the 
Member States to align their national inte roperability framewor k with the European 
Interoperability Framework and related policies. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011-
2015 The Commission (via the ISA programme) will implement activities to put into 
action the European Interoperability  Framework (EIF) and the European 
Interoperability Strategy (EIS) (adoption of the EIF and EIS expected in 2010). 
2012 
 The Commission will organise exchanges of expertise and promote the re-use and 
sharing of solutions to implement inte roperable eGovernment services. This 
includes establishment of interfaces to ga in access to and use authentic national 
sources. 
2013 Member States should have aligned their national interoperability frameworks to 
the EIF103. 
 
                                                 
100 http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7772 
101 http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7728 
102 Interoperability solutions for European public administrations (ISA) (OJ L 260, 3.10.2009, p. 20).  
103 This action is defined in the Digital Agenda for Europe. 
EN 47   EN Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– encouraging the Member States to re-use and share solutions and to collaborate on 
the development of common solutions wh en implementing eGovernment services; 
– encouraging the ICT industr y to cooperate on the development and emergence of 
open specifications in th e domain of public services  for the re-use by all 
stakeholders; 
– fostering an agreement between the Member  States on the formalised specifications 
to be used to ensure technical interope rability when establ ishing cross-border 
eGovernment Services. 
4.4.2.  Key Enablers 
Electronic identification (eID) technologies and authentication services are essential for the 
security of electronic tr ansactions (in the private and the p ublic sector), and today the most 
common way to authenticate is by the use of pa sswords. For many applic ations this may be 
sufficient, but more secure and privacy protected solutions are increasingly needed104. Europe 
needs in particular better administrative c ooperation to develop a nd deploy cross-border 
public online services; th is should include practical eIdentif ication and eAuthentication cross 
border services. 
In general, electronic identification (eID) is th e key enabler for many services: registration of 
personal data, provision of personalised se rvices, automatic service delivery and the 
simplification of administrative and commercial  transactions including billing and payment 
procedures. It is expected that in the future digital society electronic identity management will be expanded both in the private and in the public sector to domains such as eHealth, 
eCommerce, finances, transport, travel and web 2.0 communities
. 
Electronic Identification allows for significant quality improvements in eGovernment service 
provision, such as the 'once only' registration of  data and the provision of personalised or 
automated services. It is also the key to co mbine openness and flexibility with an adequate 
protection of privacy and increas ed security in electronic envi ronments. The results of the 
Rand Study105 reveal that an electronic identity mana gement (eIDM) system ranks in the top 3 
of most valued eGovernment facilities by businesses and citizens."  
In order to achieve this, an interoperable infr astructure for eIDs shoul d be set up that takes 
into account multiple identity instances, fr om government-accredited to commercially 
accepted, and ranging from near-anonymity to strong and unambiguous identification. This 
should start from a user-controlled and privacy-p rotecting perspective and provide the basis 
for accountability and innovative applications  in an open and competitive market.  
The role of the European Commission is to  support the creation of conditions for the 
development of such an interoperable eID infr astructure. There are a number of barriers for 
                                                 
