eGovernment benchmark : method paper 2020-2023 : 2nd edition.
Date: 2022-07-28
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
Subjects: EU Member State, administrative transparency, benchmarking, cross-frontier data flow, digital literacy, digital single market, digital technology, electronic document, electronic government, information security, information technology user, public service, report

eGovernment Benchmark 

Method Paper 2020-2023 

Written by Capgemini, Sogeti, IDC and Politecnico di Milano  
for the European Commission Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology 
May – 2022 

DG CONNECT 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology 
Directorate H — Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity 
Unit H.4 — eGovernment & Trust 
Directorate F — Digital Transformation 
Unit F.4 — Digital Economy, Recovery Plan & Skills 

Contact: Gudrun Stock (Deputy Head of Unit for the eGovernment Benchmark Report) & Stefanos Kotoglou (Project Officer 
for the eGovernment Benchmark Data Collection) 

E-mail: CNECT-BENCHMARK-EGOV@ec.europa.eu  

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

eGovernment Benchmark  

Method Paper 2020-2023 

Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology 

eGovernment Benchmark   

2022 

             EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Manuscript completed in September 2021, updated in May 2022 

2nd edition 

PROJECT TEAM 

Capgemini: Niels van der Linden, Sem Enzerink, Jochem Dogger, David Regeczi & Roel Geilleit 
Sogeti: Sandrine Cipponeri & Anca Nagy Kiss 
IDC: Massimiliano Claps & Cristina Pepato  
Politecnico di Milano: Michele Benedetti, Giulia Marchio, Luca Tangi & Marco Gaeta 

Contact: Niels van der Linden (Project Manager eGovernment Benchmark) 

E-mail: niels.vander.linden@capgemini.com  

LEGAL NOTICE 

This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the European Commission 
is not liable for any consequence stemming from the reuse of this publication. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet 
(http://www.europa.eu). 

PDF  

ISBN 978-92-76-49859-9 

doi: 10.2759/282245  KK-08-22-086-EN-N 

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© European Union, 2022 

The reuse policy of European Commission documents is implemented by the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU of 12 December 2011 on the 
reuse of Commission documents (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). Except otherwise noted, the reuse of this document is authorised under a Creative 
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For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the European Union, permission may need to be sought directly from the 
respective rightholders.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Synopsis and glossary of key terminology 

Summary of changes since 2016-2020 method paper 

This  document  is  the  eGovernment  Benchmark  Method  Paper  2020-2023,  which  is  the  result  of  a  method  consultation 
(October 2019),  a  method  workshop  (February 2020)  and Member State  reflections on  the  basis of  the  method revision 
document (shared in April 2020). It also include refinements on specific life events following a method workshop (March 
2021) and Member State reflections (April 2021). 

As compared to the previous method paper the following changes have been implemented: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Life events: the updated life events and services are included. Most notably: Transport (formerly Owning and 
Driving a Car) and Health. 
Indicators: 
a.  Pilot  indicators  are  included  (Mobile  Service  Delivery,  Findability  and  Accessibility  Foundations). 
Importantly, these pilot indicators are not weighed as part of the key dimensions until agreed upon. 
b.  Based  on final  Member States  reflections,  the ‘Transparency of  public organisations’  is replaced by  the 
‘Transparency of service design’ indicator (two former E5 questions from the old indicator were kept, two 
related questions were added). 

Wording and clarity: 
c.  A clear overview of historical changes and a glossary with key terminology are added.  
d.  More  in  general,  also  based on  final Member  States reflections, existing  definitions  and questions  have 
been sharpened where necessary (e.g. regarding automated/proactive services, Transparency of Service 
Delivery). Clarifications are given to make the method paper easier to read and understand. 

Key dimensions: the four main measurement pillars via eGovernment is measured, the aggregation 
of multiple indicators. 

1.  User Centricity: the extent to which information and services are available online, supported 

online and compatible with mobile devices. 

2.  Transparency: the extent to which service processes are transparent, services are designed 

with user involvement and users can manage their personal data. 

3.  Key Enablers: the extent to which main IT enablers (eIDs, eDocuments, Authentic sources, 
Digital post and security) are available during services processes, which can be used to assess 
the presence of the technical pre-conditions of the efficient and effective use of online services. 
4.  Cross-Border  Services:  the  extent  to  which  information  and  services  are  available  online, 
usable, and integrated with eIDs and eDocuments for users from other European countries. 

Life  event:  packages  of  government  services  which  are  usually  provided  by  multiple  government 
agencies  around  a  subject  that  occur  in  relation  each  other,  from  the  perspective  of  the  citizen  or 
entrepreneur concerned. The eGovernment Benchmark covers 9 life events (government domains). 

Life event services: services within a life event journey used by that national and cross-border users. 

-  Informational  services:  services  and  procedures  that  provide  users  with  adequate  and 

personalised insight into his/her situation. 

-  Transactional services: services and procedures needed to fulfil the essential requirements 

of a life event through online interaction. 

-  Portal websites: an eGovernment website that gathers and provides information and services 

from multiple public administrations. 

-  National user: citizens and entrepreneurs that seek for information and services in their own 

country. 

-  Cross-border  user:  citizens  or  entrepreneurs  that  seek  for  information  and  services  in 

another European country than their own. 

Method: a way to collect data. 

-  Mystery  shopping:  the  primary  type  of  data  collection  in  the  eGovernment  Benchmark,  a 
proven  evaluation method  of online offerings of all  kinds which places the user journey and 
experience at the centre of attention of the evaluators. 

-  Automated tools: online tests via which websites URLs are entered and assessed on a number 

of criteria. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
Table of contents 

1.  About the Method Paper ..................................................... 7 

1.1. 

1.2. 

1.3. 

Background and ambition of the eGovernment Benchmark..................................... 7 

Overview of historical changes ........................................................................... 7 

How to read this document ................................................................................ 8 

2.  Method Framework (overview) ............................................ 9 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

Overview of key dimensions and indicators .......................................................... 9 

Overview of life events ..................................................................................... 10 

Overview of methods ....................................................................................... 10 

3.  Key dimensions and indicators ............................................ 11 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

User centricity ................................................................................................. 11 

Transparency .................................................................................................. 11 

Key enablers ................................................................................................... 11 

Cross-border services ....................................................................................... 12 

4.  Life events ...................................................................... 13 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

Life events and persona stories ......................................................................... 13 

Life event services ........................................................................................... 14 

National and cross-border user perspectives ....................................................... 15 

5.  Methods .......................................................................... 16 

5.1. 

5.2. 

5.3. 

Mystery Shopping ............................................................................................ 16 

Automated tools .............................................................................................. 23 

Pilot indicators ................................................................................................. 24 

Annex A.  Mystery Shopping Questionnaire .............................. 28 

Annex B.  Scoring rules ........................................................ 33 

Annex C.  Country allocation of Mystery Shoppers ..................... 38 

Annex D.  Life event service definitions ................................... 39 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
1. About the Method Paper  

This Method Paper provides the detailed description of the method used for the European Commission 
eGovernment  Benchmark,  the  annual  measurement  instrument  to  evaluate  the  availability  and 
characteristics of eGovernment in Europe. The results of the study will be published in two separate 
volumes addressing different audiences: a high-level Insight report for eGovernment leadership, and 
a detailed Background report for anyone operating in eGovernment on a daily basis. The research data 
are available in machine readable format. Also, country factsheets present core data per country. 

1.1.   Background and ambition of the eGovernment Benchmark 

The eGovernment Action Plan for 2016-2020 is at the basis 
of  the  eGovernment  Benchmark.1  The  Action  plan  envisions 
digital, border-less and open public administrations: 

•  User-friendly, digital service delivery to reduce 

administrative burden; 

•  Connecting public administrations across Europe to 
facilitate seamless cross-border service delivery and re-
use of successful technologies; 

•  Opening government data, services and processes 
to engage third parties to create better or new services 
and help improve policies.  

The following set of principles is supportive in determining the actions: 

•  Digital-by-default:  actions  should  privilege  online  delivery  of  services  while  still  enabling 
other channels for those who are disconnected by choice or necessity, to ensure inclusiveness; 

•  Cross-border by default: actions should not create new barriers to the internal market; 
•  Once-only principle: actions should require citizen / business data/information only if not yet 

• 

in possession of an administration; 
Inclusive by default: actions should enable all citizens and businesses to interact with the 
administration; 

•  Privacy & data protection: all digital public services must be designed with full respect for 

the protection of personal data as a fundamental right; 

•  Open & transparency by default: actions should be open for reuse or transparency. 

1.2.  Overview of historical changes 

The eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper was originally released in July 2012. It has been regularly 
updated to remain internationally recognised and relevant. The current version of the method builds 
on annual Member State workshops and a set of preceding Method Papers:  

1.  The original eGovernment Benchmark Framework 2012-20142 edition: 

- 

In 2011, the eGovernment Benchmark method was revised for the first time. The ‘old’ 20 
services measurement  had reached saturation, and new policy priorities adopted by the 
European  Commission  and  Member  States  required  new  insights  to  monitor  progress. 
Hence, in 2012, the method was aligned with the eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015.1 It 
evaluated  the  Action  Plan  across  all  four  policy  priorities  through  a  multi-dimensional 
framework:  User  centricity,  Transparency,  Key  enablers  and  Cross-border  services.  It 
focused on a new set of government domains and assessed many of them in-depth, from 
the viewpoint of the user (either citizen or business).  

1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0179&from=EN  
2 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/sites/digital-
agenda/files/eGovernment%20Benchmarking%20method%20paper%20published%20version_0.pdf  

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
- 

In  2012,  a  user  survey  was  conducted  to  assess  eGovernment  use,  satisfaction  and 
fulfilment of citizens with 19 core eGovernment services. The method for this survey is still 
available online in the old method paper. 

2.  The 2015 edition3 

-  The update in 2015 collated the complete series of seven life events (four of these were 

determined with Member States after the first measurement in 2012) 

-  Updates were done to improve the questionnaires. 

3.  The 2016-2019 edition4  

-  Having concluded a full cycle in the period 2012-2015, 2016 was an appropriate timing to 

consider innovations in the method.  
-  An eighth life event “Family” was added.  
-  Albania and North Macedonia were included since the 2018 measurement, bring the total 

number of countries to 36. 

-  Some indicators were removed: Ease of use and Speed of use, as well as eSafe and SSO. 
Some  indicators  were  added:  Digital  post  and  some  questionnaire  updates  related  to 
Transparency of personal data and eID. This edition also introduced the security pilot.  
-  The method for the separate user survey that was conducted in 2012 has been left out, as 

it was not part of the measurement in the recent years.  

4.  The 2020-2023 edition 

-  Based on a method consultation in October 2019 and a method workshop in February 2020 

a follow-up Method Revision Document was shared with Member States. 

-  The  life  event  services  were  simplified:  the  citizen  and  business  user  journeys  were 
simplified on the basis of a set of principles (e.g. highly identical services  were merged, 
services not applicable in a substantial number of countries were removed, etc.). Moreover, 
the number of cross-border services was increased (for those services relevant and in line 
with the spirit of the Single Digital Gateway). 

-  A health life event was added. 
-  The  Transparency  of  public  organisations  indicator  was  adjusted  and  renamed  into  the 

Transparency of service design indicator. 

-  Some  new  pilot  indicators  were  introduced:  Findability  (Search  Engine  Optimisation), 
Mobile  Service  Delivery  and  Accessibility  Foundations.  The  Safe  Email  pilot  was  only 
conducted in 2020 and not continued thereafter. 

1.3.   How to read this document 

Chapter 2: Overview of the benchmark framework 
This chapter gives an overview of the benchmark framework. It explains how the framework relates 
to policy priorities and provides an overview of the indicators, life events and methods.  
Chapter 3: Key indicators 
This  chapter  explains  what  is  measured  in  terms  of  eGovernment,  by  looking  at  the  four  key 
dimensions and underlying indicators. 
Chapter 4: Life events 
This chapter shows the scope of measurement, the life events and government domains covered by 
the assessment. 
Chapter 5: Method 
This chapter describes the type  of data collection via which  the indicators measured across the life 
events (mainly mystery shopping).  
Annex A, B, C and D 
The appendices further provide insight into the detailed questionnaire, scoring rules, country allocation 
and life event descriptions. 

3 http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?action=display&doc_id=10036  
4 https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=55174  

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Method Framework (overview) 

The  eGovernment  Benchmark  brings  together  the  following  aspects:  indicators,  life  events  and 
methods. In effect, the different  eGovernment themes (key dimensions divided into indicators) are 
measured within different life events (unit of analysis) using different ways to collect data (methods). 

2.1.  Overview of key dimensions and indicators 

The  benchmark  analysis  takes  place  along  the  lines  of  four  key  dimensions.  The  eGovernment 
benchmark  framework  is  built  on  the  foundation  of  the  EU  policy  priority  areas  in  the  field  of 
eGovernment.  This  foundation  led  to  the  selection  of  the  key  dimensions,  with  their  underlying 
indicators as shown.  

Figure 2.1 eGovernment Benchmark framework 

The eGovernment Benchmark is a means for evaluating performances and promoting the digitalisation 
of EU countries.5 The progress in these areas is measured via four  key dimensions, which comprise 
multiple underlying indicators: 

1.  User centricity  

o  Online availability 
o  Mobile friendliness 
o  User support6 

2.  Transparency 

o  Transparency of service delivery 
o  Transparency of personal data 
o  Transparency of service design 

3.  Key enablers 

o  eID 
o  eDocuments 
o  Authentic sources 
o  Digital post 
o  Security (not weighed in scoring) 

4.  Cross-border services 

o  Cross-border online availability  
o  Cross-border user support7 
o  Cross-border eID  
o  Cross-border eDocuments 

5 The study monitors and compares performance from a policy perspective. However, please note that the study does not 
review the legal implementation or formal compliance status of related legislation, such as the General Data Protection 
Regulation, eIDAS Regulation, Single Digital Gateway Regulation and Web Accessibility Directive. 
6 Renamed, but same questions as the 2019 Usability indicator. 
7 Renamed, but same questions as the 2019 Cross-border usability indicator. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

2.2.  Overview of life events 

To measure the eGovernment state-of-play, this benchmark uses life events to capture the 
landscape of public services. Each life event is measured in a biennial cycle (once every 
two  years).  This  means  that  Member  States  have  two  years  to  analyse  findings  and 
implement improvements in these domains. An evaluation every two years is better suited 
to capture improvements than a yearly evaluation.  The life events are associated with a 
user-journey  that  businesses  and/or  citizens  go  through  to  attain  specific  goals. 
Importantly: 

-  The life events cover a reasonably wide range of government domains and functions 
impacted by eGovernment. Out of these life events, a few specifically relate to local 
government  (e.g.  Moving),  some  to  eGovernment  services  for  businesses  (e.g. 
Business  start-up  and  Regular  business  operations)  and  others  to  high  impact 
eGovernment services for citizens (e.g. Transport and Studying). 

