## 4 Discussion  
The research problem was to find suitable indicators to measure the efficiency of e-Government within the EU. Based on the results and output of DEA analysis, it is possible to say that some countries are inefficient. The most effective countries in the framework of e-Government are in the Scandinavian region, such as Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Latvia. The inputs of these countries are in appropriate proportion to the outputs and their level of e-Government. We can see a big difference between Estonia, as a country belonging to the Eastern Bloc and having a relatively low level of GDP, and Denmark, whose GDP is much larger. In addition, this is the problem of Western Europe, which spends a large amount on inputs relative to the level of outputs and thus does not achieve efficiency. Thus, we can conclude that even a country with a low budget can achieve a high level of e-Government, if the spending of resources is effective in relation to their output [44]. One of the opportunities is to improve the transition to digitalization in public services. The European Union has developed several strategies for improving digitalization and e-Government. One is Europe's Digital Decade: digital targets for 2030 and the other is the Recovery Plan for Europe [45,46]. In the coming years, individual Member States will improve their transformation to an e-digital economy and it would therefore be appropriate to focus on measuring the technological efficiency of e-Government. Studies show us that there are several indices that measure different areas of digitalization, e-Government, etc. Therefore, it is useful to use these data to better identify the areas in which some countries, such as Romania and Germany, are lagging behind, in order to improve their performance. Digitalization plays an important role in all EU policies. Digital solutions bring with them opportunities and are important in rebuilding economies after the COVID-19 crisis, during the ongoing energy crisis, etc., to consolidate their position in the world economy. Digital technologies are increasingly contributing to increased productivity, efficiency, and sustainability and, above all, the overall well-being of the population [47]. Technological development is one of the important aspects that increases the rate of economic growth at the macro level. At the same time, the effective use of technological progress in various spheres of society leads not only to economic but also to social development [48]. The application of digitalization in several areas of the economy and society is taking place at different levels. Digitalization is one of the European Union's priorities. The EU wants to improve the digital skills of its population, provide training for workers, and move towards a digitization in public services that respects fundamental rights and values [49,50]. During the writing of the first section and the determination of the topic of the paper, questions arose that needed to be answered. The questions and answers that arose during the processing of the article are as follows. Is it possible to use the DEA method to determine the efficiency of digitalization within the EU? Yes, it is possible to use the DEA method in different ways if the input parameter is set correctly. Is the data set necessary to meet the requirements of the DEA method available? There are a number of indices that are formed by appropriate input and output data. Is it possible to use the DEA method within the EU and to make comparisons with countries outside the EU? This is not possible because the metrics are not uniform or there are no comparable data. Is it possible to focus only on e-Government in the context of digitalization? Yes, there is a sufficient data set to enable the determination of the efficiency of e-Government digitization in EU Member States. Many authors have been addressing the issue of digitization for several years.