104 Which is why the Commission has proposed a Eur opean Strategy on Identity  Management under the 
Stockholm Programme - COM(2010) 171. 
105 Villalba-van Dijk Lidia, Ridsdale Helen, va n Oranje-Nassau Constantijn (2010). eGovernment 
Scenario's for 2010 and the preparation of the 2015 eGovernment Action Pl an. Preliminary Report, 
Trend Analysis. Prepared for the Europ ean Commission, Rand Europe: Brussels. 
EN 48   EN the implementation and acceptance due to fragmenta tion in the internal ma rket, and a lack of 
user control, transparency and interoperability of eID. This work will complement and add to 
the existing European Action Plan for eSignatures and eIdentification106, as well as the 
revision of the eSignature Directive planned in 2011. 
Currently, considerable progres s is being made on the techni cal implementation and mutual 
recognition of interoperable el ectronic identity management in the EU, through the ICT PSP 
Large Scale Pilot STORK107. 
To this end the Commission will propose a Coun cil and Parliament Decision to ensure mutual 
recognition of eIdentificati on and eAuthentication acro ss the EU based on online 
'authentication services' to be offered in all Member States (which may use the most 
appropriate official citizen documents – issued by the publ ic or the private sector). 
As a next possible step, the Commission may, am ongst other related activ ities, contribute to 
the joint development with the Member States of  an EU-wide initiative to implement an eID 
management infrastructure108.  
eID is closely linked to the interoperability of  services based on public and business registers 
enabling secure cross-border exchange of sensitive personal data between Member States. Interested Member States should develop and te st such services, in compliance with data 
protection requirements and obligations.  
The outcome of these actions should be a framew ork for eID that would build on the results of 
the on-going CIP Large Scale Pilots, in particular STORK.  
The aim should be an eID framework that a llows for secure and reliable electronic 
identification and authentication throughout the EU, complies with the data and privacy 
protection provisions, and is mutual ly recognised by all Member States. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are:  
2011 The Commission will propose a revision of th e eSignature Directive with a view to 
providing a legal framework for cross-borde r recognition and interoperability of 
secure eAuthentication systems
109. 
2012 The Commission will propose a Council and European Parliament Decision to 
ensure mutual recognition of  eIdentification and eAut hentication across the EU, 
based on online ‘authenticatio n services’ to be offered in  all Member States (which 
may use the most appropriate official identification documen ts — issued by the 
public and private sectors)110. 
2012-2014 Member States should apply and roll out the eID solutions, based on the results of 
STORK and other eID-related projects. 
 
                                                 
106 http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7768 
107 STORK (Secure identiTy acrOss boRder s linKed) (https://www.eid-stork.eu/) 
108 COM(2009) 116 final: A Strategy for ICT R&D and Innovation in Europe: Raising the Game. 
109 This action is defined in the Digital Agenda for Europe. 
110 This action is defined in the Digital Agenda for Europe. 
EN 49   EN Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– launching a thematic network on eID. The out come is expected to be a roadmap for 
the implementation of interoperable identi fication including steps to overcome the 
barriers for its implementation, and the ba rriers concerning mutual recognition; 
– exploring the possibilities for an EU-wide initiative to implement an effective eID 
management infrastructure; 
– validating the common specification for th e eIdentification and eAuthentication 
models developed by STORK and organising the roll-out of the STORK Large Scale 
Pilot as an operational interoperability fr amework for eID in as many countries as 
possible; 
– supporting activities required for the prep aration of the Council and Parliament 
Decision on mutual recognition of all electronic identification and authentication in the EU (e.g. studies, consultations, etc); 
– assessing the results of ongoing initiatives that  aim at the interoperability of services 
based on public and business registers, and investigating whether further pilots will 
be needed. 
4.4.3.  Innovative eGovernment 
Among other initiatives on ICT innovation, servic es in the cloud and service-oriented 
architecture (SOA) are technica l and innovative approaches to construct open, flexible and 
collaborative eGovernment services while at the same time lowering ICT costs. 
Cloud computing is an emerging approach of shar ed IT infrastructure in which large pools of 
systems are linked together to provide IT  services on demand. While concerns about 
dependability, as well as security-related issu es still need to be  resolved, clouds are 
increasingly being used by businesses and ci tizens. The introduction of cloud computing in 
public administrations will have an impact on IT operations and development models. The 
public sector should leverage the concept as well . Cost reduction due to the standardisation of 
processes will become a major driver for establishing public services in the cloud. This concerns not only the infrastructure level,  but also the service creation level.  
SOA, when pushed to the extreme, is a key enabler for transforming government agencies 
into user-centric driven entitie s. It supports the transformation of administrative processes into 
a set of linked services or repeatable tasks that can be accessed over a network whenever and 
wherever needed. SOA will enable public admini strations to quickly adapt to changing (e.g. 
regulatory) requirements.  
Additionally, public administrations  will need to take actions for upgrading to IPv6 relevant 
eGovernment infrastructures (portals, websites,  applications, etc.) and on-line services of 
public interest, in view of the depletion of IPv4 addresses. This uptake of IPv6 will be beneficial for public authorities in Member Stat es to foster innovative, efficient and accessible 
EN 50   EN applications and services111. Therefore IPv6 deployment for governments (e.g. to enable IPv6 
on public sector websites and eGovernment services) will be supported by the European Commission.  
A European “GovCloud Initiative” may promote th e availability and usage of convenient, on-
demand access to shared resources and services fo r the provision of eGovernment services. In 
addition, the innovative approaches  of SOA allow to identify th e different functionalities of 
eGovernment services and to bu ild ICT components or 'objects' around them, which can be 
combined with each other to construct new services. 
The defined actions are expected  to contribute to the promo tion of innovation in eGovernment 
services, effective deliv ery of services, re-use of public  services, including public sector 
information and the reduction of IT costs. Dire ct, measurable effects are to be expected in 
terms of the financial resources and energy required to run data centres within public 
administrations. Promoting a shared-resources  approach will also heavily impact the 
effectiveness and efficiency of service provisio n by easing the flow of information and the re-
use of data and applications , including the re-use of existing granular services. 
The aim will be that new tec hnical and innovative eGovernment approaches will be widely 
available and used in Eur ope's administrations by 2015. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 The Commission will launch a study and recommend action on how to apply 
emerging technologies and paradigms (such as SOA and clouds of public services) 
in the public sector. 
2011 The Commission will launch activiti es under the CIP programme to support 
administrations to pilot the upgrade to IPv6, thereby creating showcases and new 
momentum for moving to IPv6 on a large scale.  
2012 The Commission will launch pilots to de monstrate how public administrations can 
deliver eGovernment services in a more flexible and efficient way through the use 
of innovative architectur es and technologies. 
 