-  Each life event consists of multiple services supported by one or multiple websites 

per service, as well as portal websites. 

-  Some services target domestic users, other services target foreign users (national 

versus cross-border services).  

Given the biennial cycle, the life events are evaluated as follows (in the even and uneven 
years):  

2020, 2022, … 

2021, 2023, … 

Business life events 

-  Business start-up 

Citizen life events 

-  Career 
-  Family  
-  Studying 

-  Regular business operations 

-  Health 
-  Moving 
-  Starting a small claims procedure 
-  Transport 

Figure 2.2 Overview of life events under assessment 

2.3.  Overview of methods 

The following methods are being used:  

1.  The method most used in the benchmark exercise is Mystery Shopping. A Mystery 
Shopper is trained and briefed to observe, experience, and measure a given public 
service process. Mystery Shoppers act as prospective users and follow a detailed, 
objective evaluation checklist.  Mystery Shopping forms the majority  of inputs for 
the  four  key  dimensions.  It  is  a  matured  method  that  generates  reliable  and 
comparable data since 2012.  

2.  An  automated  online  assessment  tool  is  used  for  the  assessment  of  Mobile 

friendliness and the Security pilot.  

3.  In  addition,  the  Commission  explores  new  methods  for  the  eGovernment 
benchmark,  so-called  pilot  measurements.  The  results  of  a  pilot  measurement 
will be published separately. 

10 

 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

3. Key dimensions and indicators  

The eGovernment Benchmark consists of four key dimensions. Each key dimension is the 
aggregation of multiple indicators. Each indicator is in its turn composed by multiple sub-
indicators. This means, from the most abstract layer to the most specific layer: 

-  Key dimensions: the overarching metric relating to eGovernment policy priorities. 

- 

For example: User centricity. 
Indicators:  the  aggregation  of  sub-indicators  into  comprehensive  indicators.  For 
example:  Online  availability  (1  of  the  3  indicators  from  the  key  dimension  User 
centricity).  

-  Sub-indicators:  average  scores  resulting  from  the  questions  asked  in  the 
questionnaire. For example: A1 Is information about the service available online? 
(1 of the 3 questions part of the indicator Online availability).   

The following sections provide the definitions of the key dimension and indicators. The sub-
indicator questions are listed in the Appendix, as well as the scoring calculation rules. 

3.1.  User centricity  

Definition of the key dimension:  

-  The extent to which information and services are available online, supported online 

and compatible with mobile devices. 

Definition of indicators: 

-  Online availability: the extent to which informational and transactional services 
and information concerning these services is provided online, and can be reached 
via a portal website. 

-  User  support:  the  extent  to  which  online  support,  help  features,  and  feedback 

mechanisms are available. 

-  Mobile friendliness: the extent to which services are provided through a mobile-

friendly interface, an interface that is responsive to the mobile device. 

3.2.  Transparency 

Definition of key dimension: 

-  The extent to which service processes are transparent, services are designed with 

user involvement and users can manage their personal data. 

Definition of indicators: 

-  Transparency of service delivery: the extent to which the service process and 

expectations are clarified. 

-  Transparency of service design: the extent to which user are informed on and 

involved in policy and service design processes. 

-  Transparency  of  personal  data:  the  extent  to  which  user  can  manage  their 

personal data held by government organisations. 

3.3.  Key enablers  

Definition of key dimension: 

-  The extent to which main IT enablers (eIDs, eDocuments, Authentic sources, Digital 
post  and  security)  are  available  during  services  processes,  which  can  be  used  to 
assess the presence of the technical pre-conditions of the efficient and effective use 
of online services. 

Definition of indicators: 

11 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

-  eID:  the  extent  to  which  electronic  Identification  (eID),  any  means  accepted  by 
eGovernment  services  (e.g.  smartcards,  username  and  password)  for  online 
identification, can be used during service processes. 

-  eDocuments:  the  extent  to  which  electronic  documents  (eDocuments),  any 
document in digital form that the user needs to submit/upload in order to complete 
an eGovernment service, or that the user obtains as a proof or a result of the service 
(e.g.  certificate,  diploma,  proof  of  registration)  can  be  used  during  service 
processes.  

-  Authentic sources: the extent to which Authentic Sources, base registries used 
by  governments  to  automatically  validate  or  fetch  data  relating  to  citizens  or 
businesses, can be used during the service process. 

-  Digital  post:  the  extent  to  which  public  authorities  allow  citizens  to  receive 
communications digitally only and opt-out for paper mailings. Digital Post refers to 
the  possibility  that  governments  communicate  electronically-only  with  citizens  or 
entrepreneurs through e.g. personal mailboxes or other digital postal solutions. 
-  Security:  the  extent  to  which  government  websites  implemented  basic  security 

measures and internet standards. 

3.4.  Cross-border services 

Definition of key dimension: 

-  The  extent  to  which  information  and  services  are  available  online,  usable,  and 
integrated with eIDs and eDocuments for users from other European countries. 

Definition of indicators: 

-  Cross-border  online  availability:  the  extent  to  which  informational  and 
transactional services and information concerning these services is provided online 
for users from other European countries. 

-  Cross-border  user  support:  the  extent  to  which  online  support,  help  features, 

and feedback mechanisms are available for users from other European countries. 

-  eID: the extent to which electronic Identification (eID) can be used during service 
processes by users from other European countries, a government-issued document 
for online identification, and authentication. 

-  eDocuments: the extent to which electronic documents (eDocuments) can be used 
during service processes by users from other European countries, documents that 
have been authenticated by its issuer using any means recognised under applicable 
national law, specifically through the use of electronic signatures, e.g. not a regular 
PDF or Word file. 

12 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

4. Life events 

4.1.  Life events and persona stories 

The eGovernment Benchmark covers 35 participating countries: the 27 European Union 
Member States, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey, 
as well as Albania and  North Macedonia. In  each country, the status  of  eGovernment is 
measured in 9 different life events.  

Life events are packages of government services which are usually provided by multiple 
government  agencies  around  a  subject  that  occur  in  relation  each  other,  from  the 
perspective of the citizen or entrepreneur concerned. In other words, life events are chains 
of services that are logically coherent from the perspective of actual users. This means that 
for each life event, all relevant interactions with government an individual or business may 
seek  are  measured.  The  life  event  methodology  has  been  proven  and  used  in  the 
eGovernment  Benchmark  ever  since  2010.  In  this  way  the  eGovernment  Benchmark 
applies to a variety of government domains. Each domain is measured in-depth through 
a life event approach. Listings of domains can for example be found in the classification of 
the United Nations which is adopted by Eurostat (to which the life events relate).8  

A biennial cycle is used to evaluate a subset of four life events in year 1, another subset 
of  five  life  events  in  year  2  and  repeat  the  subsets  every  two  years,  in  years  3  and  4 
respectively.  This approach builds the new basis for comparison gradually, over time as 
requested by Member States. It prevents a ‘big bang’ approach which would concentrate 
effort and workload over a much shorter period of time. It also better allows countries to 
implement improvements in time before the next measurement unfolds. 

For each domain, use cases and life events modelling a potential user journey are defined. 
This helps to assess eGovernment service delivery from the user perspective, measuring 
public service processes alongside a user path, regardless of the administrative structure 
and service delivery responsibilities within a country. The life event approach enables the 
study  team  to  integrate  different  aspects  of  public  service  delivery  (such  as  online 
availability  of  services,  cross-border  mobility  and  key  enablers)  into  a  single, 
comprehensive measurement journey. 

To  ensure  consistency  and  real-life  services,  the  life  event  journeys  are  measured  by 
researchers  that  put  themselves  in  the  shoes  of  a  persona.  A  persona  is  a  fictional 
character that represents a set of: demographic information, typical attitudes, behaviours, 
values and needs, useful in considering the goals, desires and limitations relevant to a life 
event. Each life event has its own specified persona description. 

The approach used to shape life events consisted of four steps: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Desk  research  to  identify  relevant  services  with  a  clear  description  of  the  service,  as  well  as  minimal 
requirements  for  the  services  to  be  considered  online.  Commission  and  Member  State  websites  were 
researched  and  relevant  studies  regarding  the  various  domains  were  used  to  determine  the  individual 
process steps of each life event.  
Describing a persona for each life event, based on the desk research and available statistics in the domain. 
Each persona is described through parameters such as locality, age, gender, occupation and needs. 
Piloting  the  process  model  in  randomly  selected  countries  to  determine  if  the  process  model  is  likely  to 
apply in the benchmarked countries. 
Finalisation  of  the  draft  process  model  based  on  Member  State  comments  during  the  methodological 
preparations’ phase. Each life event distinguishes a few general stages, composed of individual services. 

The eGovernment Benchmark consists of nine life events, which are defined as follows: 

8 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Classification_of_the_functions_of_government_(COFOG)  

13 

 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

1.  Business start-up: a business life event related to the economic affairs domain, 
covering  services  around:  orientation,  administrative  requirements,  basic 
registration, tax-related matters, insurance-related matters, hiring a first employee 
and request an environmental permit. 

2.  Career: a citizen life  event related to the employment domain, covering services 
around:  immediate  actions  for  unemployed,  guidance  on  additional  benefits  and 
allowances, maintaining applicable benefits, finding a new job and fulfilling duties 
being employed and retiring. 

3.  Family:  a  citizen  life  event  related  to  the  social  protection  domain,  covering 

services around: birth, marriage, personal documents and registering death. 

4.  Studying: a citizen life event related to the educational domain, covering services 

around: orientation, enrolment and study guidance. 

5.  Regular  business  operations:  a  business  life  event  related  to  the  economic 
affairs  domain,  covering  services  around:  tax  and  corporate  finance,  VAT  and 
business changes. 

6.  Health: a citizen life event related to obtaining basic healthcare services, covering 
services around: search relevant healthcare provider, e-consultations and medical 
records. 

7.  Moving:  a  citizen  life  event  related  to  the  housing  domain,  covering  services 

around: find, adapt and move to new house, and moving and living abroad. 

8.  Starting  a  small  claims  procedure:  a  citizen  life  event  related  to  the  justice 
domain,  covering  services  around:  preparing  claim,  issuing  claim  and  monitoring 
status and appeal. 

9.  Transport: a citizen life event related to the transport domain, covering services 

around: buying a car, and taxes, certificates and permits. 

4.2.  Life event services 

All life event steps are operationalised by specific services. The elaborated life event model 
and persona for each life event can be found in the Annex. Three types of services/websites 
are distinguished: 

1.  Informational services 
2.  Transactional services 
3.  Portal websites 

4.2.1.  Informational services 

Informational  services  are  services  and  procedures  that  provide  users  with  adequate 
and personalised insight into his/her situation. This ensures convenience: it facilitates and 
eases the user on its journey. The following informational services are distinguished:  

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

Check: information to understand service criteria, steps and/or requirements and 
know whether users are qualified or eligible for a service. This information helps 
users to know their rights and obligations.   
Calculate: compute and get insight into the amount of eligible financial benefits, 
based on current or future circumstances. 
Get guidance: information to help, guide and enable users how to carry out an 
activity or prepare for it up front (e.g. suggestions, practical tips, templates, etc.). 
Monitor: browse to compare information or stay informed via a registry. 

4.2.2.  Transactional services 

Transactional  services  are  services  and  procedures  needed  to  fulfil  the  essential 
requirements of a life event through online interaction. The following transactional services 
are distinguished: 

a. 

Register: administer a person, business entity, object online when a change in 
status occurs and the competent authority needs to be notified. The service starts 
when entering the online form and is completed when the status change is being 
processed. 

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eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

f. 

Apply: make an online request in order to receive (financial) benefits or services. 
The  service  starts  when  entering  the  online  form  and  is  completed  when  the 
benefits are being provided. 
Obtain:  make  an  online  request  in  order  to  receive  a  document,  certificate  or 
permit. The service starts when entering the online form and is completed when 
the request is sent and the document is obtained. 
Submit: provide the competent authority with the documents, forms, evidence 
or data online in order to carry out a service. The service starts when entering 
the online form and is completed when the document is submitted. 
Declare: fulfil financial or government payment duties. The service starts when 
entering  the  online  form  and  is  completed  when  the  financial  information  is 
declared. 
Appeal:  issue  an  official  complaint  against  (a  decision  made  by)  a  competent 
authority  online.  The  service  starts  when  entering  the  online  form  and  is 
completed when the appeal is issued. 

Selection criteria applied when identifying informational and transactional services: 

1.  Applicability in most of EU27+ countries. 
2.  High-impact, including essential steps regarding the life event without which a user would not be 

able to complete the journey (e.g. key registration services, legal obligations). 

3.  Relevancy of a service based on desk research insights into relevant (Commission) studies. 
4.  Results of piloting the life event process model from the perspective of the persona, in a selection 

of Member States. 

5.  The collaborative process with Member States and European Commission consultation. 

4.2.3.  Portal websites 

Next to specific services, portal websites are evaluated. A portal website is an eGovernment 
website  that  gathers  and  provides  information  and  services  from  multiple  public 
administrations. A portal can focus on one specific life event or target group (e.g. students, 
businesses,  unemployed)  or  on  multiple  life  events  or  target  groups.  These  overarching 
government  website  are  often  referred  to  as  a  one-stop-shop  websites.  In  some  cases, 
users can complete services on the portal website itself, whereas in other cases the portal 
website  operates  as  a  navigation  website  that  directs  users  to  the  websites  of  those 
government  entities  responsible for providing the service.  From the life event concept a 
portal website is often the starting point for a user. 

Types of websites used for type of indicator: 

1. 
2. 

3. 

Informational service websites: Online availability, Cross-border online availability 
Transactional service websites: Online availability, Transparency of service delivery, eID, 
eDocuments, Authentic sources, Cross-border online availability, Cross-border key enablers 
Portal websites: User support, Transparency of personal data, Digital post, Cross-border 
user support 

4.3.  National and cross-border user perspectives 

The beforementioned types of services can target two types of users: national and cross-
border users.  

-  National  users  are  citizens  and  entrepreneurs  that  seek  for  information  and 

services in their own country. 

o  For example, a citizen that moves between places within one country (e.g. 

from Brussels to Antwerp in Belgium). 

-  Cross-border users  are  citizens  or  entrepreneurs  that  seek  for  information  and 

services in another European country than their own. 

o  For  example,  a  citizen  that  moves  places  from  one  European  country  to 
another European country (from Brussels in Belgium to Rome in Italy). 

15 

 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

5. Methods 

The method  connects the indicators with life events.  The eGovernment Benchmark uses 
two  types  of  data  collection,  with  Mystery  Shopping  being  the  most  prominent  one, 
supported  by  automated  tools  for  a  selection  of  indicators.  These  methods  are  further 
described below. 

5.1.  Mystery Shopping 

5.1.1. Indicators covered by the Mystery Shopping method 

Most eGovernment Benchmark data is collected via Mystery Shopping. Almost all indicators 
are covered by the Mystery Shopping method:  

-  User centricity: Online availability and User support. 
-  Transparency:  Transparency  of  service  delivery,  Transparency  of  public 

organisations, Transparency of personal data. 

