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 Benefit of All {SEC(2006) 511}
Date: 2006-04-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: access to information, action programme, electronic government, information society, information system, information technology, public administration, public service

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 25.04.2006 
COM(2006) 173 final 

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 Benefit of All 

{SEC(2006) 511} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

The i2010 eGovernment Action Plan – Objectives and expectations for 2010 ........... 3 

No citizen left behind – advancing inclusion through eGovernment........................... 4 

Making efficiency and effectiveness a reality.............................................................. 6 

Measurement ................................................................................................................ 6 

Sharing ......................................................................................................................... 6 

High-impact key services for citizens and businesses ................................................. 7 

Putting key enablers in place........................................................................................ 8 

Strengthening participation and democratic decision-making in Europe .................. 10 

Managing and implementing the eGovernment i2010 Action Plan........................... 11 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 12 

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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 Benefit of All 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

THE  I2010  EGOVERNMENT  ACTION  PLAN  –  OBJECTIVES  AND  EXPECTATIONS  FOR 
2010 

The Commission hereby presents its eGovernment Action Plan, an integral part of its i2010 
initiative for jobs and growth in the information society, to make a major contribution to the 
Lisbon Agenda and other European Community policies.  

Countries  that  score  high  on  public-sector  openness  and  efficiency  and  eGovernment 
readiness are also top on the economic performance and competitiveness scoreboards1. This 
strong  link  between  national  competitiveness,  innovation  strength  and  the  quality  of  public 
administrations  means  that  in  the  global  economy  better  government  is  a  competitive  must. 
With  eGovernment,  public  administrations  can  make  a  major  contribution  to  the  Lisbon 
Agenda. 

It  is  equally  important  to  accelerate  eGovernment  with  a  view  to  modernisation  and 
innovation  because  governments  face  major  challenges  such  as  ageing,  climate  change  or 
terrorism  and  citizens  are  demanding  better  services,  better  security  and  better  democracy, 
while businesses demand less bureaucracy and more efficiency. As European Union continues 
to  enlarge  and  embrace  greater  diversity,  new  needs  and  demands  are  arising  such  as  for 
seamless  public  services  across  borders,  essential  to  increase  citizens’  opportunities  for 
mobility  and  for  business  in  Europe.  eGovernment  can  help  governments  to  meet  these 
challenges and demands. 

The  successes  and  potential  of  eGovernment  are  already  clearly  visible  with  several  EU 
countries  ranking  amongst  the  world  leaders.  Electronic  invoicing  in  Denmark  saves 
taxpayers  €150  million  and  businesses  €50 million  a  year.  If  introduced  all  over  the  EU, 
annual  savings  could  add  up  to  over  €50  billion.  Disabled  people  in  Belgium  can  now 
obtain  benefits  over  the  Internet  in  seconds,  whereas  previously  this  took  3  or  4  weeks. 
Such  time  savings  and  convenience  can  become  widespread  and  benefit  all  citizens  in 
Europe in many public services. 

With this Action Plan the Commission seeks to:  

–  Accelerate the delivery of tangible benefits for all citizens and businesses; 

1 

World  Economic  Forum  Global  Competitiveness  Reports,  European  Commission  Innovation 
Trendcharts and Scoreboards, UN Global eGovernment Readiness Reports (2003, 2004, 2005). 

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–  Ensure that eGovernment at national level do not lead to new barriers on the single market 

due to fragmentation and lack of interoperability;  

–  Extend  the  benefits  of  eGovernment  at  EU  level  by  allowing  economies  of  scale  in 

Member States’ initiatives and cooperating on common European challenges;  

–  Ensure cooperation of all stakeholders in the EU in designing and delivering eGovernment. 

This  Action  Plan  draws,  in  particular,  on  the  Ministerial  Declaration2  adopted  at  the  3rd 
Ministerial  eGovernment  Conference,  which  set  clear  expectations  for  widespread, 
measurable benefits from eGovernment in 2010. The Commission welcomes this Declaration 
and the firm commitment of Member States and the private sector3. The Action Plan builds on 
the excellent cooperation with national eGovernment initiatives in the eGovernment subgroup 
of the eEurope Advisory Group. 

The  Action  Plan  focus  on  the  European  Commission’s  contribution  to  supporting  Member 
States’ objectives and Community policies, in particular the Lisbon Strategy, internal market, 
better regulation and European citizenship.  

The  Action  Plan  focuses  on  five  major  objectives  for  eGovernment  with  specific  objectives 
for 20104: 

•  No  citizen  left  behind:  advancing  inclusion  through  eGovernment  so  that  by  2010  all 

citizens benefit from trusted, innovative services and easy access for all; 

•  Making  efficiency  and  effectiveness  a  reality  –  significantly  contributing,  by  2010,  to 
high user satisfaction, transparency and accountability, a lighter administrative burden and 
efficiency gains; 

•  Implementing high-impact key services for citizens and businesses - by 2010, 100% of 
public  procurement  will  be  available  electronically,  with  50%  actual  usage5,  with 
agreement on cooperation on further high-impact online citizen services; 

•  Putting key enablers in place - enabling citizens and businesses to benefit, by 2010, from 
convenient, secure and interoperable authenticated access across Europe to public services; 

•  Strengthening participation and democratic decision-making - demonstrating, by 2010, 

tools for effective public debate and participation in democratic decision-making. 

2. 

NO CITIZEN LEFT BEHIND – ADVANCING INCLUSION THROUGH EGOVERNMENT 

Inclusive eGovernment presents:  

•  The  challenge  of  fighting  the  digital  divide,  countering  digital  exclusion  when  public 

services are provided online; 

2 

3 
4 
5 

24 November 2005, Manchester, UK. 
http://www.egov2005conference.gov.uk/documents/proceedings/pdf/051124declaration.pdf. 
EICTA Industry Declaration on eGovernment, 25 November 2005. 
Targets 1-4 are summarised from the Ministerial Declaration. 
For public procurement above the EC threshold; see section 4. 

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•  The opportunity of ICT-enabled inclusive policies thanks to new possibilities offered by 

eGovernment. 

ICT-enabled public services help to consolidate social cohesion and ensure that disadvantaged 
people  face  fewer  barriers  to  opportunities.  Government  websites  still  have  much  to  do  to 
comply with eAccessibility  guidelines6. Users will continue to want channels other than the 
Internet to access public services, such as digital TV, mobile and fixed phone and/or person-
to-person. 

Member  States  have  committed  themselves  to  inclusive  eGovernment  objectives  to  ensure 
that  by  2010  all  citizens,  including  socially  disadvantaged  groups,  become  major 
beneficiaries  of  eGovernment,  and  European  public  administrations  deliver  public 
information and services that are more easily accessible and increasingly trusted by the 
public,  through  innovative  use  of  ICT,  increasing  awareness  of  the  benefits  of 
eGovernment and improved skills and support for all users. 

The Commission will support Member States’ efforts to achieve these objectives, in line with 
the eAccessibility Communication7 and the agenda for eInclusion that is planned for 2008 as 
part of the i2010 ICT for inclusion policy. Based on this agenda, further specific action will 
be taken from 2008 onwards. 

The  European  Commission,  in  open  partnership  with  Member  States,  the  private  sector  and 
civil society and in coordination with European Public Administration Network (EPAN), will 
take the following specific action: 

2006 

2007 

2008 

Agree  with  Member  States  on  a  roadmap  setting  measurable  objectives  and 
milestones on the way to making all citizens beneficiaries of eGovernment by 
2010. 

Set  up  with  Member  States  a  common  and  agreed  guide  that  aligns 
eGovernment developments with the eAccessibility Communication. 

Issue  specifications  for  multi-platform  service  delivery  strategies  allowing 
access  to  eGovernment  services  via  a  variety  of  channels,  e.g.  digital  TV, 
mobile and fixed telephone and other interactive devices.  

Between 2006 and 2010:  

- Research projects, deployment pilots, support from the Structural Funds where appropriate, 
policy studies and common specifications in related EC programmes will address users’ needs 
and  focus  in  particular  on  cost-effective  solutions  for  personalisation,  user  interaction  and 
multi-lingualism for eGovernment. 

-  Exchanges  and  sharing  of  practical  experiences  will  be  aligned  with  the  exchanges  of 
national  experience  in  EPAN  and  focus  on  multi-channel  strategies,  inclusive  policies  and 
good practice solutions.  

6 
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eAccessibility of Public Sector Services in the EU, November 2005, UK Presidency Report. 
eAccessibility communication, COM(2005) 425 

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3. 

MAKING EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS A REALITY 

Efficient  services  save  time  and  money  and  effective  services  are  more  meaningful  for 
citizens,  businesses  and  administrations  along  the  lines  of  the  five  objectives  of  this  Action 
Plan. They deliver benefits at three levels: a) citizens and businesses; b) administrations; and 
c) society and the economy at large. 

Member  States  expect  eGovernment  to  contribute  to  high  user  satisfaction  with  public 
services  and  significantly  lighten  the  administrative  burden  on  businesses  and  citizens 
by 2010. Moreover, the public sector should achieve considerable efficiency gains as well 
as increasing transparency and accountability through innovative use of ICT by 2010. 

While most of the challenges are at national or sub-national level, the European Commission 
adds  value  in  providing  support  to  all  five  objectives  of  this  Action  plan  with  two  types  of 
activities: measurement and sharing. 

3.1.  Measurement 

Providing  relevant  information8,  quantifying,  benchmarking9,  measuring  and  comparing 
impact and benefit is essential for mainstreaming eGovernment. Work has been progressing 
on a common impact/benefit-oriented measurement framework which includes benchmarking 
using  common  indicators  (measured  nationally  or  by  European-level  action)  and  case-based 
learning using measurable indicators10. Economic models are emerging and need to be further 
developed as complementary tools to help identify ways of using the data, e.g. identifying the 
relationship  between  investment  and  productivity  within  an  eGovernment  project  or  the 
contribution  of  eGovernment  policies  and  programmes  to  GDP  growth,  jobs  or  social 
cohesion.  

3.2. 

Sharing  

The need for greater sharing of experience is widely recognised11. Mechanisms have been and 
are  put  in  place  such  as  the  eGovernment  Good  Practice  Framework12,  the  eGovernment 
Observatory13,  Your  Europe  portal14,  the  TESTA  network15  and  the  Single  Window 
Customs16.  

8 

9 

10 

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12 
13 
14 
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16 

on 

study 

eGEP 

Eurostat surveys on household and enterprises in the Member States provide important information on 
inclusive eGovernment and eProcurement. 
MODINIS benchmarking eGovernment basic services on-line- 6th measurement (2006), and new pilot 
project on improving eGovernment benchmarking indicator. 
MODINIS 
benefits 
http://europa.eu.int/egovernment_research. 
Ministerial  Declaration,  Second  Ministerial  Conference,  Como,  IT,  7  July  2003;  eGovernment 
Communication 2003, COM(2003) 567; Council Conclusions on eGovernment, December 2003. 
http://egov-goodpractice.org 
eGovernment Observatory: http://europa.eu.int/egovo 
http://europa.eu.int/youreurope 
http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/2097/556 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/common/publications/com_reports/customs/index_en.htm 

eGovernment, 

economics 

financing, 

and 

of 

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This will allow risk-sharing and economies of scale in investigating innovative solutions and 
replicable building blocks for innovation and sharing good practices. This would also include 
the Commission’s own eCommission17 work. Fuller use should be made of the EPAN results 
on innovative public services by linking them to Commission-supported good practice. 

In the short to medium term, the proposal is to address sustainability of infrastructure services 
through EC programmes and national/regional funding. Long-term sustainability is still to be 
ensured18. 

The European  Commission, in partnership with Member States, the private sector, and civil 
society will take the following action: 

2006 

2007 

2008 

The  Commission,  working  together  with  Member  States,  will  propose  a 
common 
framework  and 
subsequently fine-tune it.  

impact-oriented  eGovernment  measurement 

In line with the i2010 benchmarking framework, benchmarking and case-based 
impact  and  benefit  analysis  based  on  common  indicators  will  be  performed 
based on Member States’ inputs to monitor progress with this Action Plan. 

The  Commission,  together  with  the  Member  States,  will  explore  mechanisms 
to  ensure  the  long-term  financial  and  operational  sustainability  for  sharing 
experiences, infrastructures and services. 

Between  2006  and  2010  the  Commission  will  continue  actively  to  promote  the  sharing  of 
resources, good practice and experience in eGovernment. 

4. 

HIGH-IMPACT KEY SERVICES FOR CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES 

The  eGovernment  agenda  is  advancing  through  the  modernisation  of  hundreds  of  public 
services. While most of these are local, regional and national, a number of services delivered 
across  borders  make  a  significant  difference  to  citizens,  businesses  and  administrations  and 
can  act  as  flagships  for  European  eGovernment.  These  also  serve  to  mobilise  top-level 
commitment  and  to  create  substantial  demand  for  key  enablers  such  as  electronic 
identification  and  interoperability,  mutually  reinforcing  objectives  in  this  Action  Plan  (see 
also  the  next  chapter).  Implementation  of  these  flagship  services  must  focus  on  achieving 
measurable  impact  through  widespread  usage,  not  only  on  making  such  services  available 
electronically.  

One such high-impact service is electronic public procurement. Government revenues account 
for some 45% of GDP and public authorities purchase 15 to 20% of GDP or €1500 to 2000 
billion in Europe every year. Electronic procurement and invoicing could result in savings in 
total  procurement  costs  of  around  5%  and  reductions  in  transaction  costs  of  10%  or  more, 
leading to savings of tens of billions of euros annually. In particular, SMEs can benefit from 

17 
18 

E-Commission 2006-2010, Enabling Efficiency and Transparency, 22 November 2005. 
Regarding  the  IDABC  programme,  decision  2004/387/EC  (L  144,  30.  4.  2004  (see  Corrigendum 
OJ L 181, 18. 5. 2004, p. 25) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004, Article 
10(8) and Article 3(d specifies that mechanisms to ensure the financial and operational sustainability of 
IDABC infrastructure services are to be defined. 

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easier access to public procurement markets and increasing their ICT-capabilities and thereby 
competitiveness.  

A  high  level  of  take-up  of  eProcurement  is  therefore  highly  desirable.  Member  States  have 
committed themselves to giving all public administrations across Europe the capability of 
carrying  out  100%  of  their  procurement  electronically  (where  legally  permissible)  and 
to ensuring that at least 50% of public procurement above the EC threshold19 is carried 
out electronically by 2010.  

Over the period 2006-2010 the Commission will in cooperation with Member States explore 
high impact services with a pan-European dimension that contribute most to the achievement 
of  the  Lisbon  Agenda.  Specific  attention  will  be  paid  to  citizen  mobility  services,  such  as 
improved job search services across Europe, social security services relating to patient records 
and  electronic  health  prescriptions,  benefits  and  pensions  across  Europe,  and  educational 
services  relating  to  studying  abroad.  Other  key  services  to  be  considered  include  company 
registration  and  VAT  refunding  for  businesses.  Opportunities  should  also  be  seized  for 
synergy with Structural Funds and local/regional development.  

Cross-border eProcurement has been chosen as the first application to focus on. This work is 
to support the eProcurement Action Plan agreed with Member States in 200420. It is to help 
accelerating Member States’ developments towards the realisation of cross border solutions.  

The European Commission, in partnership  with Member States, the private sector, and civil 
society will take the following action: 

2006 

2007 

2009 

2010 

Agree  with  Member  States  on  a  roadmap  setting  measurable  objectives  and 
milestones  and  achieving  100%  availability  of  public  eProcurement  and  50% 
take-up of eProcurement by 2010.  

Based  on  existing  or  under  development  Member  States  solutions,  accelerate 
common specifications of key elements for cross border public eProcurement 
and launch implementation pilots. 

Assess pilots deployments and disseminate results across the EU. 

Review  of  progress  of  cross  border  public  eProcurement  applications  in  the 
Member States. 

Between 2006 and 2010 cooperation on additional high-impact eGovernment services will be 
agreed with Member States. 

5. 

PUTTING KEY ENABLERS IN PLACE  

eGovernment has reached a critical juncture. Further significant progress requires certain key 
enablers  to  be  in  place,  particularly  for  high  impact  services  to  be  effective.  Among  those, 
interoperable  electronic  identification  management  (eIDM)  for  access  to  public  services, 

19 
20 

From about €50 000 for simple public services to €6 000 000 for public works. 
COM(2004) 841; Legal framework for eProcurement from directives 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC 

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electronic  document  authentication  and  electronic  archiving  are  considered  critical  key 
enablers. 

EU  countries  are  already  implementing  eIDM,  meeting  national  service  needs,  cultural 
traditions  and  personal  data  protection  preferences.  Harmonised  national  ID  cards  might  be 
one specific means to implement public service eIDM, but this is a national choice. Biometric 
national  ID  cards  and  eIDM  for  public  services  are  markedly  different:  national  ID  cards 
serve  public  security,  for  example  by  facilitating  integrated  border  management  and 
supporting  fight  against  terrorism,  whereas  electronic  identification  for  public  services  is 
intended to ease access and offer personalised and smarter services. 

Member  States  recognise  the  importance  of  eIDM  for  ensuring  that  by  2010  European 
citizens  and  businesses  will  be  able  to  benefit  from  secure  and  convenient  electronic 
means,  issued  at  local,  regional  or  national  levels  and  complying  with  data  protection 
regulations,  to  identify  themselves  to  public  services  in  their  own  or  in  any  other 
Member State. 

The European Commission proposes a pragmatic approach to the interoperability of different 
eIDM systems. The aim is to respect the different national approaches and solutions without 
creating a barrier to using public services across borders. 

Wider  public  consultation  will  be  considered  to  update  views  on  public  acceptance.  E-
signatures provide a technology that can be used in the eIDM process. The Commission will 
in  its  follow  up  to  the  e-Signatures  Directive  actively  foster  mutual  recognition  and 
interoperability  of  electronic  signatures  to  overcome  barriers  to  the  Single  Market.  The 
Commission  will  also  consider  if  regulatory  measures  are  needed  for  the  development  of 
electronic identification and authentication for public services. 

Moreover, electronic documents will be essential for many services, e.g. public procurement 
contracts,  remote  medical  prescriptions  or  educational  certificates.  Between  2006  and  2010 
the Commission will set up, with the Member States, a reference framework for authenticated 
electronic documents across the EU and will develop and implement a work programme for 
closer  cooperation  on  management  and  authentication  of  and  easier  cross-border  access  to 
electronic records and archives in public administrations.  

Finally,  interoperability  is  a  generic  key  enabler.  Interoperable  essential  infrastructure 
services  (e.g.  for  secure  communications  between  administrations  or  cross-border  access  to 
registers),  common  specifications,  interoperability  guidelines  and  re-usable  software  are  all 
building  blocks  of  high  impact  eGovernment.  Work  is  ongoing  towards  the  adoption  of  an 
updated European Interoperability Framework and promotion and awareness for interoperable 
eGovernment services based on standards, open specifications and open interfaces as planned 
in the Interoperability Communication21. 

21 

Communication on Interoperability COM(2006) 45 

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The Commission, together with Member States, the private sector and civil society, will take 
the following action:  

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

Agree  with  Member  States  on  a  roadmap  setting  measurable  objectives  and 
milestones  on  the  way  to  a  European  eIDM  framework  by  2010  based  on 
interoperability and mutual recognition of national eIDM. 

Agree common specifications for interoperable eIDM in the EU. 

Monitor large scale pilots of interoperable eIDMs in cross-border services and 
implementing commonly agreed specifications. 

eSignatures in eGovernment: Undertake review of take-up in public services. 

Review the uptake by the Member States of the European eIDM framework for 
interoperable eIDMs. 

6. 

STRENGTHENING PARTICIPATION AND DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING IN EUROPE 

Democratic  decision-making  and  participation  face  several  challenges.  Across  Europe  (non-
mandatory) voter turnout at national and European level is generally low. Decision-making is 
often  felt  to  have  become  more  complex,  involving  more  parties  and  interests  and  more 
difficult  trade-offs.  Citizens  are  becoming  ever  better  informed  and  are  demanding  greater 
involvement. Governments are seeking to build wide and inclusive support for public policies 
to  ensure  effective  implementation  and  avoid  new  democratic  and  societal  divides.  Better 
decision-making  and  more  extensive  involvement  of  citizens  in  all  phases  of  democratic 
decision-making,  including  at  European  level,  are  critical  for  the  cohesion  of  European 
society. 

At the same time there are new opportunities: in particular, ICT has great potential to involve 
large numbers of citizens in public debate and decision-making, from municipal to European 
level. The Internet has already led to new forms of political expression and public debate such 
as blogs.  

The  interface  between  democracy,  new  technologies,  new  forms  of  social  organisation  and 
governance  is  what  eDemocracy  is  about.  65%  of  respondents  to  the  online  eGovernment 
policy  poll  expect  eDemocracy  to  help  reduce  democratic  deficits22  and  there  are  good 
examples  of  eDemocracy.  Nevertheless,  many  questions  and  concerns  still  need  to  be 
addressed, from inclusion to the quality of decision-making.  

The  European  Commission’s  role  is  to  enable  cooperation  at  European  level,  notably  in 
eParticipation, to increase understanding, to accelerate progress by sharing re-usable solutions 
from  across  the  world,  and  to  support,  by  means  of  ICT,  the  transparency  of  European 
institutions  and  the  involvement  of  citizens.  The  eCommission  initiative  and  the  European 
Transparency initiative will also contribute to this23. Furthermore, best practices and common 

22 
23 

Online consultation by DG Information Society & Media, October-December 2005.  
Communication to the Commission from the President, Ms Wallström, Mr Kallas, Ms Hübner and Ms 
Fisher Boel for the launch of a European transparency initiative, SEC(2005)1300 

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specifications  for  tools  to  bring  citizens  closer  to  parliamentary  decision-making  processes 
will be explored, in consultation with parliaments in the EU and other stakeholders.  

The Commission, in consultation with stakeholders, will take the following action:  

2006-2010 

Test  ICT-based  tools  that  facilitate  transparency  and  public  involvement  in 
democratic decision-making. Support exchanges of experience.  

2006 

Launch  a  preparatory  action  on  ICT-based  tools  for  enhanced  parliamentary 
decision-making. 

2007-2013 

Set  advanced  forms  of  eDemocracy  as  a  priority  of  the  IST  research 
programme under FP7. 

7. 

MANAGING AND IMPLEMENTING THE EGOVERNMENT I2010 ACTION PLAN  

The implementation of this Action Plan largely relies on cooperation with the Member States 
and other stakeholders. At the EU level, the Action Plan is supported by programmes such as 
Modinis24,  eTEN25,  IST26,  IDABC27  and  the  future  CIP28  (Competitiveness  and  Innovation 
framework Programme). 

Given  the  instrumental  role  of  the  eGovernment  subgroup  of  leaders  and  representatives  of 
the national eGovernment initiatives, their productive working methods and practical working 
relationship  with  EPAN,  the  Commission,  after  consultation  of  the  Member  States,  will 
propose to continue the group at strategic level under the i2010 initiative.  

The  Commission,  in  cooperation  with  Member  States  and  in  close  consultation  with 
stakeholders, will perform strategic monitoring, develop roadmaps and monitor the European 
eGovernment Action Plan. 

The  group  will  report  on  incorporation  of  the  Action  Plan  in  national  eGovernment  plans 
(Member  States  have  committed  themselves  to  report  in  2006)  and  develop  strategies  on 
specific topics, such as inclusive eGovernment and high-impact citizen-oriented services. 

Comprehensive  progress  review,  new  directions  for  political  priorities  and  subsequent 
updating of this Action Plan, recognising achievements and promoting re-usable solutions, are 
envisaged  in  the  i2010  annual  report  and  on  a  bi-annual  basis  through  Ministerial 
Conferences. 

The  Commission  will  prepare,  with  the  forthcoming  Portuguese  Presidency,  the  4th 
Ministerial eGovernment Conference, to be held in Portugal in 2007. 

While  the  primary  objective  of  this  Action  Plan  is  to  benefit  Europe,  the  experience  gained 
could be beneficial to further international cooperation including developing countries.  

24 
25 
26 
27 
28 

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/modinis/ 
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/eten/ 
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ 
http://europa.eu.int/idabc/ 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/cip/ 

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8. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Effective and innovative public administrations are essential to a globally competitive Europe. 
eGovernment  is  the  key  to  unlocking  potential  in  the  public  sector.  This  Action  Plan, 
announced  in  the  i2010  initiative,  maps  out  the  way  ahead  for  eGovernment  in  Europe  and 
provides  the  focal  points  for  EC  programmes,  initiatives  and  policy-making  from  2006  to 
2010 and a practical way forward through roadmaps and strategic monitoring in priority areas. 
Successful implementation of this Action Plan will require the cooperation of all stakeholders. 

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