Between 2011 and 2015 the tasks of the European  Commission for these actions may include 
the following: 
– organising the exchange of expert opini ons (workshops) and launching a study to 
explore the possibilities offered by new ar chitectural approaches and the options 
available with a focus on their costs and benefits; 
– investigating the areas where further research will be needed; 
                                                 
111 In line with COM(2008) 313, the Commission will prepare a Staff Working Paper in 2011 identifying 
any follow-up actions that may be required. 
EN 51   EN – launching pilot(s) to dem onstrate the possibilities an d benefits of the innovative 
architectures and technologies, includi ng the sharing of components with the 
Member States' administrations and other service developers; 
– evaluating the study results and defini ng follow-up actions with a view to 
implementing new paradigms, including exchanges of knowledge and experience.   
5. GOVERNANCE 
5.1. Monitoring Progress  
The overall progress of the Action Plan and of  eGovernment in general will be measured 
annually, using an appropriate mix of inst ruments (benchmarking, bench-learning, self-
assessment) and methodologies (web  research, public data analysis , user testing, interviews).  
In addition to these EU-wide exercises, Me mber States shall share with the European 
Commission and other Member States any benc hmarking initiatives conducted within their 
country. This will enrich the knowledge base and also enable the development of common 
measurement exercises among intere sted parties. All this taken together shall constitute the 
basis of an eGovernment benchmarking framework in line with the goals of this eGovernment 
Action Plan. 
The aim is to have a good picture of how the EU  is progressing and at the same time benefit 
from the lessons learned as much as possibl e. For this reason, the measurement will be 
complemented by the active and intense exchange  of experience between Member States and 
the Commission (ePractice, thematic workshops) . To this end active learning communities 
will be established in ePractice.eu. 
The Commission will continue to support and de velop the ePractice.eu portal as the place 
where eGovernment professionals can meet, shar e and learn from real life experiences. This 
platform has already proven to be a success in terms of users, cases and specialised 
communities. The Commission intends to continuous ly enhance the quality of the portal, in 
particular search facilities, making the most of web 2.0 techno logies, increasing accessibility 
and developing multi-channel access. 
5.2. Evaluation  
A coherent framework needs to be established in  order to discuss the take-up of eGovernment 
in Europe, to monitor and evaluate the Ac tion Plan and exchange experiences. The 
implementation of the eGovernment Action Plan will be subject to a mid-term evaluation in 
2013. The evaluation will examine the extent to which the Action Plan objectives have been 
achieved, the progress made and the difficulties encountered. De pending on the results of the 
evaluation, any necessary adjustments to the objec tives and actions of th e Action Plan will be 
reviewed with the proposed High Level Expert -Group. A review of progress, discussions on 
new directions for political priorities and s ubsequent updating of this Action Plan, and the 
promotion of eGovernment services, are envi saged on a regular basis through Ministerial 
Conferences.  
EN 52   EN 5.3. Governance 
The commitment of the Member States as demons trated in the Malmö Declaration is essential 
for a successful implementation of the Action Pla n. The Member States expressed the need in 
the Malmö Declaration to  be involved in the follow-up of the Action Plan through a "steering 
group" chaired by the Commission in order to ensure a fruitful collaboration. 
To this end, the European Commission will set up and chair a High Level Expert-Group of the 
Member States representatives responsible for the national eGovernment strategies. This High 
Level Expert-Group will inform the High Leve l group for the Digital Agenda about progress 
in the eGoverment areas and will coordinate with the ISA Programme Committee. The 
intention of the Commission is to suggest to  Member States that the same delegates 
participate in the High Level Expert-Group and the ISA Programme Committee. Additional 
cooperation will also be encouraged. 
The eGovernment High Level Expert-Group shall be  composed of the re presentatives of the 
Member states and Candidate countries respons ible for the eGovernment national strategies. 
Representatives from public administrations spec ifically responsible for the priorities in the 
Action Plan may need to be appointed. Wher e appropriate, the eGovernment High Level 
Expert-Group will report to or jointly meet with other expert groups. 
To achieve the above the proposed actions are: 
2011 The Commission will establish a High Le vel Expert-Group of Member States' 
representatives and will sugge st an appropriate mandate. 
2012 Member States will inform the Comm ission and the High Level Expert-Group how 
the political priorities of the Ministerial Declaration of Malmö have been or will be 
reflected in their national eGovernment strategies.  
2013 All Member States have incorporated the political priori ties of the Malmö 
Declaration in their national strategies. 
2013 The eGovernment Action Plan is evaluate d and the findings are used to update the 
Action Plan. 
2015 All Member States inform the Commission and the High Level Expert-Group in 
which way the political priorities of the Malmö Declaration have  been realised.  
 