-  Key enablers: eID, eDocuments, Authentic sources, Digital post. 
-  Cross-border mobility: Cross-border online availability, Cross-border user support, 

Cross-border eID and Cross-border eDocuments. 

5.1.2. The concept of Mystery Shopping 

Mystery  Shopping  is  a  proven  evaluation  method  of  online  offerings  of  all  kinds  which 
places  the  user  journey  and  experience  at  the  centre  of  attention  of  the  evaluators.  It 
involves  the  use  of  Mystery  Shoppers  (testers)  who  are  trained  and  briefed  to  observe, 
experience,  and  measure  a  service  process  by  acting  as  a  prospective  user.  Mystery 
Shopping can be used for comparing service offerings in different EU countries in terms of 
the services available and their quality.  

The Mystery Shopping  methodology builds on  prior  benchmark  experience with the web 
survey  and  the  2010  life  events  assessment.  The  methodology  has  been  designed  to 
effectively address the  limitations of previous tools and  reduce the  workload of Member 
State legates. The box below further explains these considerations. 

In terms  of scope the  following  notions are relevant (in relation to a  survey filled in by 
MS): 

√  Mystery Shopping covers a set of interrelated services (i.e. a  life event) instead of a 

single service. 

√  Mystery  Shopping  evaluates  interactions  with  multiple  administrations  and  across 

multiple websites. 

√  Mystery Shopping focuses on a few (high-impact) government domains and assesses 

them in depth via multiple key dimensions (with indicators and sub-indicators). 

√  Mystery  Shopping  is  case-based.  Each  case  is  based  on  a  fictive  persona  which  is 

detailed in terms of age, gender, occupation, and needs parameters.  

√  Whilst Mystery Shopping remains strongly data-driven, Mystery Shoppers also report 

back on their Shopping experience to identify good practice. 

√  Mystery Shopping is a flexible method, it could in subsequent years evaluate additional 

services and/or an adapted scope. 

In terms of reduced burden, the following notions are relevant: 

√  Mystery Shopping is an external assessment conducted by analysts instead of Member 

State legates. 

√  Mystery Shoppers identify the URLs to survey and perform the actual evaluation. 
√  Training,  Q&A  and  helpdesk  support  are  fully  centralised.  Each  Mystery  Shopper 

receives the same training and briefing. 

√  For each country, two Mystery Shoppers conduct the same evaluation. Discrepancies 
in results are detected and resolved, before they are submitted to Member State legates 
for validation. 

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eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

5.1.3. The process of Mystery Shopping 

In  terms  of  process,  two  main  phases  are  concerned:  the  landscaping  phase  and  the 
evaluation phase.  

1.  During the landscaping phase the applicability and characteristics of services is 
defined for each of the countries. This results in a contextualised picture, to make 
sure that only those services are measured in a country that a relevant. This results 
in  a  country-specific  government  ‘landscape’  with  some  services  for  instance 
applicable in one country and not applicable in another country. 

2.  During the evaluation phase, the mystery shoppers assess the identified websites 
using a predefined questionnaire. The quantitative data generated by the Mystery 
Shopping are put under the central experts’ and Member State legates’ scrutiny for 
sign-off to ensure their accuracy. Great care is given to the possibility for Member 
States to validate the results to the greatest possible extent. The validated data is 
used to calculate the eGovernment Benchmark indicators and key dimensions. 

To successfully carry out these two phases the following steps are followed: 

The Mystery Shopping begins with the landscaping phase 

5.1.4. Develop/update life event services and personas by research team 

To prepare the landscaping phase, the first step of the research is to model the life event 
user journeys, services and describe the personas. These are described in the Annex. 

5.1.5. Recruitment of the Mystery Shoppers by research team 

The  Mystery  Shopping  work  (both  landscaping  and  evaluation)  is  conducted  by  local 
analysts  (i.e.  consultants).  It  supports  the  eGovernment  Benchmark  goal  to  obtain 
factually  correct  data  (and  not  experience  and  perception-based  data).  Two  evaluators 
carry out the analysis per country, to ensure inter-reliability of the findings. Local analysts 
can  ensure  a  high-quality  work  as  they  have  strong  capabilities  and  knowledge  on 
eGovernment  context  that  is  the  public  sector  online  landscape  as  well  as  the  national 
system of public administration, language and relevant cultural aspects. The recruitment 
requirements for the Mystery Shoppers are:  

▪  The detention of an eID is a pre-requisite. In other words, the provider consortium 
will only recruit Mystery Shoppers who hold a local eID (from the country he/she 
assesses).  

▪  Knowledge of English language and language of the country to assess. 
▪  PC with internet connection. 
▪  Being a regular internet user. 
▪  Good knowledge of a country’s eGovernment and service delivery structure. 

Although  there  are  no  formal  requirements  related  to  educational  level  it  is  worth 
mentioning that the majority of Mystery Shoppers are consultants with a university degree 
(in the age of 25-35, both men and women). In the context of the Benchmark, the local 
analysts  are  managed  by  the  provider  consortium’s  central  team.  As  stated  earlier,  two 
Mystery Shoppers are recruited per country and will conduct precisely the same evaluation 
so to detect possible discrepancies in ratings upfront and mitigate them. 

5.1.6. Training of Mystery Shoppers by research team 

All  Mystery  Shoppers  are  briefed  by  the  central  research  team  to  ensure  consistent 
landscaping. The same training is given to all Mystery Shoppers. 

5.1.7. Determining the sample size per country by research team 

During the landscaping phase, website URLs are collected. Those website will be evaluated 
during  the  evaluation  phase.  It  varies  per  country  and  government  level  how  large  the 

17 

 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

sample  size  is  (i.e.  the  number  websites  to  evaluate).  The  sample  sizes  are  kept  as 
consistent as possible across countries, taking into account the service delivery structure 
(i.e. services possibly being delivered at the regional or local level) and size of the country. 

As a general rule, the sample size per country depends on three dimensions: 

1.  The service delivery structure of the life event 
2.  The service delivery structure of an individual eGovernment service 
3.  The country size 

informational  and  transactional  services  provided  by  central  government 

For 
administrations: 

-  1 website is analysed. 
-  Whenever multiple public organisations are involved in providing a service (or sub-

steps of the service process), all related websites will be sampled.  

informational  and 

For 
administrations: 

transactional  services  provided  by  regional  or 

local 

- 

For the life events of Family, Transport and Moving (with a strong local focus):  

o  The websites of the 3 largest regions/local administrations are analysed for 

Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta and Montenegro. 

o  The websites of the 10 largest regions/local administrations are analysed for 
Albania,  Croatia,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Finland,  Ireland,  Latvia,  Lithuania, 
Norway, North Macedonia, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

o  The websites of the 15 largest regions/local administrations are analysed for 
Austria,  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Czech  Republic,  Greece,  Hungary,  the 
Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland.  

o  The websites of the 20 largest regions/local administrations are analysed for 

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Turkey. 

- 

For  the  life  events  of  Business  start-up,  Career,  Studying,  Regular  business 
operations, Health and Starting a small claims procedure: 

o  The websites of the 3 largest regions/local administrations are analysed for 

Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta and Montenegro. 

o  The websites of the 5 largest regions/local administrations are analysed: for 

all other countries. 

For portal websites: 

-  2-3 portal websites are analysed (per life event). 
-  These are the most relevant portal websites, which means: 

o  To select the most relevant service providers/portals, Mystery Shoppers will 
count the number of times each service provider is listed across the life event 
services and select the 2-3 most listed service providers. In most countries 
this will be a government portal, i.e. an eGovernment website that gathers 
and provides information and services from multiple public administrations. 
A portal can focus on one specific life event or target group (e.g. students, 
businesses, patients) or on multiple life events or target groups. 

o  At  least  1  of  the  portals  should  refer  or  give  access  to  personal  data 

management. 

o  At least 1 of the portals should refer or give access to a digital post/mailbox 

o 

o 

solution.  
In  case  there  is  1  clear  main  service  provider  (e.g.  a  central  government 
portal), only 1 website will be assessed.  
In  case  the  main  service  providers  are  regional  or  local,  the  3  largest 
cities/regions will be selected.  

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eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

5.1.8. Country contextualisation by Mystery Shoppers 

In order to tailor the questionnaire to the context of each participating country, the Mystery 
Shoppers  indicate  for  each  of  the  life  event  services  whether  the  service  is  applicable, 
automated, on which government level the service is provided and whether the service is 
mandatory online. The country landscaping is organised according to a White Box approach 
(the opposite of a Black Box approach): 

-  A White Box approach is a research approach where the researcher is provided with 

- 

all (historical) information on the research subject prior to the assignment.  
In the context of the eGovernment Benchmark, a White Box approach implies that 
the Mystery Shoppers receive all information the provider consortium holds prior to 
their assignment. They receive the service status from previous years and verify: 
whether the service status is still accurately matching the country context.  

To  define  the  specific  government  landscape  of  each  country,  the  Mystery  Shopper  will 
verify the prefilled information and determine for each of the life event services: 

1.  Whether  a  given  service  is  to  be  considered  not  applicable.  Services  that  are 
considered not applicable in a country (and thus not admissible for scoring) are only 
services to which the following applies:  

-  The  service  does  not  exist  in  the  country  (e.g.  the  country  has  no  child 

allowance). 

-  Ruling law makes digitalisation of the service impossible  (e.g. the country 
requires  users  to  physically  identify  themselves  in  person  to  obtain  the 
service). 

2.  Whether a given service is provided automatically. Automated or proactive service 
provision refers to a service being provided to the user without the user having to 
request  it.  Automated  service  provision  hence  does  not  involve  any  interaction 
whatsoever of the user with the administration to obtain the specific service. 

-  A service is entirely enabled via the back-office through base registries (e.g. 
an administration will never request a certificate of good conduct from a user 
when the administration has access to it via a base registry).  

-  A service is the consequence of a previous interaction with the administration 
related  to  another  service  (e.g.  business  starter  allowances  are  granted 
automatically, once the entrepreneur has registered his business with public 
authorities). 

3.  Whether  the  service  is  provided  by  a  central,  regional  or  local  government 

administration.  

-  Central: ministries, central government agencies, etc. 
-  Regional: provinces, regions, bundesländer, cantons, etc. 
- 

Local: cities, municipalities, communes, etc. 

Please  note  that  central,  regional  and  local  government  services  can  even 
include services that are provided by semi-public entities, intermediaries (e.g. 
a Chamber of Commerce) or private entities (no matter if explicitly on behalf of 
government or not). Given multiple updates this will be exceptional, but these 
entities will be taken into account for the measurement. When a specific service 
is provided by the private sector, this will be made clear in the presentation of 
results.  

4.  If a service is provided mandatory online. 

-  No offline alternatives exist, the user has no  choice to request the service 

- 

via other channels than the online channel. 
If the user does not request the service online, the user is excluded from the 
service. 

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eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Importantly,  Mystery  Shoppers  will  have  to  provide  a  detailed  explanation  in  the 
landscaping for each and every service, when they consider the service as not applicable, 
automated, shifted to another government level or mandatory online. 

5.1.9. Selection of URLs by Mystery Shoppers 

Website  URLs  are  identified  and  collected  by  Mystery  Shoppers  with  support  from  the 
central research team in a dedicated preparatory fieldwork phase. The selection of URLs is 
organised according to a White Box approach (the opposite of a Black Box approach): 

-  A White Box approach is a research approach where the researcher is provided with 

- 

all (historical) information on the research subject prior to the assignment.  
In the context of the eGovernment Benchmark, a White Box approach implies that 
the Mystery Shoppers receive all information the provider consortium holds prior to 
their assignment. They receive the URLs from previous years and verify: whether 
they  are  still  operational  and  whether  they  are  still  accurately  match  the  service 
under evaluation.  

Thus, the Mystery Shoppers: 

1.  Corrects and adds new  URLs whenever a more accurate website is available that 

matches the service or portal questions. 

2.  Provides  the  website  URL  where  the  service  information  can  be  found  for 

informational services. 

3.  Provides the website URL where the service process or online form can be started 

for transactional services. 

4.  Provide  the  website  URL  where  information  and  services  from  multiple  public 

administrations can be found for portal websites.   

5.  Provides as many website URLs in line with the previously determined sample size 

per country and per government level as indicated before. 

6.  Lists per website URL which service provider (competent authority) is responsible 

for the website and respective service. 

When verifying and identifying the URLs, Mystery Shoppers are further requested to note, 
whether there are any specific identity requirements for accessing the website. Depending 
on the outcome of this step, the provider consortium will ensure the obtainment of specific 
identifiers. Such requirements can be: 

▪  A generic electronic identifier (e.g. a national eID card) 
▪  A specific electronic identifier (e.g. a matriculation number for students) 

5.1.10.   Landscape validation by Member States 

The motivated landscaping files are shared with Member State legates for validation. To 
facilitate this activity, the data is exported into a predefined format using a template. This 
template facilitates the comparison of landscaping data with previous rounds. Validation is 
voluntary. Member State legates may decide to validate the landscaping results themselves 
(as single-point-of-contact) or pass them on to subject matter experts across the different 
life events. Countries can request changes they deem necessary. These requests will be 
examined by the central research team.  

Once the landscaping files are validated and finalised the evaluation phase begins 

5.1.11.   Preparation of draft questionnaire by research team 

Based  on  the  landscaping  files  the  questionnaire  is  drafted  on  which  Mystery  Shoppers 
base  their  evaluation.  This  questionnaire  is  extensively  based  on  previous  benchmark 
studies.  The  indicators  part  of  the  questionnaire  are  predefined  (e.g.  on  the  basis  of 
Member  State  method  workshops).  The  detailed  evaluation  checklist  which  shapes  the 
questionnaire  objectively  documents  the  availability  of  services  and  their  features. 

20 

 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Evaluation  questions  are  most  often  binary,  with  two  (yes/no)  answer  options.  Finally, 
Mystery Shoppers are requested to report on best practice cases. Mystery Shoppers are 
not allowed to actually transact. If this prevents a shopper from assessing a service, the 
shopper  will  search  for  general  available  information  on  the  website  that  could  give  an 
indication and answer the question. The full questionnaire is provided in the appendix. 

5.1.12.   Programming, testing and finalisation of questionnaire by research team 

The next step is the programming and testing of questionnaires to ensure the robustness 
of the methodology. Based on the previous steps, an electronic questionnaire is prepared. 
First,  a  functional  analysis  is  carried  out  to  highlight  the  appropriate  solution  to  be 
implemented  in  order  to  facilitate  the  collection  of  the  information  and  to  allow  an 
automated comparison  of  results with data collected in the previous  rounds. A technical 
analysis  then  specifies  the  architecture  of  the  questionnaire  required  for  this  activity. 
Finally,  several  test  simulations  are  carried  out  on  the  questionnaire  and  supporting 
documentation is produced to facilitate the data collection. 

