6 eGovernment in Europe
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8688/06
+ ADD1
COM(06) 173
| Commission Communication; i2010 eGovernment Action Plan: Accelerated eGovernment in Europe for the Benefit of All
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 25 April 2006
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| Deposited in Parliament | 2 May 2006
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| Department | Cabinet Office
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 22 May 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see HC 34-xxiii (2005-06), para 12 (29 March 2006)
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| To be discussed in Council | June 2006 Telecommunications Council
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
6.1 According to the Cabinet Office website, the Prime Minister
has set information technology (IT) professionals in Government
the mission of "ensuring that IT supports the business transformation
of Government itself so that we can provide better, more efficient,
public services", with the Cabinet Office e-Government Unit
(eGU) taking the lead. Now the largest unit in the Cabinet Office,
eGU is responsible for
- formulating IT strategy and policy;
- developing common IT components for use across
government;
- promoting best practice across government; and
- delivering citizen-centred online services.
6.2 It gives its mission as: "ensuring that
IT supports the business transformation of Government itself so
that we can provide better, more efficient, public services".
At the instigation of the Prime Minister (to whom the mission
statement is attributed), it has developed a strategy —
"Transformational Government—Enabled by Technology"
— which it says "is about transforming public services
as citizens receive them and demonstrating how technology can
improve the corporate services of government so more resources
can be released to deliver 'frontline' services".[18]
6.3 According to the Commission website, IDABC stands
for "Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment Services
to public Administrations, Businesses and Citizens", and
"uses the opportunities offered by information and communication
technologies to encourage and support the delivery of cross-border
public sector services to citizens and enterprises in Europe,
to improve efficiency and collaboration between European public
administrations and to contribute to making Europe an attractive
place to live, work and invest".[19]
It goes on to explain that, to achieve its objectives, IDABC:
"issues recommendations, develops solutions
and provides services that enable national and European administrations
to communicate electronically while offering modern public services
to businesses and citizens in Europe.
"The programme also provides financing to projects
addressing European policy requirements, thus improving co-operation
between administrations across Europe. National public sector
policy-makers are represented in the IDABC programme's management
committee and in many expert groups. This makes of the programme
a unique forum for the coordination of national e-government policies.
"By using state-of-the-art information and communication
technologies, developing common solutions and services and by
finally, providing a platform for the exchange of good practice
between public administrations, IDABC contributes to the eEurope[20]
objective of modernising the European public sector."
6.4 The IDABC programme includes both Projects of
Common Interest, which implement European eGovernment services
in specific policy areas (e.g. education) and Horizontal Measures
(HMs), which implement infrastructure services and European eGovernment
services not linked to specific policy areas and perform strategic
and support activities. HMs are grouped under four main headings:
Technology Solutions:
addressing basic, common requirements of many European eGovernment
projects: currently network and hosting services, middleware,
security and interoperability guidelines;
Business Applications:
providing specific solutions for the particular needs or "business"
of different policy areas, including eProcurement, Interactive
Policy Making and the "Your Europe" portal to Services
of Public Administrations;
Spreading Good Practice:
including the eGovernment Observatory and Promoting Open Source
Software and OSS-related activities; and
Programme Management:
activities aimed at improving the execution of the IDA I and II
programmes and preparing the successor IADBC.
6.5 The Commission explains that the legislative
framework for electronic public procurement adopted in 2004 will
enter into force in 2006, at which time "procurement entities
in Europe should be ready to perform procurement procedures electronically".
It says that IDABC will contribute to:
- achieving interoperability
in electronic public procurement;
- facilitating electronic public procurement by
providing functional requirements, common tools or generic services
for the contracting authorities; and
- promoting the use of eProcurement in Europe by
creating awareness of transborder eProcurement benefits and opportunities.
6.6 A Ministerial eGovernment Conference took place
in Manchester on 24-25 November 2005, co-organised by the UK Presidency
and the Commission.[21]
One of the outcomes was a Ministerial Declaration with two objectives,
for achievement by 2010:
- all public administrations
across Europe to have the capability of carrying out 100% of their
procurement electronically, where legally permissible; and
- at least 50% of public procurement above the
EU public procurement threshold will be carried out electronically.
6.7 In his 22 May 2006 Explanatory Memorandum, the
Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Mr Pat McFadden)
recalls that the policy for eGovernment in Europe falls under
the i2010 programme, which he summarises as an initiative developed
from the Lisbon Strategy to "create an open and competitive
single market for information society and media services within
the EU, to increase EU investment in research on information and
communication technologies, and to promote an inclusive European
information society".[22]
6.8 He says that eGovernment plays a key role in
making this agenda a reality, and that this Communication on the
eGovernment Action Plan is the next step in achieving the goals
set out in the Manchester Ministerial Declaration. The Minister
says that the Manchester Declaration differs from previous ones
(Brussels in 2001, Como in 2003) "both in the rigorous development
process under the steer of the UK Presidency and its aims to set
out concrete, measurable objectives, underpinned by the need to
connect common efforts in order to achieve wider impact and promote
take-up around the four key eGovernment policy priorities".
It was approved by the Telecoms Council in December 2005.
The Commission Communication
6.9 The Minister explains that, during the UK Presidency,
the eGovernment Unit worked with the Commission's Information
Society and Media Directorate-General and Member States' eGovernment
policy officials to agree the new political direction of European
eGovernment policy, resulting in agreement that the focus of eGovernment
policy for the next five years should be on four areas:
- Inclusive eGovernment;
- Efficient and Effective eGovernment;
- High Impact Services; and
- Key Enablers.