ANNEX  1: MILESTONES  IN PREPARATION  OF THE  ACTION  PLAN 
A time line with the most important milestones in the preparation of the eGovernment Action 
Plan 2011-2015 has been listed below: 
– On 6 August 2008 the European Commission se nt a questionnaire to Member States 
collecting the priority issues. The European Commission received completed 
questionnaires from 31 countries. The gene ral message from the feedback to the 
questionnaire was to continue along the same main lines as in the former Action Plan, but to refocus and sharpen by bringing in new elements, and reducing the 
EN 53   EN number of priorities while enlarging thei r scope. In addition, a more feasible sub-
Action Plan should be specified. The Europ ean Commission sent an analysis of the 
questionnaire to Member States on 16 October 2008. 
– In December 2008 the report ' Value for citi zens: A vision of public governance in 
2020'112 was presented. The vision expressed is to stimulate the debate on the key 
transformations and challenges ahead for th e renewal of the European eGovernment 
agenda beyond 2010. 
– On 20 March 2009 the European Commissi on published its Orientations Paper113. 
The aim of this paper was to provide guida nce for the decision-making processes that 
led to a new Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment in 2009. It concluded that 
Member States and the European Commissi on will continue to foster innovation in 
eGovernment and to carefully assess its ac tions, in order to increase the efficiency 
and effectiveness of European governance in its own right and in order to support the 
development and provision of cross-border se rvices that will improve the working of 
the internal market and empower all soci al and economic actors in the European 
Union. 
– On 30 June 2009 Christiano and Osimo114 published their report on future 
eGovernment Services. Among others it pres ented the Tao Government scenario that 
leads to a flexible architect ure. This would enable both government and third parties 
to collaborate and share responsibilitie s in producing and providing services.  
– In November 2009 the Progress Report on th e i2010 eGovernment Action Plan in the 
EU27+115 was published. The objectives of the st udy were to undert ake a qualitative 
analysis of progress towa rds achieving the go als of the i2010 eG overnment Action 
Plan, 2006-2010, and to evaluate its stimul us effect across the Member States.  
– At the same time in November 2009, the 8th eGovernment Benchmark116 report was 
presented that concluded am ong others that Europe show s continued steady progress 
in terms of full online availability. The ove rall EU27+ measure has risen to 71% in 
2009 from 59% in 2007.  
– On 18 November 2009 Ministers have  unanimously approved the Malmö 
Declaration at the 5th Ministerial eG overnment Conference in Malmö, Sweden117. Its 
aim was to build on past achievements and to further improve online public services 
for citizens and businesses in Europe and to shift from a "one-size-fits-all" to a 
                                                 
