e-Government: ambitious targets set

€300 billion (c. £200 billion) could be saved for European tax payers each year, if administrative modernisation takes place in the 25 EU member states, according to the European Commission.

This forecast is included in the latest action plan on e-Government presented by the Commission at the end of April.  The plan sets out a number of concrete steps to be taken to try to achieve some ambitious goals agreed by EU ministers when they met in Manchester in November 2005.

Five priority areas for action are included in the plan:

• Access for all: the Commission and Member States are to collaborate to try to make sure that everyone ? regardless of gender, age, nationality, income or disability ? has access to a wide range of technologies including digital TV, PCs and mobile phones;
• Raising efficiency:  EU countries are committed to making greater use of ICT in the public sector to achieve efficiency gains and reduce administrative burdens;
• Implementing e-Procurement:  targets have been set to make public contracts 100% available on-line by 2010 and to increase take-up of on-line procurement;
• Safe access to services EU wide: work in this area will include establishing secure systems for mutual recognition of national electronic identities for public websites and services;
• Strengthening participation and democratic decision-making:  support will be given to projects to use ICT for more effective public participation in decision-making.

The plan outlines a range of savings that have already been achieved through the greater use of new technologies.  For further information on the action plan, contact your local EIC:

Bradford Euro Info Centre Tel:  01274 434262  e-mail: eic@bradford.gov.uk
Leeds Euro Info Centre Tel:  0113 283 3126  e-mail: eic@leedsmet.ac.uk
Sheffield Euro Info Centre Tel:  0114 201 2595  e-mail: eic@scci.org.uk