The  functional  analysis  of  the  future  IT  questionnaire  is  highly  important.  It  requires 
thorough  knowledge  of  questionnaires  used  in  the  past  in  order  to  provide  an  approach 
guaranteeing  the  compatibility  of  outputs  produced  so  far.  The  technical  analysis 
complements  the  functional  analysis  and  leads  to  a  complete  prototyping  of  the 
questionnaire. This is conceptualised through a transaction flow graph i.e. the completion 
of the whole questionnaires through the following iterative steps: 

▪  Selection of a given life event 
▪  Selection of a given service 
▪  Selection of a given URL 
▪  Answering the predefined questions 

The development of functions must also be in line with the functionalities defined in the 
functional analysis. If  required, a  sequential approach is used to define the sequence  of 
services to follow. Furthermore, a user guide is produced to help the user throughout the 
process. Tests are performed to ensure that the IT questionnaire corresponds exactly to 
the  user  needs  specified  in  the  analysis  and  definition  phases.  Tests  also  aim  to  ensure 
constant high quality in deliverable items. Before roll-out, questionnaires are tested with 
involvement of Mystery Shoppers. Testing only comprises its functionality, not the content 
of the questions.  

When the same life events are measured for a second time, the related questionnaires are 
prefilled with the data collected during the previous exercise. This action concerns only still 
relevant URLs and indicators. 

5.1.13.   Training of Mystery Shoppers by research team 

Mystery Shoppers are trained and briefed entirely centrally. Each Mystery Shopper receives 
a detailed research manual. This research manual explains:  

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 
▪ 

the  research  context  and  scope  (in  particular,  definitions  to  be  respected:  of  life 
events, of their process steps and specific services) 
the research procedure (a briefing on the personas which Mystery Shoppers need 
to  adopt;  the  order  of  steps  to  take;  the  time  lapse  to  be  respected;  data  entry 
requirements and typing rules) 
technical advice (activation of questionnaire functionalities) 
content advice (FAQs on the content of the questionnaire) 

A few days after receipt of the manual, the central team organises an intake conference 
call with each researcher to discuss any outstanding matters. During the research, Mystery 
Shoppers  receive  automated  feeds  on  FAQ  and  similar.  A  helpdesk  is  set  up,  providing 
continuous support to Mystery Shoppers. The central team can be reached via a generic 
email address.  

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eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

5.1.14.   Questionnaire roll-out by Mystery Shoppers 

Following a comprehensive briefing, the Mystery Shoppers proceed to the Shopping. During 
the evaluation process, the Mystery Shoppers observe, record their experiences and then 
feedback  the  results  via  the  detailed  questionnaire,  noting  the  information  displayed  on 
the  web  sites.  For  this,  Mystery  Shoppers  enact  pre-defined  scenarios  and  adopt  the 
personas.  

As  said,  when  the  same  life  events  are  measured  for  a  second  time,  the  related 
questionnaires  are  prefilled  with  the  series  collected  during  the  previous  exercise. 
Therefore, during the assessment process, the Mystery Shopper is able to keep the prefilled 
answers  or  to  update  them  when  necessary.  Changes  can  be  motivated  in  a  specific 
comments  box.  The  gain  of  this  approach  is  twofold:  reduction  of  costs  related  to  the 
fieldwork and improvement of the evaluation process by accentuating qualitative feedbacks 
(each change is conscientiously motivated). 

Furthermore, for ‘yes/no’ questions, the questionnaire offers to the shopper the possibility 
to declare that the question is not relevant for the service (coded ‘NR’). This information is 
extremely important for commenting the results. For each ‘NR’ answer, the shopper has to 
motivate his choice. The shopper might be contacted by the team in charge of data control 
for clarifications when required. 

The  Mystery  Shopping  stream  has  been  designed  in  a  way  to  balance  Member  States 
legates’ workload. 

•  The Mystery Shoppers visits the website URLs identified during the landscaping. 
•  The  Mystery Shoppers fill in the  questionnaire items relevant to  the website URL 

and service. 

•  The  quality  of  results  is  optimised  through  the  use  of  two  shoppers  for  each  Life 
Event (discrepancies in results will be automatically detected by the data gathering 
tool; the central team will arbitrate results before these are put forward to Member 
States for validation). 

The quality of results is expected to be optimised through the use of local analysts from 
within the provider consortium for the work who have a good knowledge of eGovernment, 
and their country governance structures. These local analysts will supported in case they 
encounter  difficulties  evaluating  a  service,  such  as  browsing  the  service  descriptions, 
instruction texts and videos, reviewing handbooks available on the website. 

5.1.15.   Data processing and quality control by research team 

Once  the  questionnaires  are  completed,  the  phase  of  data  treatment  commences.  It 
consists of the importation of data, the implementation of automated comparisons and the 
exportation of consolidated data in a predefined template to facilitate the validation process 
for the Member States. 

A  macro  is  developed  to  facilitate  the  importation  of  answers  collected  with  the 
questionnaire.  During  this  importation  process,  various  checks  are  implemented  to 
evaluate  the  consistency  of  the  questionnaires  such  as  the  types  of  records  or  the 
identification of empty cells. Any inconsistency is reported to the related Mystery Shopper 
in charge of a given country. Any correction is considered in an updated version of files 
that will be re-imported into the analytical programme.  

At  the  end  of  this  process,  a  single  consolidated  table  is  built.  The  key  variables  of  this 
table  are:  country,  Mystery  Shopper  ID,  life  event,  related  service  steps,  landscaping 
characteristics,  related  URL,  question  number,  answer  to  the  question.  The  table  also 
includes  comments  made  by  shoppers  and  comments  made  by  country  representatives 
during the landscaping phase. This unique table is used for the computation of indicators. 
This  approach  facilitates  the  dissemination  on  request  of  collected  data  and  the  data 
treatment to be implemented in the next steps. 

22 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Once the raw data available in a standardised format, automated comparisons are launched 
at two levels: 

-  Quality check 1: comparison of results of two Mystery Shoppers. Each life event is 
evaluated by two Mystery Shoppers. Discrepancies between the two evaluations will 
be  detected  automatically  with  a  predefined  macro.  The  Mystery  Shoppers  are 
asked to review their data entries for the debated point. The central team arbitrates 
the process. 

-  Quality  check  2:  comparison  of  data  with  previous  year  data,  detecting 
discrepancies  compared  to  previous  year  assessments.  In  case  of  inconsistent 
results for URLs, the Mystery Shopper are asked to repeat the process. To carry out 
this activity, datasets collected in previous rounds are merged to the current results 
using a predefined key of variables (country/service/URL). 

Importantly, these quality checks are performed before the data are shared with Member 
States and aim at maximising data quality and accuracy. 

5.1.16.   Validation by Member States 

The detailed results obtained for each URL, and for each research question are shared as 
raw data with Member  State legates  for validation. To facilitate this activity, the data is 
exported  into  a  predefined  format  using  a  template.  This  template  facilitates  the 
comparison of results with previous rounds. Validation is voluntary. Member State legates 
may decide to validate the results themselves (as single-point-of-contact) or pass them on 
to subject matter experts across the different life events. Requested changes are examined 
by the central team. Member States are also invited to share best practices. 

5.1.17.   Final data editing and computation of indicators by research team 

Final data editing and computation rules will be defined once the raw data available. The 
indicators will be produced with the use  of automated macros. This will be the basis  on 
which  the  reports  are  written.  Furthermore,  the  data  will  be  made  available  in  machine 
readable format. 

5.2.  Automated tools 

Automated tools are online tests via which websites URLs are entered and assessed on a 
number of criteria (e.g. based on a pass or fail on multiple sub-tests). Indicators covered 
by automated tools: 

-  Mobile friendliness 
-  Security 

5.2.1.  Mobile friendliness 

The  Mobile  friendliness  indicator  has  been  introduced  in  the  eGovernment  Benchmark 
2016. The tooling implemented to classify the URLs has changed over the years. For the 
2017 eGovernment Benchmark, URLs were evaluated using the Google Mobile friendliness 
test. As this service limited the automated processing of URLs, the Rankwatch tool9 became 
the default. Due to methodological differences URLs that were assessed as mobile friendly 
using Google were not mobile friendly based on Rankwatch. This subsequently can impact 
the  Life  event  scores  negatively  compared  to  the  last  evaluation.  Subsequently,  we 
implemented the Google Mobile friendliness test to re-evaluate the URLs where Life events 
within countries had gone down. In several instances, the results of the assessment were 
still impacted negatively. Multiple websites had implemented temporary instances on the 

9 Rankwatch Mobile friendly check, available at: https://www.rankwatch.com/tools/mobile-friendly-check.html  

23 

 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

public websites, e.g. satisfaction questionnaire pop-ups, that impacted the results, these 
portals were checked  manually and set to Mobile friendly when relevant. In such  cases, 
the websites were tested manually and corrected where relevant. 

5.2.2.  Security 

Last year, the eGovernment Benchmark included the results of the first security pilot tests 
on  the  websites  included  in  the  Mystery  Shopping.  This  pilot  has  been  repeated  for  the 
websites  in  the  assessment  this  year.  All  URLs  are  run  through  two  publicly  available 
security testing tools: one developed by the Dutch national government, internet.nl10, and 
one developed by Mozilla, the Observatory11. These tools both test several complementary 
items, which are considered basic cybersecurity hygiene; these items are further explained 
in the figure below. 

The  result  of  the  tested  items  are  combined  on  two  axes  in  the  Insight  report,  on  the 
individual tests and on the results per URL. For the individual tests, the number of URLs 
that pass that test represent the Pass rate. For the individual URL, the number of tests the 
URL fails represent the Number of Security tests failed. 

Details of the items in the cybersecurity tests of Internet.nl and Mozilla 

5.3.  Pilot indicators 

The following pilots are concerned in this method. Pilots are only weighed for calculating 
the key dimensions, after successful completion and agreement.  

5.3.1.  Mobile Mystery Shopping 

The  previously  described  Mobile  friendliness  indicator  is  measured  with  two  automated 
tools, capturing the compatibility of government websites on mobile devices. In addition, 
this pilot indicator provides more insight in whether the actual delivery of public services 
is  possible  via  mobile  devices.  In  effect,  providing  eGovernment  services  that  are 
operable on mobile devices (a mobile first approach) is considered to be one of the policy 
priorities for governments, with more and more users using mobile devices to interact with 
governments  instead  of  using  a  desktop/laptop.  In  this  way,  the  indicator  would  also 
further give substance to the eGovernment Action Plan principle of Digital by Default. 

10 The tool is an initiative of the Dutch Internet Standards Platform: www.internet.nl  
11 Mozilla security Tool: https://observatory.mozilla.org/  

24 

 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

The indicator is defined as follows: 

-  Mobile service delivery: the extent to which users have the option to carry out key 

government services via a mobile device.  

For each life event, 2 transactional services are evaluated via a mobile device: 

- 

Business start-up: 

o  3.1 Register company for the 

first time 

o  6.1 Register your company as 

an employer 

- 

Career: 

o  1.1 Registering as unemployed 
o  1.3 Apply for unemployment 

- 

- 

benefits 

Family: 

o  1.4 Apply for child allowance 
o  3.1 Obtain passport 

Study: 

o  2.2 Register in higher education 
o  2.3 Apply for student grants 

- 

Regular business operations: 
o  2.1 Declare VAT 
o  2.3 Appeal against VAT decision 

-  Health: 

o  2.1 Register and (re)schedule 

appointment at the hospital  
o  2.4 Electronic health records 

- 

Staring a small claims procedure 
o  2.1 Submit small claims 

procedure (issue the claim to 
court) 

o  3.2 Appeal against court 

decision 

-  Moving: 

o  1.2 Register new address in 

municipality register 

o  1.4 Obtain proof of residence 

- 

Transport: 

o  1.1 Register a second-hand car 
o  2.1 Obtain a parking permit 

The following steps are followed: 

1.  During  the  landscaping  phase,  Mystery  Shoppers  indicated  whether  a  specific 
mobile application is available for the service (with a link where the application can 
be  downloaded)  or  that  the  mobile  version  of  the  desktop  website  should  be 
evaluated.  

2.  During the  evaluation phase, and depending on the outcomes of the landscaping 
phase, the Mystery Shopper will either download the most recent mobile application 
or uses a mobile device emulator on a desktop, which simulates how the website 
operates on a common mobile device (e.g. iPhone).12 This will ensure the reliability 
of the  findings, minimising potential measurement differences due to the type  of 
mobile device and operating system used by the Mystery Shopper. 

3.  The Mystery Shopper follows the steps of the life event service. The questions to be 
answered are similar to the questionnaire for transactional services via a desktop. 
The full list of questions is detailed in the Annex. 

Figure 5.1 Mobile device emulator (mobile view on the left, settings on the right) 

12 See for instance the mobile device emulator in Google Chrome: 
https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/device-mode  

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

5.3.2.  Usability  

A pilot study in three participating countries is  expected in 2021, to further  explore and 
research usability aspect in the context of eGovernment services. 

5.3.3.  Accessibility foundations 

Accessibility is one of the key principles articulated in the eGovernment Action Plan, Tallinn 
Declaration, and has been put forward by the  Web Accessibility Directive. This indicator 
gains  insight  in  the  accessibility  status  of  websites,  indicating  which  websites  are 
usable for a large variety of users (regardless of for instance their visual abilities). For this 
indicator the open source Axe-core tool (browser extension) is used.13 It was developed 
under  the  European  WAI-Tools  project  and  is  considered  to  be  the  most  complete  and 
reliable automated testing tool at the moment.  

It takes into account the most recent WCAG 2.1 guidelines and covers 20 of the 50 success 
criteria,  with  test  across  all  of  the  4  main  principles  (Perceivability,  Operability, 
Understandability  and  Robustness).  Although  not  all  success  criteria  are  measured,  key 
aspects of accessibility in the light of eGovernment service delivery are captured, such as 
colour  contrast,  alternative  texts  for  images,  form  elements  are  labelled,  audio/video 
captions,  web  pages  having  titles  that  describe  topic  or  purpose  (therefore  the  name 
‘foundations’). This simplified evaluation method is considered to be a reliable smoke test 
preceding  tests  by  human  experts.  If  no  violations  are  found,  the  website  is  at  least 
potentially accessible. If violations are found, the website is at least  not fully accessible. 
The tool reports on the number and type of violations found. 

This indicator is defined as follows:  

-  Accessibility  foundations:  the  extent  to  which  websites  comply  compliant  with 

foundational parts of the EN 301 549 standard (WCAG level AA). 

The following steps are followed:  

1.  The  URLs  from  the  landscaping  phase  of  the  Mystery  Shopping  concerning 

informational and transactional services are combined in an overview. 

2.  Each URL is entered into the tool to run the test.  
3.  The tool score is captured in a results file, which can be used to calculate the results 

per life event and country. 