6.10 The Action Plan, outlined in this Communication,
formally commits the Commission to the goals outlined in the Manchester
Ministerial Declaration. It has five major objectives for eGovernment
in 2010:
- No citizens left behind
- Advancing inclusion through eGovernment so that by 2010 all
citizens benefit from trusted, innovative services and easy access
for all;
- Making efficiency and effectiveness a reality
- Significantly contributing, by 2010, to high user satisfaction,
transparency and accountability, a lighter administrative burden
and efficiency gains;
- Implementing High impact services for citizens
and businesses - By 2010, 100% of public
procurement will be available electronically, with 20% actual
usage, with agreement on co-operation on further high-impact online
services;
- Putting key enablers in place
- Enabling citizens and businesses to benefit, by 2010, from convenient,
secure and interoperable authentication across Europe to public
services; and
- Strengthening participation and democratic
decision-making - Demonstrating, by 2010,
tools for effective public debate and participation in democratic
decision-making.
6.11 The Action Plan outlines practical ways forward
by means of roadmaps and strategic monitoring in the five priority
areas, providing focal points for Commission programmes, initiatives
and policy making for the next four years and emphasises the importance
of collaborative working between Member States and the Commission.
The Minister says that the Action Plan will be monitored and evaluated
by the eGovernment Subgroup (where the eGovernment Unit will represent
HMG and the devolved administrations), which will in turn give
advice and report on implementation to the i2010 High Level Group[23]
(where the Department of Trade and Industry will represent HMG
and the devolved administrations). He says that "the Subgroup
has already proved to be an effective mechanism through which
strong political support has been secured (Bloomsday Recommendations,[24]
CoBrA Recommendations,[25]
Signposts, and the Manchester Declaration) and it has proved to
be a very effective framework for European co-operation".
The Government's view
6.12 The Minister says:
"In collaboration and consultation with other
UK departments, the Cabinet Office eGovernment Unit, under the
UK Presidency, worked hard to get the right balance of achievable
targets and goals in these areas and continues to be an active
participant in the developments of the i2010 eGovernment initiative.
The UK has earned favour with the European Commission and our
European colleagues as a result of its hard work under the UK
Presidency and it continues to be a strong and active participant".
6.13 He hopes to see the Action Plan endorsed in
the Conclusions of the June 2006 Telecommunications Council, and
goes on to say that:
"Plans for UK and European eGovernment policies
appear to be highly compatible. The UK Government's Transformational
Government Strategy and subsequent Implementation Plan along with
a range of devolved administration strategies have natural parallels
with the spirit of the Manchester Declaration and the European
eGovernment Action Plan with the direction of i2010; by focusing
on the delivery of good, efficient services driven by IT and with
the transformation of public services at its core, the UK Government
and the devolved administrations strategies will be a continuing
contributing factor in forthcoming European eGovernment policy
decisions that evolve from this Action Plan. We are committed
to working in partnership with UK Government Departments and Devolved
Administrations to ensure that the significant work already underway
across the UK is fully taken into account as we move to address
the more challenging cross border areas".
6.14 Finally, the Minister says that although the
Cabinet Office is responsible for leading and supporting the transformation
of government, enabled by the use of Information Technology across
the public sector, the objectives outlined in the European eGovernment
Action Plan have implications for other areas of public sector,
including those in the Devolved Administrations, whose officials
have been consulted in the preparation of this Explanatory Memorandum.
Conclusion
6.15 When we considered the earlier Communication
on the interoperability of pan-European e-Government services,
we noted that eGovernment will become increasingly central to
the efficient, effective and economical delivery of both national
and European policies and services, and will increasingly touch
everyone's business and private lives; with the picture, in the
UK at least, mixed, and in a context where improving delivery
will be crucial to the attainment both of governments' aspirations
and business plans and of customer satisfaction.[26]
6.16 This Communication is likewise a "next
step" rather than a radical departure, which we are also
reporting to the House because of the intrinsic importance of
its subject matter.
6.17 We look forward to scrutinising the i2010
annual reports, in the hope that the Minister will be able to
report the successful attainment of the Action Plan targets. In
the meantime, we clear the document.
18 See http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/strategy/
for further details. Back
19
http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/chapter/3. Back
20
For further details of eEurope, see http://europa.eu.int/information_society/index_en.htm. Back
21
http://www.egov2005conference.gov.uk/. Back
22
"i2010: European Information Society 2010" aims to foster
growth and jobs in the information society and media industries
and is described by the Commission as "a comprehensive strategy
for modernising and deploying all EU policy instruments to encourage
the development of the digital economy: regulatory instruments,
research and partnerships with industry", within which the
Commission will "in particular promote high-speed and secure
broadband networks offering rich and diverse content in Europe". Back
23
With the adoption of the Commission Communication on i2010, the
Commission set up a High Level Group of Member States representatives,
at Director General level, meeting thrice-yearly to monitor and
advise the Commission on the implementation and development of
the i2010 Strategy. Back
24
Recommendations of the eGovernment subgroup of the eEurope Advisory
Group following the meeting hosted by the Irish Presidency on
16 June 2004 in Dublin. Back
25
Recommendations put forward by the eGovernment subgroup of leaders
or representatives of the national eGovernment initiatives to
the eEurope Advisory Group following the meeting hosted by the
Dutch Presidency on 27-28 September 2004 in Amsterdam at the CoBrA
museum and two previous meetings in Brussels and Dublin. Back
26
See head note. Back
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