112 Botterman Maarten, Millard Jeremy et al. (2009). Value for citizens: A vision of public governance in 
2020. Report for the European Commission, Brusse ls: Information Society and Media Directorate. 
113 eGovernment Sub-group Working document, 20/03/ 09, Visions and priorities for eGovernment in 
Europe; Orientations for a post 2010 eGovernment Action Plan. Online report: 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_s ociety/activities/egovernment/doc s/2015_background_do c-210-pvt.pdf 
114 Codagnone Christiano & Osimo David (2008). Future technology needs for future eGovernment 
Services: Services platform report. Report for th e European Commission, Brussels: Information Society 
and Media Directorate. 
115 Millard Jeremy, Shahin Jamal et al. (2009). i20 10 eGovernment Action Plan Progress Study. Report for 
the European Commission, Brussels: Inform ation Society and Me dia Directorate. 
116 Smarter, Faster, Better eGovernment, 8th Benchmark Measurement, November 2009, Capgemini, Rand 
Europe, IDC, Sogeti and DTI for: Report for the European Commission, Brussels: Information Society 
and Media Directorate. 
117 http://www.egov2009.se/wp-content/uploads/Min isterial-Declaration-on-eGovernment.pdf 
EN 54   EN customised approach . Ministers have indicated that  public administrations should 
jointly strive for the following policy priorities, to be achieved by 2015:  
• Citizens and businesses are empowered by eGovernment services designed around 
users’ needs and developed in collabora tion with third parties, as well as by 
increased access to public information, st rengthened transparency and effective 
means for the involvement of stakeh olders in the policy process,  
• Mobility in the single market is reinfo rced by seamless eGovernment services for 
the setting up and running of a business and for studying, working, residing and retiring anywhere in the European Union,  
• Efficiency and effectiveness is im proved by a continuous effort to use 
eGovernment to reduce the administ rative burden, improve organisational 
processes and promote a su stainable low-carbon economy,  
• The implementation of the policy priorities is made possible by appropriate key 
enablers and legal and technical preconditions.  
– The Ministerial Declaration has received support from the industry as DigitalEurope 
adopted an Industry Declaration
118 that was presented at the conference in November 
2009. 
– An Open Declaration119 on public services 2.0 drafted by citizens resulted in the 
involvement of citizens and endorsement of  3 key principles including transparency, 
participation, and empowerment. 
– On 4 December 2009 a quest ionnaire on the eGovernme nt Action Plan 2011-2015 
was sent to Member States, which aimed to identify objectives, actions and targets 
for a new eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015. 17 Member States have provided the 
European Commission with their comments.  
– On 18 December 2009 the Council of the Eur opean Union presented its conclusions 
on a Post i-2010 Strategy - towards an open, green and competitive knowledge 
society'120. With regard to eGovernment the C ouncil emphasised the four objectives 
of the Malmö Declaration and added th at promoting open ICT standards will 
facilitate interoperability, technological  progress and extend the use of ICT to 
citizens and businesses.  
– On 1 January 2010 Rand et al. started a study on eGovernment scenarios for 2020 
and the preparation of the 2015 Action Pla n. This study supported the elaboration of 
an eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015. The study provided inputs to the process 
that lead to the definition of a coherent set of actions that contribute to the realisation 
of the political pr iorities and objectives  laid down in the Malmö Declaration.  
                                                 
118 http://www.digitaleur ope.org/index.php?id =34&id_article=390 
119 An Open Declaration reflecting the growing interest of citizens in eGovernment was presented in 
Malmö in response to the Ministerial Declaration (http://eups20.wordpress.com/the-open-declaration/). 
120 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms _Data/docs/pressdata/en/trans/111999.pdf 
EN 55   EN – On 19 May 2010 the Commission launche d the Digital Agenda for Europe121. The 
Agenda outlines seven priority areas for ac tion: creating a digital internal market, 
greater interoperability, boosti ng internet trust and securi ty, much faster internet 
access, more investment in research and development, enhancing digital literacy skills and inclusion, and applying informa tion and communications technologies to 
address challenges facing so ciety like climate change a nd the ageing population. In 
these seven areas, the Digital Agenda fore sees some 100 follow-up actions, of which 
31 would be legislative. The Digital Agenda is the first of seven flagship initiatives 
under the Europe 2020 strategy for smart,  sustainable and inclusive growth. 
                                                
 
121 COM(2010) 245 (http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda)