Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the 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 COM(2006) 173 final
Date: 2006-12-14
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: access to information, electronic government, information society, information system, information technology, public administration, public service

C 325/78

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2006

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Communication from the
Commission to the Council,
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

the European Parliament,

COM(2006) 173 final

(2006/C 325/19)

On 25 April 2006 the European Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social
Committee, under Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the abovementioned
proposal.

The Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society, which was responsible for
preparing the EESC's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 10 November 2006. The rapporteur was
Mr Hernández Bataller.

At its 431st plenary session held on 13 and 14 December 2006 (meeting of 14 December), the European
Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 114 votes to one with two abstentions.

1. Conclusions and recommendations

2. Commission proposal

The EESC endorses the Action Plan presented by the
1.1
implementation will mean public
Commission, because its
in the EU promoting a knowledge-based
administrations
economy which generates sustainable economic growth,
in
conjunction with a qualitative and quantitative improvement in
employment and greater social cohesion.

the Commission presents

2.1 With this document,
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 Com-
munity policies.

The EESC considers that implementing the Action Plan
1.2
could help to prevent the marginalisation — in both personal
and employment
terms — of different social groups and
improve the quality and stability of employment, combat digital
inequality, promote universal availability of local services, fully
meet the needs of weaker groups and lastly improve social cohe-
sion in the face of inequalities now being seen for the first time.
The appropriate measures should be taken to prevent people
becoming ‘second-class citizens’.

1.3
Public authorities switching to digital services will have
to modernise, by improving the quality, flexibility and quantity
of the services they deliver, aiming for efficient use of public
resources, cost-cutting, user satisfaction, coordination between
public administrations and less bureaucracy.

It considers it important to accelerate eGovernment with
2.2
a view to modernisation and innovation, since new needs and
demands are arising, such as for seamless public services across
borders to increase citizens' opportunities for mobility and for
business in Europe.

2.3 With this Action Plan the Commission seeks to:

— accelerate the delivery of tangible benefits for all citizens and

businesses;

— ensure that eGovernment at national level does not lead to
new barriers on the single market due to fragmentation and
lack of interoperability;

The EESC strongly recommends establishing objectives
1.4
intended to meet the criterion of full coverage as regards broad-
band access and to encourage use of the Internet as an informa-
tion and communication tool. Public confidence in this tool will
depend on the degree of security that can be guaranteed for its
use, which will affect e-government and the services that this
can deliver to the public.

— extend the benefits of eGovernment at EU level by allowing
economies of scale in Member States' initiatives and coop-
erating on common European challenges;

— ensure cooperation of all stakeholders in the EU in designing

and delivering eGovernment.

1.5
The EESC regrets the fact that the Action Plan makes no
reference at all to the role of organised civil society in achieving
the goals of public participation in democratic decision-making.
Organised civil society, as the lynchpin of participatory democ-
racy, must play a key role in the ‘digital democracy’ of the
future.

The Action Plan focuses on five major objectives for

2.4
eGovernment with specific objectives for 2010:

— advancing inclusion through eGovernment so that by 2010
all citizens benefit from trusted, innovative services and easy
access for all.

30.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 325/79

This presents the challenge of fighting the digital divide and an
opportunity for ICT-enabled inclusive policies, to enable all citi-
zens, including socially disadvantaged groups, to fully benefit.

objectives for the Union and in terms of institutional dynamics.
The boost given by e-government is, of course, a useful contri-
bution to attaining these objectives.

— making efficiency and effectiveness a reality, significantly
contributing, by 2010, to high user satisfaction, transpar-
ency and accountability, a lighter administrative burden and
efficiency gains.

Achieving universal broadband access is a priority and
3.3
infrastructure must thus be improved in areas where demand is
not being met, in order to ensure access to these services and to
foster the use of broadband and mobile services.

To this end, the Commission hopes to establish a common
impact/benefit-oriented measurement
which
includes benchmarking using common indicators (measured
nationally or by European-level action) and case-based learning
using measurable indicators.

framework,

It also intends to communicate and share experiences much
more, to ensure long-term sustainability.

— implementing high-impact key services for citizens and busi-
nesses, so that by 2010, 100 % of public procurement will
be available electronically, with 50 % actual usage, with
agreement on cooperation on further high-impact online
citizen services, such as citizen mobility services (improved
job search services across Europe, social security services
relating to patient records and electronic health prescrip-
tions, for example) or VAT refunding;

— putting key enablers in place that enable citizens and busi-
nesses to benefit, by 2010, from convenient, secure and
interoperable authenticated access across Europe to public
services, such as harmonised national ID cards or the crea-
tion of regulatory measures for the development of elec-
tronic identification and authentication for public services;

3.4
Implementing the measures set out in the Action Plan at
the different territorial levels and pooling these experiences will
clearly have repercussions for the operation of
the internal
market, in particular as regards public contracts and those day-
to-day aspects of EU citizenship that will enhance the European
public's quality of life and wellbeing.

The Action Plan is concerned with the fundamental
3.4.1
rights set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, such as
‘good administration’, the ‘protection of personal data’, ‘the right
of access to placement services’,
‘health care’ and ‘access to
services of general interest’.

3.4.2
The EESC hopes that implementing the Action Plan's
objectives will safeguard current levels of protection and prevent
further technological development eroding protection of these
rights.

3.5
A number of security measures are required, in order to
increase public confidence in government. These measures must
be proportionate, sufficient and in line with the cost, nature and
importance of the data and the operations protected.

— demonstrating, by 2010, tools for effective public debate
and participation in democratic decision-making, addressing
many questions and concerns, from inclusion to the quality
of decision-making.

The EESC has already stated its views on the need for a
3.6
European policy
approach to network and information
security (2), and considers that investment in improved network
security generates social costs and benefits which are not
adequately reflected in market prices.

3. General comments

speaking,

Generally

ambitious

the Committee welcomes

3.1
the
Commission's Action Plan, which contains some objectives that
and which really must be achieved. The
are
Committee agrees with the definition of
its objectives and
welcomes its political timeliness, because it will give a boost to
the objectives set out in the Lisbon Strategy, to ensure that
Europe becomes the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-
based economy in the world.

The EESC reiterates (1) that if the Lisbon objectives are to
3.2
become realistically attainable, the European Union must offer a
coherent, dynamic and progressive approach both in terms of

(1) EESC opinion on Improving the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy. OJ C
120 of 20.5.2005, pp. 79-88, adopted at the plenary session held on
27.10.2004. Rapporteur: Mr Vever; co-rapporteurs: Mr Ehnmark and
Mr Simpson.

The EESC will in the near future present a more detailed

3.7
analysis of network security in the i2010 Action Plan (3).

3.8
Channels of ‘cooperation’ between the EU institutions
and the public administrations in the Member States to ensure
the Action Plan's future operability must be strengthened, by
establishing appropriate channels that will also help to effec-
tively evaluate results.

3.9
It would be useful to establish bodies for cooperation
between different public administrations so that the public can
access new services irrespective of which administration delivers
them. This would also enable them to develop joint applications
and to better integrate existing solutions.

(2) EESC opinion on the Communication from the Commission to the
Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee
and the Committee of the Regions on network and information
for a European policy approach. OJ C 48 of
security: proposal
21.2.2002, pp. 33-41, adopted at
the plenary session held on
28.11.2001. Rapporteur: Mr Retureau. Point 3.2.1.3.11.

(3) Draft opinion OJ C 318, 23.12.2006 (TEN/254). Rapporteur: Mr

Pezzini.

C 325/80

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2006

services (4)

to European public

The EESC reiterates the need for a boost to be given at
3.10
European level
(including
customs, Galileo, the European health card and judicial coopera-
tion in civil matters, such as the taking of evidence and the
service of documents, and other new services such as the Euro-
pean vehicle registration and the European driving licence), thus
bringing the different public administrations together in these
sectors.

acquisition of and access to ICT goods and services, specifically
the Internet.

ICT literacy content and services should be based on
4.3.2
the design setting up and monitoring of training and support
measures for Internet courses.

One of the Action Plan's shortcomings is the dearth of
3.11
supranational economic instruments (IST, IDA) facilitating the
human and technological exchanges it proposes. This matter is
particularly pressing for the new Member States and those nego-
tiating future EU membership.

Support should be given to measures such as the devel-
4.3.3
opment of ‘virtual campuses’ for average-level Internet users and
the provision of multilingual educational content for this target
group. Public administrations' digital
services can promote
linguistic diversity and language learning and foster multilingu-
alism in the EU.

3.12
Against this background and in order to avoid a situa-
tion of EU Member States progressing at different speeds on the
matter of e-government, an ad hoc institutional initiative should
first be drawn up, to consider the idea of setting up a fund for
modernising these public administrations and the issue of differ-
entiated legal treatment — with longer deadlines for implemen-
tation — to ensure that these administrations comply with the
objectives set out in the Plan.

3.13
The EIB and the Commission should also consider
economic instruments to boost the European economy in the
context of implementing this Action Plan.

4. Specific comments

4.4
Public administrations' web portals should be brought
into line with the highest internationally accepted standards for
accessibility. Primarily, this means adhering to the highest Web
Accessibility Initiative (WAI) standards, and also promoting all
types of
legislative, technological and organisational measure
that make ICT accessible and public administrations throughout
the European Union interoperable.

4.5
Breaking down the psychological barriers that sometimes
divide people must go hand in hand with breaking down
physical barriers.
is the EESC's view that access to both
physical areas and communication systems and media and the
legal recognition of sign language are crucial steps now being
taken in this process of opening government up to everyone in
Europe.

It

4.1
Increasing IT use throughout society is a challenge for
development and competitiveness but also for social and terri-
torial cohesion and equal opportunities. One of the inequalities
that has the greatest impact on the future of individuals or
regions is the ‘digital divide’.

4.6
Transparency means promoting the free flow of informa-
tion, guaranteeing objectivity, providing accurate and timely
information and avoiding any possibility of lack of transparency
in administrations' activities.