Figure 5.2 Axe accessibility extension (website on the left, test results on the right) 

5.3.4.  Findability  

This  indicator  addresses  findability  and  has  a  user-focus:  how  easy  can  users  find 
information and services? An automated SEO-tools is used to determine the findability 
of government. For this purpose, the Moz Domain Authority tool is used, a common way 
to define how well a website will rank on search engine result pages.14 The tool accurately 

13 https://www.deque.com/axe/  
14 https://moz.com/learn/seo/domain-authority  

26 

 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages. It does so by evaluating 
multiple factors, including linking root domains and the number of total links. In essence, 
the more high-quality external links are referring to the government website, the stronger 
its domain authority and the easier it will be to find the government website on the basis 
of key words in search engines.  

The indicator is defined as follows: 

-  Findability: the extent to which websites are optimised for search engines. 

The following steps are followed: 

1.  The  URLs  from  the  landscaping  phase  of  the  Mystery  Shopping  concerning 

informational and transactional services are combined in an overview. 

2.  Each URL is entered into the tool to run the test.  
3.  The tool score is captured in a results file, which can be used to calculate the results 

per life event and country. 

27 

 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Annex A.  Mystery Shopping Questionnaire 

A. Online availability of services: 

Assessment of each informational and transactional service within a life event: 

-  A1 Is information about the service available online? 
-  A2 Is the actual service available online?15  
-  A3  Is  the  service/information  about  the  service  available  through  (one  of  the) 

relevant portal(s)?  

B. User support: 

Assessment of relevant portal(s): 

Support & Help 

-  B1 Is a Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) section available? 
-  B2 Is a demo available (any type: click-through demo, online video, downloadable 
manual explaining the steps the user has to take, …) on how to obtain the service?  

OR 

Is there a live support functionality ‘click to chat’ available on the website? 

-  B3 Can the division/department responsible for delivery be identified and contacted 

(generic contact details do not suffice to positively score on this metric)?  

-  B4 Can the service be obtained via other channels than a website? (For instance, 
call  centres,  email,  and  small  private  businesses  providing  government  services, 
customized applications (apps) or authorised intermediaries) 

Giving feedback 

-  B5  Are  feedback  mechanisms  available  to  the  user  to  give  his  opinion  on  the 
service? (any type: user satisfaction monitoring, polls, surveys, ...; the provision of 
contact details does not suffice to positively score on this metric. A reference must 
be made to user satisfaction  surveys, feedback options, complaints management 
and alike, clearly encouraging the user to provide feedback. 

-  B6 Are discussion fora or social media available? (any type: for online discussions 
amongst  users  and  with  the  public  administration,  directed  from/to  the  domain 
website(s)) 

-  B7 Are complaint procedures available? (any type: redress, dispute resolutions) 

C. Transparency of service delivery 

Assessment of each transactional service in the life event process model: 

-  C1 Does one receive a delivery notice of successful completion of the process step 

online? 

-  C2 During the course of the service, is progress tracked? (i.e. is it clear how much 
of the process step you have accomplished and how much of it still remains to be 
done?) 

-  C3 During the course of the service, can you save work done as a draft (i.e. could 

you return to your draft work at another moment in time)? 

-  C4  Does  the  site  communicate  expectations  on  how  long  the  entire  process  is 

estimated to take (i.e. how long it takes to fill in the online form)? 

-  C5 Is it clear what the delivery timelines of the service are (i.e. when the service is 
expected to be provided, ideally this is sooner than the legal maximum time limit)?  

15 The meaning of ‘online available’ depends on the specific service and is hence integrated in the individual 
service definition and minimal requirements.  

28 

 
 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

-  C6 Is there a maximum time limit set within which the administration has to deliver 
(i.e. the legal and formal deadline that cannot be exceeded by the service provider)? 
-  C7  Is  information  available  about  service  performance  (any  type:  service  levels, 
performance assessment, user satisfaction, user duration and completion rates)? 

D. Transparency of personal data 

Assessment of relevant portal(s): 

-  D1 What is the degree of online access for users to their own data (i.e. personal 

data held by the government): 

o  0 = No access 
o  1  =  Information  is  given  on  the  way  to  access  own  data  through  offline 

channels 

o  2 = Data available on demand (specific facility on the website allows users 

to see what personal data is being held by the government) 

o  3 = Is proactively informed by government about which data is being held 
about him/her (i.e. users are notified when new personal data/sources are 
held by government) 

-  D2  Is  it  possible  for  users  to  notify  the  government  online  if  they  think  that  the 

personal data held by government is incorrect/incomplete? 

-  D3 Is it possible for users to modify the personal data held by government online?  
-  D4 Is a complaint procedure available for users as regards their personal data? 
-  D5 Can you monitor who has consulted your personal data and for what purpose? 
(Monitoring  in  this  case  refers  to  the  situation  where  a  user  can  see  –  online  – 
whether,  when,  by  whom  and  why  personal  data  was  used;  e.g.  a  civil  servant 
looked up personal data for the purpose of answering a certain application): 

o  0 = This information is not available 

1 = You can monitor online who is entitled to use your personal data and 
for what purpose 
2 = You can monitor whether your data has been consulted 
3 = You can monitor whether and when your data has been consulted 
4 = You can monitor whether and when your data has been consulted and 
who (department/organisation) has consulted the data 
5 = You can monitor whether and when your data has been consulted, who 
(department/organisation) has consulted the data and for what purpose 

E. Transparency of service design 

Assessment of relevant portal(s): 

Transparency of policy 

-  E1: Does the website provide information on the administrations' key policy making 

processes? 

-  E2: Does the website provide information on the user's ability to participate in policy 

making processes?       

Transparency of service design 

-  E3: Does the website provide information on the process via which digital services 
are  designed  (e.g.  panels,  expert  groups  and  consultations  involving  citizen  and 
stakeholders such as businesses, researchers and non-profit organisations)? 

-  E4: Does the website provide information on how users can enrol in any activity to 
improve  the  design  and  delivery  of  services  (e.g.  via  panels,  expert  groups  and 
consultations)? 

F. Key Enablers 

eID 

Definition: electronic identification (eID) is any means accepted by eGovernment services 
(e.g. smartcards, username and password) for online identification. 

29 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Assessment of each transactional service in the life event process model: 

- 

- 
- 

- 

- 

F1  Is  any  kind  of  (online/offline)  identification  needed  to  access  or  obtain  the 
service? (no score is attributed to this question, the question intends to landscape 
for how many/which process steps an eID is required)  
F2 If identification is needed, is it possible to identify oneself online?  
F3 If it is possible to identify oneself online, do you use an official electronic identifier 
(e.g. a national eID solution)? If the service requires a specific electronic identifier 
only suited for services from a single provider (e.g. a student account), or does not 
concern eID login (e.g. matricule number), the answer to this question is ‘no’. 
F4 If it is possible to identify oneself online for a service, is it also possible to access 
another  service  in  this  life  event  (but  provided  by  a  different  service  provider) 
without re-authenticating? (if there is only 1 service provider in a life  event, this 
question is redundant) 
F5 If it is possible to identify oneself online for a service, can one also decide to use 
a  private  eID  (like  eBanking  token)?  This  question  is  not  scored,  but  aims  to 
increase insights into the use of various electronic identification tools. 

eDocuments 

Definition:  an  eDocument  is  any  document  in  digital  form  that  the  user  needs  to 
submit/upload in order to complete an eGovernment service, or that the user obtains as a 
proof or a result of the service (e.g. certificate, diploma, proof of registration). 

Assessment of each transactional service in the life event process model: 

- 

- 

F6  Is  any  kind  of  documentation  needed  to  access  or  apply  for  the  service?  
(no score is attributed to this question; the question intends to landscape for how 
many/which process steps an eDocument is relevant) 
F7 Is it possible for the user to submit the document that is required by the service 
provider to complete procedures and formalities necessary to establish or to carry 
out  a  process  step  online  (certificate,  diploma,  proof  of  registration,  etc.)  in  an 
form?  
electronic 
OR 
Is it possible to obtain the document that is to be provided by the service provider 
to the service recipient  
when completing procedures and formalities necessary 
to  establish  or  to  carry  out  a  process  step  online  (certificate,  diploma,  proof  of 
registration etc.) in an electronic form? 

Authentic sources 

Assessment of each transactional service in the life event process model: 

- 

- 

F8  Is  any  kind  of  eForm  needed  to  access  or  apply  for  the  service?  (no  score  is 
attributed to this question, the question intends to landscape for how many/which 
process steps an eForm is required) 
F9 When applying for this service is personal data pre-filled by the service provider? 
(based on data from authentic sources16 such as National register, Tax registers, 
Company registers etc.) 

Digital post 

Assessment of relevant portal(s): 

- 

F10  Is  it  possible  for  citizens  and  businesses  to  receive  communication  from  the 
central government digitally only (eg by personal mailbox or MyPage)? 

16 Idem, Authentic database: any data collection in which certain attributes of a clearly defined subset of 
entities are managed, and to which a particular legal of factual trust is attached (i.e. which are generally 
assumed to be correct). This includes National Registers, Tax Registers, Company Registers, etc 

30 

 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

- 

F11 Is it possible for citizens and businesses to receive communication from local 
governments digitally only (eg by personal mailbox or MyPage)? 

G. Cross-border online availability 

Assessment of each transactional and informational service in the life event process model 
(when indicated as relevant for cross-border assessment): 

-  G1 Is information about the service available online for a cross-border user?  
-  G2 Can the service be obtained online by a cross-border user? (e.g. If needed, is it 
possible to submit a foreign version of a required document or does one need to 
translate first or request official recognition? If needed, is it possible to log in with 
a foreign eID?)   

-  G3  If  the  previous  question  is  answered  negatively,  what  barriers  does  a  cross-

border user encounter (multiple choice): 

o  National online identification/authentication required  
o  Foreigner cannot submit required eDocuments  
o  Need for translation or recognition of required document 
o  The  website  is  not  available  in  English  (there  is  no  integrated  translation 

functionality on the website)17 

o  Lack of information aiming at foreign users 
o  Need for physical encounter 
o  Other (to be provided by Mystery Shopper) 

H. Cross-border user support 

Assessment of relevant domain websites and/or portal(s): 

Support & help 

-  H1 Does the website contain a help functionality accessible for foreigners? 
-  H2 Are feedback mechanisms available for foreigners to give their opinion on the 
service?  (feedback  mechanism  or  discussion  forum,  not  only  in  a  national 
language)? 

Giving feedback 

-  H3  Is  it  clear  for  a  foreigner  how  to  access  complaint  procedures?  (taking  into 
account  possible  language  issues,  eg  referral  to  organisation  that  can  provide 
additional information) (any type: redress, dispute resolutions) 

I. Cross-border key enablers 

Cross-border eID. 

Assessment of transactional services: 

- 

- 

I1  Is  any  kind  of  (online/offline)  identification  needed  to  access  or  apply  for  the 
cross-border service? (no score is attributed to this question, the question intends 
to landscape for how many/which process steps an eID is required)  
I2  If  identification  is  needed  for  a  cross-border  service,  is  it  possible  to  identify 
oneself online using your national eID?  

Cross-border eDocuments 

- 

- 

I3  Is  any  kind  of  documentation  needed  to  access  or  apply  for  the  cross-border 
service? (no score is attributed to this question, the question intends to landscape 
for how many/which process steps an eDocument is relevant) 
I4 Is it possible for the user to submit the document that is required by the foreign 
service provider to complete procedures and formalities necessary to establish or 

17 Translation via browsers extensions (like Google Translate) are excluded here. 

31 

 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

to carry out a process step online (certificate, diploma, proof of registration etc) in 
an electronic form?  

OR 

Is it possible to obtain the document that is to be provided by the foreign service 
provider  to  the  service  recipient  when  completing  procedures  and  formalities 
necessary to establish  or to carry  out a process  step online (certificate, diploma, 
proof of registration etc) in an electronic form? 

J. Mobile online service delivery (pilot) 

Assessment for 2 transactional services within each life event, using a predefined mobile 
device.  

Mobile online availability 

- 

- 

J1 Is information about the service available online via a mobile app or responsive 
website? 
J2 Is the actual service available online via a mobile app or responsive website? 

Mobile eID 

- 

- 

- 

- 

J3  Is  any  kind  of  (online/offline)  identification  needed  to  access  or  obtain  the 
service?  
J4 If identification is needed, is it possible to identify oneself online via the app or 
responsive website?   
J5  If  it  is  possible  to  identify  oneself  online,  can  you  use  a  generic  electronic 
identifier via the app or responsive website? 
J6 If it is possible to identify oneself online for a service, can one also decide to use 
a private eID (like eBanking token) via the app or responsive website? 

Mobile eDocuments 

- 
- 

J7 Is any kind of documentation needed to access or apply for the service?  
J8 Is it possible for the user to submit the document that is required by the service 
provider to complete procedures and formalities necessary to establish or to carry 
out a process step online via the app or responsive website?; OR Is it possible to 
obtain the document that is to be provided by the service provider to the service 
recipient when completing procedures and formalities necessary to establish or to 
carry out a process step online via the app or responsive website? 

Mobile authentic sources 

- 

- 

J9 Is any kind of eForm needed to access or apply for the service using the app or 
responsive website? 
J10 When applying for this service is personal data pre-filled by the service provider 
through the app or responsive website? 

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eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Annex B.  Scoring rules 

General scoring rules 

Biennial averages of key dimensions 

Half of the life events are measured in the even years (2020, 2022, etc.) and the other 
half of the life events in the uneven years (2021, 2023, etc.). For this reason, comparing 
2020 with 2021 data is not accurate, because other life events are concerned. In order to 
know how a specific life event developed, one should compare 2020 with 2022 data only, 
as well as 2021 with 2023 data.  

In  order  to  capture  all  life  events,  biennial  averages  are  used,  the  average  of  two 
subsequent  years  (e.g.  the  average  score  for  2020-2021).  The  biennial  averages  have 
been computed based on the rounded numbers historically. Biennials averages, based on 
rounded  life  event  scores  are  used  for  the  four  key  dimensions,  as  well  as  individual 
indicators to ensure comparability.  

Rounding 

Since  the  2018  eGovernment  Benchmark  edition  official  scores  are  rounded  to  the  first 
decimal.  This  is  how  they  are  displayed  in  the  source  data  file.  Due  to  aesthetic  and 
legibility  considerations,  the  scores  in  the  Insight  report,  Background  report  and  the 
Factsheets are frequently displayed or mentioned rounded to the whole number, with any 
additional calculation or transformation being based on the full scores. 

Scores for individual indicators  

In addition, there are some ‘technical’ rules when computing scores:  

100% score 

If a transactional or informational service is automated, this service scores 100% 

- 
-  This  applies  to  section  Online  availability  (section  A),  Transparency  of  service 
delivery (section C) and eID, eDocuments and Authentic sources (part of section F) 

Best score  

For services that are provided at the central government level, the best possible answer 
from the URLs related to the same service is taken. This applies to the following indicators: 

-  Online availability (section A) 
-  Transparency of service delivery (section C)  
- 
-  User support (section B)  
-  Transparency of personal data (section D) 

eID, eDocuments and Authentic sources (part of section F) 

Service 1.1 

Answers to question A1 

Central 
government URL 1 

Yes  (considered,  best 
score) 

Central 
government URL 2 

No (not considered) 

Average score  

For services that are provided at the regional or local level, the average of URLs related to 
the same service is taken. This applies to the following indicators: 

-  Online availability (section A) 
-  Transparency of service delivery (section C)  
- 
-  Transparency of service design (section E) 

eID, eDocuments and Authentic sources (part of section F) 

No score 

Service 2.2 

Answers to question A1 

Regional/local  URL 
1 

Yes 
averaged) 

(considered, 

Regional/local  URL 
2 

No 
averaged) 

(considered, 

-  No score is given for a service that has been identified as not applicable in a country. 
Individual  questions  are  not  taken  into  account  when  the  question  has  been 
- 
answered with NR (not relevant). The score is computed on the basis of the other 
questions.  

33 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

- 

If all transactional services in a life event are not applicable in a country, no score 
is given to this country for the indicators Transparency of service delivery (section 
C) and eID, eDocuments and Authentic sources (part of section F). 

Calculation of key dimensions 

80%

Online availability of 
transactional 
services 

20%

Online availability of 
informational 
services

67%

User support

33%

Mobile friendliness

User centricity

Transparency

67%

Online availability

33%

User support

33%

Transparency of 
service delivery

33%

Transparency of 
service design

33%

Transparency of 
personal data

25%

eID

25%

eDocuments

Key enablers

25%

Authentic sources

25% 

Digital post

0% Security

50%

Cross-border online 
availability

25%

Cross-border user 
support

25%

Cross-border key 
enablers

80%

Online availability of 
transactional 
services

20%

Online availability of 
informational 
services

50%

Cross-border eID

50%

Cross-border 
eDocuments

Cross-border 
services

34 

 
 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Calculation of individual indicators via Mystery Shopping 

The score sheet for Member States needs to be composed of the following scores: 

User centricity 

Online availability (section A) 

-  Online availability of transactional services – average of all transactional services in 

life event. Per service the following scoring rules apply: 

o 
o 
o 
o 
o 

If A1+A2+A3 = yes > 100% 
If A1+A2 = yes > 75% 
If A1+A3 = yes > 50% 
If A1 = yes > 25% 
If A1+A2+A3 = no > 0% 

-  Online availability of informational services – average of all informational services 

in life event. Per service the following scoring rules apply: 

o 
o 
o 
o 
o 

If A1+A2+A3 = yes > 100% 
If A1+A2 = yes > 75% 
If A1+A3 = yes > 50% 
If A1 = yes > 25% 
If A1+A2+A3 = no > 0% 

User support (section B) 

-  Average score B1-B7, whereby B2 = yes if B2.1 OR B2.2 are yes 

Transparency  

Transparency of service delivery (section C) 

-  Average score of C1-C7 (whereby all yes = 100%) 

Transparency of service design 

-  Average score of E1-E4 (whereby all yes = 100% 

Transparency of personal data (section D) 

-  Average score of D1-D5 (whereby all yes = 100%) 
For D1: 0 = 0%, 1 = 33%, 2 = 67%, 3 = 100% 
- 
For D5: 0 = 0%, 1 = 20%, 2 = 40%, 3 = 60%, 4 = 80%, 5 = 100% 
- 

Key enablers 

eID (section F) 

- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 

If F1 = no > no score 
If F1 = yes, but the others are no > 0% 
If F1 + F2 = yes > 33% 
If F1 + F2 + F3 = yes > 67% 
If F1 + F2 + F4 = yes > 67% 
If F1 + F2 + F3 + F4 = yes > 100% 
F5 is not scored 

eDocuments (section F) 

- 
- 

if F6 = no > no score is attributed 
If F6+F7.1 or F6+F7.2 = yes > 100% (if F7 no > 0%) 

Authentic sources (section F) 

- 
- 

If F8 = no > no score is attributed 
If F8+F9 = yes > 100% (if F9 no > 0%) 

Digital post (section F) 

- 
- 

if 10 and F11= no > 0%  
if F10 or F11 = yes > 50%  

35 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

- 

if F10 and F11 = yes > 100%  

Cross-border mobility 

Cross-border online availability (section G) 

-  Online  availability  of  transactional  services  –  average  of  all  cross-border 
transactional services in life event. Per service the following scoring rules apply: 

o 
o 
o 
o 

If automated > 100% 
If G1+G2 = yes > 100% 
If G1 = yes > 50% 
If G1+G2 = no > 0% 

-  Online  availability  of  informational  services  –  average  of  all  cross-border 
informational services in life event. Per service the following scoring rules apply: 

o 
o 
o 
o 

If automated > 100% 
If G1+G2 = yes > 100% 
If G1 = yes > 50% 
If G1+G2 = no > 0% 

Cross-border user support (section H) 

-  Average score H1-H3 

Cross Border Key Enablers (section I) 

-  Cross-border eID – if I1 & I2 are answered positively, this leads to a score of 100%. 
If I1 = yes, but I2 = no, this leads to a score of 0%. If both are ‘no’, there is no 
score (as it is not relevant) 

-  Cross-border eDocuments – similar approach. If I3 & I4_1 or I4_2 = yes > 100%. 

If only I3 = yes > 0%. If I3 = no > not relevant, no score. 

Calculation of indicators via automated tools 

Mobile friendliness 

Mobile  friendliness  scores  are  calculated  in  a  manner  similar  to  other  service-level 
indicators. In this new methodology the calculation of the scores depends on whether the 
service is provided by a central or local/regional government administration.  

If a website passes the test, a score of 100% is attributed. 
If a website fails the test, a score of 0% is attributed. 

- 
- 
-  A central government service is deemed mobile friendly if any included URL for that 

service passes the test (100%). 

-  A  local  or  regional  service  is  deemed  mobile  friendly  if  all  included  URLs  for  that 
service pass the test. If some local or regional URLs pass the test and some fail the 
test, the average score is attributed.  

Security 

The security indicator is not weighed as part of the key dimensions. Only aggregated results 
are reported. The result of the tested items are combined on two axes, on the level of the 
14 tests and on the level of URLs.  

- 

- 

For the scores per test, the number of URLs that pass that test are presented as 
the pass rate (e.g. X% of the URLs passed for the IPv6 test, Y% of the URLs passed 
for the HTTPS test, etc.).  
For the scores per URL, the number of tests the URL passes are presented as the 
pass rate (e.g. X% of the URLs passes 1 test, X% of the URLs passes 2 tests, etc.). 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Calculation of pilot indicators (not weighed as part of key dimensions) 

Mobile service delivery 

-  Mobile online availability 

If J1+J2 = yes > 100% 
If J2 = yes > 75% 
If J1 = yes > 25% 
If J1+J2 = no > 0% 

o 
o 
o 
o 
-  Mobile eID 
o 
o 
o 
o 
o 

If J3 = no > no score is attributed 
If J3 = yes, but the others are no > 0% 
If J3 + J4 = yes > 50% 
If J3 + J4 + J5 = yes > 100% 
J6 is not scored 

-  Mobile eDocuments 

o 
o 

If J7 = no > no score is attributed 
If J7+J8.1 or J7+J8.2 = yes > 100% (if F8 no > 0%) 

-  Mobile Authentic sources 

o 
o 

If J10 = no > no score is attributed 
If F10+F11 = yes > 100% (if F11 no > 0%) 

Usability (to be defined based on 2021 pilot study) 

Accessibility 

-  0 violations found -> 100% 

-  1-4 violations found -> 75% 

-  5-8 violations found -> 50% 

-  9-12 violations found -> 25%  

-  13 or more violations found -> 0% 

Findability 

-  The MozBar test results in a score from 0% to 100%. 

37 

 
eGovernment Benchmark Method Paper 

Annex C.  Country allocation of Mystery Shoppers 

The cross-border assessment will be done by two Mystery Shoppers from another European 
country (e.g. 1 Austrian Mystery Shopper evaluates Hungarian websites and 1 evaluations 
Estonian websites). The first country is chosen based on migration flows data by Eurostat 
(the one with the most relevant flow will be chosen) while the second one will be chosen 
completely at random.  

AL 
AT 
BE 
BG 
CH 
CY 
CZ 
DE 
DK 
EE 
EL 
ES 
FI 
FR 
HR 
HU 
IE 
IS 
IT 
LT 
LU 
LV 
ME 
MK 
MT 
NL 
NO 
PL 
PT 
RO 
RS 
SE 
SI 
SK 
TR 

Mystery Shopper 1  
MK 
HU 
NL 
TR 
DE 
EL 
SK 
CH 
IS 
FI 
CY 
PT 
EE 
LU 
SI 
AT 
PL 
DK 
RO 
LV 
FR 
LT 
HR 
AL 
SE 
BE 
SE 
IE 
ES 
IT 
ME 
NO 
RS 
CZ 
BG 

Mystery Shopper 2 
ES 
EE 
LV 
BE 
CZ 
HU 
AL 
HR 
AT 
LU 
ME 
RO 
PT 
CY 
IT 
NO 
DK 
IE 
RS 
SI 
EL 
NL 
FI 
MT 
MK 
LT 
PL 
SK 
MT 
TR 
BG 
FR 
DE 
IS 
CH 

38 

 
 
  
 
 
 
Annex D.  Life event service definitions 

Each life event description consists of a persona profile and a list of all services which details the service, service definition, the  service type (informational 
service or transactional service and whether it is measured for national users or foreign/cross-border users. 

Business start-up (measured in 2020, 2022, …) 

Carl, 45 years, has made plans to start his own restaurant right at the centre of his lively city. He has found sufficient in formation online to help him prepare 
for the actual setting up of his business and made sure to obtain necessary administrative requirements online.  

When starting a business in the catering industry, one needs a solid business plan. Furthermore, Carl has found out that his catering businesses must comply 
with environmental regulation concerning possible noise pollution and handling of waste. Applying for this permit is easily possible through the website of the 
local community. 

Carl starts his business as a sole proprietor. Due to very successful opening event, which was part of the strategy he laid down in his business plan, he attracts 
a steady crowd in the weeks and months after. Soon he realises he needs some more help to ensure smooth service for his guest s and he hires a chef and 
waiter. Information and the necessary actions needed as regards taxes and employment services are available online, which saves our busy restaurant owner 
some of his valuable time.  

After a very successful first year, Carl wants to explore his horizons and considers opening a new restaurant in his favourite holiday destination. The online 
availability of information and services concerning the registration of his restaurant there, simply overcomes any barriers such as authentication, travelling or 
language. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

1  Orientation 
1.1 Check requirements for starting a 

business 

1.2 Get guidance with how to write a 

business plan 

1.3 Get guidance with how to explore 

financial possibilities 

2  Administrative requirements 
2.1 Obtain certificate of no 
outstanding charges 

3  Basic registration 
3.1 Register company for the first 

time 

4  Tax-related matters 
4.1 Obtain tax identification 

card/number 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on the required 
steps and other requirements needed to start a new business (e.g. a checklist) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to write 
a business plan (templates, examples, things to consider, etc.). 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to 
explore financial possibilities (e.g. references to government subsidies, templates for a 
financial plan, suggestions on where to look for crowd funding) 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to obtain a certificate which proves that the entrepreneur has paid all 
his/her taxes and has no other outstanding social security and/or healthcare charges.  

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to register a company for the first time, e.g. providing details about 
you as an owner, define the company name, indicate the type of legal entity and register a 
business address 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to obtain a taxpayer registration and identification card/number. 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

Informational  National 

Informational  National 

Informational  National 

4.2 Obtain VAT collector number 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to obtain a VAT number so that the company can declare its VAT taxes 

Insurance-related matters  

5 
5.1 Register with Social Security 

Office 

5.2 Get guidance with how to arrange 
(mandatory) pension insurance 
5.3 Get guidance with how to arrange 

(compulsory) healthcare 
insurance 

6  Hiring a first employee 
6.1 Register your company as an 

employer 

6.2 Register employee before first 

workday 

6.3 Check contractual obligations for 

hiring employees 

6.4 Check working conditions for 

employing employees 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to register with Social Security in order to fulfil related duties 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to go 
about (mandatory) pension insurance as an entrepreneur 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to go 
about (compulsory) healthcare insurance as an entrepreneur 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to register as an employer, e.g. to create a PAYE (Pay As You Earn) 
scheme for tax, national insurance, before hiring an employee 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to announce the start of a first employee before the first day of 
working (to prevent fraud and illegal work) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on government 
regulations and obligations regarding contracts (information about minimum wages, 
maximum working day time, collective labour agreements, number of temporary contracts 
allowed); for cross border this means information about government regulations and 
obligations to hire an employee from abroad (e.g. information on the possibilities, 
guidelines on what should be arranged and what limitations apply as compared to hiring a 
national employee) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on government 
regulations and obligations regarding working conditions for employees (e.g. minimum 
working requirements for employees, safety measures required around working 
environment, requirements for fire exits, health and climate conditions at working space) 

7  Request an environmental permit 
7.1 Check conditions for 

environmental permits 

7.2 Obtain pollution/environmental 

permit 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on the criteria 
when the company can register an exemption or needs a full permit for pollution (e.g. 
companies dealing with IPPC-regulation always need a full environmental permit) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to apply for the environmental permit, generally including the 
submission of supporting documents (e.g. engineering reports, geological evaluations and 
financial assurance instruments) 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 
Informational  National 

Informational  National 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 
Informational  National 

Informational  National 

Informational  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Career (measured in 2020, 2022, …) 
Marc, 29 years, lost his job as financial administrator because the company he was working for had to lay off employees due t o decreased profits as result of 
economic crisis. After this nasty blow, Marc pulls himself together and decides to get back into work as soon as possible.  

First of all, he registers himself as unemployed and he applies for unemployment benefits. He wonders how much benefits he is  entitled to and for how long, 
and searches for this information in his personalised file. Marc is breadwinner in his family, which besides him consists of his wife and two little sons. Taking 
care of regular costs for housing, living and education of his children is a heavy burden (also affecting his physical and mental wellbeing), but he finds out there 
are several possibilities to get help and support from the government and also to ensure he receives additional benefits during his unemployment. He easily 
understands what documents are required when applying for these additional benefits and allowances.  

Marc is very eager to go back to work as soon as possible and therefore immediately obtains information about the labour market and information on recruitment 
fairs. To increase his chances, he seeks help for assistance by a public officer. As Marc lives close to the border, he also favours the possibility of working abroad 
and looks for services related to job search and labour market in his neighbouring country. 

When celebrating his 30th birthday with his new colleagues, he is very satisfied with the information, services and support delivered by the involved public 
organisations as they enabled him to apply for relevant benefits to support his family during his period of unemployment and  at the same time provided him 
with the  opportunities to get back into  work in a relatively  short period  of time. A few weeks later, Marc’s mom reaches the entitled age  for receiving her 
pension. After being in contact with government himself, Marc decided to help her applying for her pension. 