4.2
The priority must be to prevent, reduce or completely
eradicate the ‘digital divide’. This will require immediate and
active policies to promote or provide digital services, especially
in areas lagging behind in the new technological environment.
In conjunction, intensive IT literacy programmes including voca-
tional training should be provided for specific social groups.

4.7
Relevant and up-to-date public information lies at the
heart of the democratic relationship between government and
the public at large. This is the only way in which people can
know what government is doing, participate in decision-making
and evaluate management and performance.

4.3
The EESC considers that all the necessary infrastructure
including human resources, should be put in
and resources,
place, managed, developed and maintained to support the work
of the various public administrations on ICT training and capa-
city building,
to develop an efficient organisation
across the EU. This would help to promote and enhance digital
literacy and to encourage Internet use.

in order

4.3.1
Increasing digital literacy will require measures such as
setting up and properly managing fully-equipped and fully
operational class-rooms for teaching digital
literacy courses,
teacher training, aid for getting connected, or ‘surfing’ vouchers
for successful students, which can be used to partially fund the

(4) Opinion OJ C 318, 23.12.2006, adopted at the plenary session held on

14.9.2006. Rapporteur: Mr Vever.

4.8
Ultimately, the issue is to channel all ICT potential into
ensuring a better form of government that is more efficient and
closer to the people and which delivers useful and high-quality
digital services, bringing individuals and businesses into the
information society.

The minimum that these measures should achieve, in all

4.9
Member States and within a reasonable period of time, is to:

— guarantee the right of individuals and businesses to deal

with public administrations electronically;

— establish mechanisms ensuring that online service supply
meets demand, creating a comprehensive catalogue of the
electronic services available;

30.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 325/81

— guarantee the existence of appropriate channels for ensuring
that individuals and businesses are able to make use of the
services provided by public administrations.

4.10
In many cases, technological immersion will have to be
provided for EU businesses, especially SMEs, by using ‘tech-
nology development agents’ to implement technical measures
and provide specialist, tailor-made advice to the EU's business
sectors, especially those lagging furthest behind as regards ICT,
and by setting up ‘technology development agencies’, at
national, regional and local level.

4.11 Measures of this nature must be backed up by other
measures
involving ICT
training and capacity-building measures and incentives for SMEs
to make use of high-quality Internet access and ICT in general.

to disseminate these technologies,

4.12 Measures to boost ICT can help to integrate the EU's
SMEs into the knowledge-based economy, by promoting the
creation of innovative production environments, making busi-
ness networks more dynamic and efficiently generating, pooling
and transferring technology and knowledge.

4.13
Generating technological or management solutions rele-
vant to the EU's production sectors can be given a tangible
boost by: a) using benchmarking to evaluate the degree of ICT
development in the various production sectors; b) establishing
joint technology or process development centres (sectoral ICT
solution clusters); c) creating service provision centres for SMEs
in different production sectors, linking these to R+D and inno-
vation in ICT (sectoral ICT workshops); d) boosting B2B and
B2C business networks; e) boosting ICT risk-capital financing
mechanisms and similar
f) creating websites
containing a list of services available to subscribing sectors and
businesses; and g) setting up online digital forums and direc-
tories for SMEs.

instruments;

4.14
Support should be given to the establishment of centres
specialising in prevention, problem-solving, early recognition
and proactive handling of
security problems, as well as
computer-security and ICT-related research, development and
innovation, offering solutions specifically geared to EU busi-
nesses and administrations in order to build confidence in the
network and to boost e-commerce and e-government.

Political parties and organised civil society are already
4.15
able to communicate with the public rapidly and effectively, and

Brussels, 14 December 2006

respective governments

to adopt new
they call on their
measures to make the new communication media, in particular
the Internet, a normal means of accessing and dealing with
government, of participating directly in collective decision-
making, of exercising political rights and, depending on the
circumstances, even voting.

4.16
The EESC regrets the fact that the Action Plan makes
no reference to the role of organised civil society in achieving its
objectives, in particular that of improving democratic participa-
tion and decision-making in Europe.

4.17
The EESC intends to support, monitor and check, at
European level, the initiative to promote inclusive access and to
overcome the ‘digital divide’ and technological
lag that can
prevent the introduction of e-government in some sectors of
society.

4.18
To achieve this goal, reforms must be promoted to
encourage the smooth flow of information, network communi-
cation and direct dialogue between the public and government,
increasing
and enhancing
common digital sites.

and democratic

capital

social

4.19
The quality of democracy depends largely on how well
government works. Government must be modern and flexible
and structured in line with the problems facing the public, in
order to be able to anticipate and solve these problems. The
workings of government must be transparent, to inspire public
confidence in it and a sense of government being close to the
people.

4.19.1
As an advocate of participatory democracy, the EESC
considers that this participation promotes civic education, facili-
tates governance and improves the health of
the political
system.

4.19.2
The current state of the technology- and knowledge-
based society and its development must be thoroughly assessed,
using rigorous scientific and statistical analysis, paying particular
immersion of authorities with
attention to the technological
special needs,
in order to clearly determine what measures
should be adopted to close the digital divide efficiently, contri-
buting to the intensive use and application of ICT in European
society at large and between authorities of this type in particu-
lar.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Dimitris DIMITRIADIS