Process stage 
1 
1.1  Registering as unemployed 

Immediate actions for unemployed 

Definition of Service 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to register oneself as unemployed with a competent authority as 
soon as one gets unemployed 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on the amount 
of benefits to receive and reference to relevant laws/rules (this could be done with a test 
to assess how much benefits the job seeker is entitled to and for how long) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to register for unemployment benefits; include providing documents 
(e.g. resign letter of employee, proof of identity, bank statements, proof of address) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to appeal against unemployment benefit decision, with explanation 
of the necessary steps to undertake when wrongly refused unemployment benefits 

1.2  Calculate unemployment 

benefits (duration and height) 

1.3  Apply for unemployment 

benefits 

1.4  Appeal against decision when 

unemployment benefits are 
not granted 
Guidance on additional benefits and allowances 

2 
2.1  Check eligibility for additional 
unemployment benefits 

Service type  Target user 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Informational  National & 

Cross-Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on additional 
benefits when losing your job (e.g. additional child allowances) and what criteria have to 
be eligible 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to 
arrange for example rent supplements, applying for community housing, contact details 
of housing associations and legal advice 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to 
arrange debt counselling service (e.g. related to problems with paying off mortgage) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to 
arrange medical checks, health or fitness programs to promote health care for 
unemployed 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to gain 
access to benefits and provisions in case of invalidity, sickness or employment injuries 

Informational 

National 

Informational 

National 

Informational 

National 

Informational 

National 

Informational 

National 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to apply for additional housing or healthcare allowances, due to 
lower/lack of income. 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on the 
obligations and duties to keep unemployment benefits (e.g. how often a person needs to 
apply for a job, attend job interviews or participate in compulsory trainings).  
Minimal requiretransactionalments for the service to be considered online: information 
on and the online form needed to prove a person is genuinely looking for work (e.g. 
provide evidence of application letters sent or proof of having attended job interviews) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to report reasons (e.g. sickness, holiday or other changing 
circumstances) why obligations and duties to receive unemployment benefits cannot be 
met temporarily. 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Informational  National & 

Cross-Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Finding a new job and fulfilling duties being employed 

4 
4.1  Get guidance with how to find 

a job 

4.2  Register employment to stop 
unemployment benefits 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to find 
a job, such as suggestions where to look for vacancies, CV templates, video tutorials, 
suggestions where to find online training courses, etc. 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to notifying the competent authorities to stop unemployment 
benefits when a person found a job.  

Informational 

National 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

4.3  Declare personal income taxes  Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 

Transactional  National & 

online form needed to fill in tax returns or personal income taxes (tax paid for business 
earnings are out of scope here) 

Cross-Border 

Retiring 

5 
5.1  Calculate future pensions  

5.2  Apply for state pension 

5.3  Check entitlement for pension 
when moving abroad or 
returning from another country 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on pensions in 
general, as well as an estimation of the entitled state pension (height and by what age), 
e.g. through simulation or calculation tools 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to claim and start receiving one’s state pension; for cross-border the 
person applying for a state pension comes from another country than the country under 
evaluation 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on the 
situation of claiming a state pension when moving to another country (e.g. entitlement, 
process requirements) or about how to combine pension rights from different countries 

Informational 

National 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-Border 

Informational 

National 

40 

2.2  Get guidance with how to 
arrange housing benefits 

2.3  Get guidance with how to 
arrange debt counselling 
2.4  Get guidance with how to 
arrange health promotion 
programmes 

2.5  Get guidance with how to 

arrange help during invalidity, 
sickness and employment 
injuries 

2.6  Apply for a tax refund or other 

allowances affected by 
unemployment 
Maintaining applicable benefits 

3 
3.1  Check obligations for keeping 
unemployment benefits 

3.2  Submit evidence that proves 
you are looking for work 

3.3  Register circumstances that 
impede you from looking for 
work 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Family (measured in 2020, 2022, …) 

Fiona,  34,  is  over  the  moon.  She  has  just  found  out  that  she  is  pregnant!  After  telling  her  family  and  friends  the  good  news,  she  starts  to  overthink  the 
practicalities of the pregnancy. She, for instance, does not know how much maturity leave she will get and whether it is paid or unpaid.  

7 months later she gives birth to a healthy boy, who she and her partner, Peter, name Steven. After a day of recovery in hospital they take Steven home. While 
resting  in  bed  at  home  Fiona  researches  the  amount  of  child  allowance  she  will  obtain  and  applies  for  the  allowance.  Fiona  and  Peter  aren’t  married,  and 
therefore Peter has not obtained parental authority when little Steven was registered. He therefore applies for parental authority. 

After the happiest year of their lives Peter proposes Fiona to marry him, she accepts. They set their wedding date for June and start planning their honeymoon. 
While planning their honeymoon to North America, they suddenly realise they lost their child’s birth certificate. They request a new certificate in order to get a 
passport for little Steven. Fiona also realises that her passport is about to expire, so she applies for a new one. During their honeymoon disaster strikes. They 
find out that Fiona’s dad has passed away. When returning home, Fiona and Peter start arranging the funeral and necessary administrative processes. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

authority 

1.2 Register  child  with  competent 

1  Birth 
1.1 Check conditions for parental leave Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on paid/unpaid 
maternity  and  paternity  leaves  as  regulated  by  government,  as  well  as  information  on 
entitlement, eligibility and the claim procedure 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to make an online appointment to register birth with competent authority to 
acknowledge  the  child  (actual  registration  is  expected  to  require  identification  in  person 
still) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to register parental responsibility for the father (e.g. in case the mother and 
father are not married) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to apply for child benefit (money from the government to accommodate for 
expenses of raising a child) 

1.3 Register  parental  authority  (e.g. 
with court in case not married) 

1.4 Apply for child allowance 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form  needed  to  give  notice  about  the  intended  marriage  or  partnership,  including 
information about the procedure and requirements 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to give notice about the end of a marriage or partnership 

Service 
type 

Target user 

Informational  National 

Transactional  National 

Transactional  National 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

Transactional  National 

2  Marriage 
2.1 Register with civil/local registry in 
order to get married or to close a 
civil partnership 

2.2 Register  divorce  with  civil/local 
registry  in  order  to  end  marriage 
or a civil partnership 

3  Personal documents 
3.1 Obtain passport 

3.2 Obtain birth certificate 

4  Registering death 
4.1 Check requirements for registering 

the death of a relative 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to make an online appointment and request a new passport to identify one’s 
nationality (actual registration is expected to require identification in person still) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form  needed  to  obtain  your  birth  certificate  (or  a  copy  of  the  certificate,  other  than  the 
version obtained when born) 

Transactional  National 

Transactional  National 

Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  how  the 
authorities  need  to  be  notified  of  a  death,  where  the  registration  should  take  place  and 
which documents are required 

Informational  National 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Studying (measured in 2020, 2022, …) 

Maria, 20 years old, wants to enrol in a Business Administration degree in her country. She searches online for information to help her make a choice and she 
wants to know how she can prepare for the start of the curriculum. She enrols in the university in her capital city. In order to be self-supporting, she depends 
on Student finance and complementary social benefits. Insight into her financials is hence important for her. Keeping track of progress is easy as her university 
provides students with a personal page which enables to look op their grades online and register for additional courses and exams. The university also provides 
information for students who want to study abroad or want to apply for an internship. 

After two years, Maria wants to engage in an international experience in another EU country, improve her language skills and is orientating to continue her 
study  abroad  for  a  period  of  6  months.  She  searches  for  general  information  about  possible  destination  countries  and  wants  to   know  what  is  required  for 
enrolment. Again, her financial situation requires she has clear understanding of what she can expect when studying abroad, including eventual  possibility of 
keeping her student finance. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

1  Orientation 
1.1 Monitor 

study 

programmes 

provided by universities 

1.2 Check  admission  requirements  for 

enrolling in higher education 

2  Enrolment 
2.1 Obtain 

recognition  of  diploma 

declaration 

2.2 Register in higher education  

2.3 Apply for student grants 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on study programmes 
and  the  possibility  for  students  to  easily  perform  a  search,  which  allows  for  viewing  and 
comparing information between certain study programmes (from different universities) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be  considered online: information on what is needed 
when  enrolling  in  higher  education  (e.g.  a  help-wizard  or  checklist  tool  with  all  the 
requirements) 

Minimal requirements for the  service to  be considered  online: information  on and the online 
form  needed  to  obtain  a  status  declaration  or  recognition  statement  of  diploma  when  your 
diploma was obtained in another country than the country under evaluation 
Minimal requirements for the  service to  be considered  online: information  on and the online 
form  needed  to  enrol  as  a  student  in  a  university  or  another  institution  of  higher  education 
subsidised by an official administrative body in the country, including the provision of personal 
documents and/or eventual qualifications to be enrolled 
Minimal requirements for the  service to  be  considered  online: information  on and the online 
form needed to apply for student grants given to higher education students 

2.4 Calculate 

additional 

financial 

possibilities 

Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  available 
additional grants, social benefits and loan, based on personal situation, making students aware 
of possible financial support (e.g. with a calculation tool) 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

Informational  National 

Informational  National 

Transactional  Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 
& Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 
& Cross-
Border 
Informational  National 

2.5 Apply for additional social benefits  Minimal requirements for the  service to  be considered  online: information  on and the online 
form  needed  to  apply  for  additional  benefits  when  enrolling  in  higher  education  (other  than 
specific study grants) because of financial hardship or disability 

Transactional  National 
& Cross-
Border 

3  Study guidance 
3.1 Apply  for  portability  of  student 

grant (abroad) 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and online form 
needed to keep a student grant when continuing a study abroad (temporarily) 

Transactional  National 

3.2 Monitor grades and personal data  Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and online space 

Informational  National 

3.3 Get guidance with how to arrange 
(international 

studying  abroad 
office) 

3.4 Get guidance with how to arrange 
internships  and  starting  your 
career 

to access personal data and get an overview of grades (e.g. via personal account/profile) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on what a student 
needs to  consider when  planning  to  study abroad  (e.g. references  to  other universities, tips 
about arranging accommodation abroad, suggestions on how to finance studying abroad) 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on where to look for 
vacant internships, how to write a CV, what to pay attention to when looking for a job after 
graduating etc. 

Informational  National 

Informational  National 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Regular Business Operations (measured in 2021, 2023, …) 

Margo, female, 51 years old, has her own company in transportation of household goods. She is the Sole Proprietor and has 4 employees. Running her own 
business, she is required to keep a clear business administration. She has to declare corporate tax, submit VAT declarations and submit financial reports to the 
business registration office. Once in a while she also needs to submit company data to the national statistical offices. Because she has employees, she is also 
obliged to pay social contributions. After 2 months one of her employees falls ill. She reports it to the relevant authority  and she might request compensation 
(e.g. financial compensation, tax benefit) for the ill employee at the government. 

After having successfully run the transportation company for more than 10 years, Margo wants to set up an office in another E U country, so logistics can be 
arranged better and cross border movement of household goods become a possibility for client. She thus starts to gather information about how to set up an 
office abroad, what the requirements are in the other EU country, what the business environment is like and what business possibilities foreign companies have. 
After having obtained sufficient information Margo decides to take her chances and to set up an office abroad. She thus registers the new office at the relevant 
authorities. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

Tax and corporate finance 

1 
1.1  Declare corporate tax 

1.2  Declare social contributions  

1.3  Submit  financial  reports  to 

business registration office 

1.4  Submit  company  data 

to 

statistical offices 

2 
VAT 
2.1  Declare VAT 

2.2  Apply for a refund of VAT  

2.3  Appeal against VAT decision 

Business changes 

3 
3.1  Register  illness  of  employee 
with competent administration  

3.2  Register the end of a contract 
with 

employee 

an 

of 
competent authority 

3.3  Register  new  address  with 

competent authority 

Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online form needed to fulfill the yearly corporate tax submission by businesses (e.g. how 
to  submit  corporate  taxes,  deadlines,  corporate  tax  form);  for  cross-border  the 
entrepreneur  declaring  taxes  comes  from  another  country  than  the  country  under 
evaluation 
Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and online 
form  needed  to  declaring  the  social  contributions  businesses  are  obliged  to  pay  (e.g. 
information  about  which  social  contributions  should  be  paid,  such  as  unemployment, 
invalidity insurance, pension, as well as a description which steps should be taken to fulfil 
social  contributions and the declaration form itself); for cross-border the entrepreneur 
declaring  social  contributions  comes  from  another  country  than  the  country  under 
evaluation 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online form needed to submitting financial information (annual reports) to a competent 
authority (e.g. information on the requirements and how to provide the financial data, 
contact  details  of the competent  authority and the submission  form);  for  cross-border 
the  entrepreneur  submitting  financial  reports  comes  from  another  country  than  the 
country under evaluation 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
form needed to submit data to national statistical office (NSO) used for macro-economic 
analysis by  NSO’s (e.g. process description how statistical data is gathered, when and 
what data is required, as well as the form or questionnaire to submit the statistical data) 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online form needed to declare VAT (Value Added Tax) by businesses (e.g. information 
about  how  to  submit  VAT  tax,  when,  to  which  governmental  agency  and  the  VAT  tax 
form); for cross-border the entrepreneur declaring VAT comes from another country than 
the country under evaluation 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online form needed to claim a VAT (Value Added Tax) refund (e.g. information about the 
possibilities  and  conditions  for  claiming  refund  of  VAT,  administrative  obligations  and 
documentation  needed);  for  cross-border  the  entrepreneur  seeking  for  a  VAT  refund 
comes from another country than the country under evaluation 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online form needed to appeal against a refund of VAT decision by a competent authority 
(e.g. information on which  steps  should be take to  make appeal,  what documents are 
required,  the  appeal  form);  for  cross-border  the  entrepreneur  appealing  comes  from 
another country than the country under evaluation 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online  form  needed  to  reporting  sickness  of  an  employee  at  a  competent  authority  in 
order for the employee to be able to obtain social benefits for illness (e.g. information 
where and when illness of employee should be reported and the form to report the illness 
of employee); for cross-border the entrepreneur registering illness comes from another 
country than the country under evaluation 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online form needed to notify the social security schemes of the ending contract with an 
employee, excluding procedures for the collective termination of employee contracts; for 
cross-border  the  entrepreneur  registering  a  contract  end  comes  from  another  country 
than the country under evaluation 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  and  the 
online  form  needed  to  notify  the  competent  authority  when  the  business  address 
changes; for cross-border the entrepreneur changing the address comes from another 
country than the country under evaluation 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

43 

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Health (measured in 2021, 2023, …) 

Juan just turned 18 and is a passionate skateboarder. During one of his tricks, his skateboard slips away and he falls on his  wrist. It hurts when he tries to 
move his hand and he starts browsing online which healthcare provider he should be seeing. He decides to visit his general practitioner. 

His GP believes Juan’s wrist might be broken and he sends Juan to the hospital in order to see a medical specialist. Luckily,  the imaging tests eventually show 
Juan’s wrist is not broken, but only a minor fracture occurred. He can see the scans in his electronic health portal. With some rest he should be fine.  

During the next winter season, Juan feels sufficiently recovered. He swaps his skateboard for a snowboard and goes on a vacation. At the last day of his stay 
aboard, he loses control and falls on his wrist again, which hurts like never before. Juan tries to get cross-border medical assistance. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

1 

Orientation and initial 
registrations 

1.1  Get guidance and information 
about where you can get 
healthcare 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on which 
healthcare provider to consult in case of different types of medical issues 

1.2  Monitor online information on 
doctor’s registration, specialty 
and necessary licenses etc. 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on the 
professional authorisation of doctors (his/her official registration, specialty, 
required licenses, etc.) 

1.3  Obtain a European Health 

Insurance Card 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to obtain a European Health Insurance Card 

2 

Medical treatments and 
resulting electronic health 
data 

2.1  Register and (re)schedule 

appointment at the hospital  

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online channel needed to make (or reschedule) an appointment with a medical 
doctor in the hospital, after being referred to the hospital by a general practitioner 

2.2  Apply for e-consults with a 

hospital doctor (tele-consultation) 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online interaction channel needed to contact a medical doctor from the hospital 
(e.g. to ask a question or discuss and show test results, scans, etc.) 

2.3  Obtain e-prescription from a 

hospital doctor 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online channel needed to obtain an electronic prescription delivered by a 
hospital doctor. The prescription could include information such as: patient details 
(full name, date of birth), date of issuing prescription, details of the prescribing 
doctor (full name, professional qualification, contact details, work address, 
written/digital signature) and details of the prescribed medicine (common name, 
format or substance, quantity, strength and dosage). 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

Informational  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Informational  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

Transactional  National 

2.4  Apply for electronic health 

records  

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online channel needed to access electronic health records (e.g. electronic 
prescriptions and dispensations, discharge letters, imaging results, vaccination 
data, problems and conditions, appointments) 

Transactional  National 

44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Moving (measured in 2021, 2023, …) 

Joyce, 44 years old, married and mother of three children has bought a new family house in another municipality and region wi thin her country of residence. 
Before moving she obtains information on the local facilities, e.g. what schools are there for her children, what sports facilities are available and where she can 
go to a general practitioner. She also makes sure she registers her new address in the municipality register and all other relevant authorities are notified about 
her changed addresses. Mail sent to her previous house would be a pity. Finally, she signs out at the old municipality and registers herself as the new owner of 
the house in the land register.  

After five years in her house, Joyce gets a new job in another EU country. She and her husband decide to move the family there for at least two years. She 
again obtains information on the local facilities and required permits to move there. She also obtains information on her rights and obligations when moving 
abroad. Finally, she registers her new address in the register of the country of destination. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

1 

Find, adapt and move to new 
house 

1.1  Monitor the availability of local 

facilities (e.g. schools, health 
facilities, sport facilities) 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on 
healthcare facilities, schools and sports facilities to be known before moving to a 
community 

Informational  National 

1.2  Register new address in 

municipality register 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online form needed to register one's new address with the competent authority 
when moving (e.g. steps explained how to register a new address with the new 
municipality, registration for local taxes if applicable and the registration form) 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

1.3  Register new address with 

additional organisations 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online form needed to notify other government organisations (at least tax 
agency and health care institutions) about your new address (e.g. steps explained 
how to register a new address at these organisations and the registration form) 

Transactional  National 

1.4  Obtain proof of residence 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online form needed to obtain a confirmation of your registration at the current 
address (e.g. information on how to request a proof of residence and form to 
request proof of residence) 

Transactional  National 

& 
Cross-
Border 

1.5  Register you signing out from old 

municipality 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online form needed to sign out at your old municipality, other than notifying 
the new municipality (e.g. information about how and where to sign out at old 
municipality and the sign-out form) 

Transactional  National 

1.6  Apply for disabled facilities grant 

or similar benefit to cover for 
costs for making changes to a 
house in order to allow to 
continue living at one’s property 
independently 

2 

Moving and living abroad 

2.1  Check rights and obligations for 

moving into country 

2.2  Obtain a registration certificate 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online form needed to apply for a grant in case one needs to make changes to 
one’s home due to a disability (widening doors, access improvements such as lifts) 

Transactional  National 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on 
entering the country (e.g. information about how to obtain a house, whether 
special housing requirements apply for foreigners, additional registrations deeds 
such as registration certificate for foreigners or maximum length a stay might last) 

Informational 

Cross-
Border 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and 
the online form needed to make an online appointment as to obtain a registration 
certificate; if a foreign residence takes longer than 3 months, a registration 
certificate should be issued to prevent that this person becomes a burden to the 
social system, Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament article 8 (e.g. 
what documents are needed to obtain the registration certificate; the actual 
obtainment of the certificate is expected to require identification in person still) 

Transactional 

Cross-
Border 

45 

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Starting a Small Claims Procedure (measured in 2021, 2023, …) 

George, 25 years old, likes photography and recently bought a new camera via an e-commerce platform in another European country. 

When he opens the box, he sees that one of the two accessory lenses is broken. He contacts the supplier and requests to either receive a new lens or to get be 
compensate financially. The store owner replies that this is outside their responsibilities. George is disappointed and decides to start a European Small Claims 
Procedure.   

To do so, George first needs to obtain relevant information on how to file a claim, what the procedure is like and what his rights as claimant and consumer are. 
Once he knows where and how to file a claim, he starts the procedure at the relevant authority and defends his case. To support his case, he shares the evidence 
of the damage (e.g. pictures and supplier invoice) with the authority. During the handling of the claim he actively keeps track of the proceedings (e.g. time to 
verdict, steps to be taken, dates, case-handling judge). After some time, he retrieves the judgement. Unfortunately, the judge has decided against his claim, 
George has lost his case. As he truly feels the costs should be paid by the supplier, George decides to appeal against the court decision. This time George wins 
and receives compensation for the costs he has made. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

Preparing claim 

1 
1.1  Check  procedural  steps  for 
claims 
a 

small 

starting 
procedure 

1.2  Check relevant legislation and 
rights for defending your case 

Issuing claim 

2 
2.1  Submit 

claims 
small 
procedure (issue the claim to 
court)  

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on how to 
start  a  small  claim  procedure,  under  5.000  euro  (e.g.  a  checklist  or  guidelines  on 
which steps should be taken and where the small claims procedure can be started) 
Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  the 
legislation  which  is  applicable  for  a  small  claim  procedure  (e.g.  relevant  legislation 
texts with an explanation, guidelines on when the small claims procedure is applicable 
and when not) 

Informational 

Informational 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online form needed to find, retrieve, fill in, sign and submit the small claims procedure 

Transactional 

2.2  Submit  evidence/supporting 

documents 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online  form  needed  to  provide  proof  (e.g.  information  on  what  documentation  is 
required,  uploading  and  actual  submission  of  evidence/supporting  documents  to 
support the claim) 

Transactional 

Monitor status and appeal 

3 
3.1  Monitor status of case 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online space to follow the status of the claim, (e.g. proceedings, judge, steps to be 
taken, time to verdict/judgement) 

3.2  Appeal against court decision  Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the 
online  form  needed  to  appeal  against  a  court  decision  (e.g.  information  on  the 
necessary  steps  when  a  person  feels  the  judgement  is  not  correct  and  the  formal 
appeal form with supporting documents if needed) 

Informational 

Transactional 

National & 
Cross-
Border 
National & 
Cross-
Border 

National & 
Cross-
Border 
National & 
Cross-
Border 

National & 
Cross-
Border 
National & 
Cross-
Border 

46 

 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Transport (measured in 2021, 2023, …) 

Sofia just reached the pension age. She loves her family, with whom she can spend more time now. However, Sofia lives near th e border and her family lives 
on the other side of the country.  

She decides to buy a car so she can travel to her (grand)children  more often. Sofia cares about the environment (explaining why she did not drive a car for 
some years) and therefore chooses a (second-hand) alternative fuelled vehicle, for which she also benefits financial support by her government. 

After a while, Sofia’s (grand)children move to her city of residence. Public transport becomes much more convenient than driving the busy streets. On a sunny 
day she buys tickets for herself and her (grand)children to go on a family activity together. 

Process stage 

Definition of Service 

Service 
type 

Target 
user 

1 

Buying an (alternative 
fuelled) car 

1.1  Register  a  second-hand 

car 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form  needed  to  registering  a  motor  vehicle  originating  from  or  already  registered  in  a 
Member State, in standard procedures. In this case: registering a second-hand car on your 
name  as  the  car  owner.  It  does  not  concern  imported  cars.  For  cross-border  users  it 
concerns registering a second-hand car from country A in country A, while the cross-border 
user’s nationality is from country B. 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

1.2  Apply 

for  government 
support  for  alternative 
fuelled car 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form  needed  to  apply  for  any  relevant  type  of  subsidy,  tax  benefit,  buyer’s  discounts 
provided by the government, when buying an electrical or hydrogen car 

Transactional 

National 

2 

Taxes, certificates and 
permits 

2.1  Obtain a parking permit 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to obtain a parking permit for car (e.g. information about possibilities to obtain 
a parking permit and costs and form to obtain the permit). 

Transactional 

National 

2.2  Declare vehicle/road tax  Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form  needed  to  declaring/paying  vehicle  and/or  road  taxes  when  you  possess  a  vehicle 
(e.g.  information  about  the  amount  of  taxes  for  different  vehicles,  procedure  how  to 
arrange  vehicle/road  tax  paying  and  the  form  to  register  for  vehicle  and/or  road  tax 
payment) 

Transactional 

National 

2.3  Obtain  permit 

for  toll 

roads or vignettes 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to obtain access/stickers for the use of the national road infrastructure, such 
as time-based charges (vignette) or distance-based charges (toll), issued by the competent 
authority (e.g. information about how to register for access to toll roads and amount of toll 
fee, form to obtain vignettes) 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

2.4  Obtain emission stickers  Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form  needed  to  obtain  emission  stickers  issued  by  the  competent  authority  (e.g. 
information about how to register for emission stickers and the form to register for emission 
stickers) 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

3 

Public transport 

3.1  Check  information  and 
plan a journey (involving 
multiple  types  of  public 
transport) 

Minimal  requirements  for  the  service  to  be  considered  online:  information  on  timetables 
and a route planner to schedule a journey from the suburb (outside the city centre) in the 
country’s largest city to the suburb (outside the city centre) in the second-largest city. This 
should involve at least a train and at least one of the following: bus, metro, tram or ferry. 

Informational  National & 

Cross-
Border 

3.2  Obtain  public  transport 

tickets (standard tariff) 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to obtain tickets or  a public transport card that can  be used to  complete  a 
journey from the suburb (outside the city centre) in the country’s largest city to the suburb 
(outside the city centre) in the second-largest city. This should involve at least a train and 
at least one of the following: bus, metro, tram or ferry. 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

3.3  Appeal and claim a ticket 

refund 

Minimal requirements for the service to be considered online: information on and the online 
form needed to claim a ticket refund or compensation in the event of cancelled or majorly 
delayed public transport 

Transactional  National & 

Cross-
Border 

47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mapping of Single Digital Gateway Procedures  

Although the Single Digital Gateway Procedures are not measured 1-on-1, the following eGovernment Benchmark services relate to the 21 procedures listed in 
the Single Digital Gateway Regulation, Annex II. 

Single Digital Gateway Procedures 

Corresponding eGovernment Benchmark Service 

Requesting proof of registration of birth 

Requesting proof of residence 

Applying for a tertiary education study financing, such as study grants and loans from a 
public body or institution 

Submitting an initial application for admission to public tertiary education institution 

Requesting  academic  recognition  of  diplomas,  certificates  or  other  proof  of  studies  or 
courses 

3.2 

1.4 

2.3 

2.2 

2.1 

Obtain birth certificate 

Obtain proof of residence 

Apply for student grants 

Register in higher education  

Obtain recognition of diploma declaration 

Request for determination of applicable legislation in accordance with Title II of Regulation 
(EC) No 883/2004 (1)[1]  

1.2 
height) 

Calculate  unemployment  benefits  (duration  and 

Notifying changes in the personal or professional circumstances of the person receiving 
social security benefits, relevant for such benefits 

4.2 

Register employment to stop unemployment benefits 

Application for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) 

Submitting an income tax declaration 

Registering a change of address 

Registering a motor vehicle originating from or already registered in a Member State, in 
standard procedures (2)[2]  

1.3 

4.3 

1.2 

1.1 

Obtain a European Health Insurance Card 

Declare personal income taxes 

Register new address in municipality register 

Register a second-hand car 

Obtaining  stickers  for  the  use  of  the  national  road  infrastructure:  time-based  charges 
(vignette), distance-based charges (toll), issued by a public body or institution 

2.3 

Obtain permit for toll roads or vignettes 

Obtaining emission stickers issued by a public body or institution 

Claiming pension and pre-retirement benefits from compulsory schemes 

2.4 

5.2 

Obtain emission stickers 

Apply for state pension 

Requesting information on the data related to pension from compulsory schemes 

Notification of business activity, permission for exercising a business activity, changes of 
business  activity  and  the  termination  of  a  business  activity  not  involving  insolvency  or 
liquidation  procedures,  excluding  the  initial  registration  of  a  business  activity  with  the 
business  register  and  excluding  procedures  concerning  the  constitution  of  or  any 
subsequent filing by companies or firms within the meaning of the second paragraph of 
Article 54 TFEU 

5.3 
returning from another country 

Check entitlement for pension when moving abroad or 

3.1 

Register company for the first time 

Registration  of  an  employer  (a  natural  person)  with  compulsory  pension  and  insurance 
schemes 

6.1 

Register your company as an employer 

Registration of employees with compulsory pension and insurance schemes 

Submitting a corporate tax declaration 

5.1 

1.1 

Register with Social Security Office 

Declare corporate tax 

Notification  to  the  social  security  schemes  of  the  end  of  contract  with  an  employee, 
excluding procedures for the collective termination of employee contracts 

3.2 
competent authority 

Register  the  end  of  a  contract  of  an  employee  with 

Payment of social contributions for employees 

1.2 

Declare social contributions  

48 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EU 

In person 

All over the European Union there are hundreds of Europe Direct information centres. You can find the 
address of the centre nearest you at: https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en 

On the phone or by email 

Europe Direct is a service that answers your questions about the European Union. You can contact 
this service: 

– by freephone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain operators may charge for these calls), 

– at the following standard number: +32 22999696, or  

– by email via: https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en 

FINDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE EU 

Online 

Information about the European Union in all the official languages of the EU is available on the Europa 
website at: https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en 

EU publications 

You can download or order free and priced EU publications from: https://op.europa.eu/en/publications. 
Multiple copies of free publications may be obtained by contacting Europe Direct or your local 
information centre (see https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en). 

EU law and related documents 

For access to legal information from the EU, including all EU law since 1952 in all the official language 
versions, go to EUR-Lex at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu 

Open data from the EU 

The EU Open Data Portal (http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en) provides access to datasets from the EU. 
Data can be downloaded and reused for free, for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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