European public services are under a dual pressure. They need to provide more up-to-date, accurate and cost-effective services to citizens, on time and within budget. Yet they must also respond effectively to the demands of citizens and businesses, who want better and more effectively delivered services.
Public services must be available to everyone. In one way new information technologies help in achieving this aim. Websites, portals and Internet kiosks mean that public services can be available anywhere to anyone at anytime. Yet social exclusion remains a major issue. Needless to say, citizens and businesses must also trust public e-services.
e-Forum, the forum for European e-public services, addresses these issues in a European context. In Europe, eGovernment innovation presents even more of a challenge than in the USA or Japan, because of European culture and language heterogeneity. The challenge becomes even greater when the integration of new Member States into the European Union is considered.
The e-Forum Association exists to meet this challenge. It will facilitate sharing and tracking of best practice, and bring the public and private sectors together to improve European eGovernment competitiveness.
The e-Forum action plan:
Europe needs to develop its own eGovernment model, doing so in accordance with the European public´s aspirations in respect of their diversity. This is a key challenge for European eGovernment, as the awareness of the importance of eGovernment is now widespread, and the impact of new technologies well understood.
The e-Forum Association is therefore not so concerned with promoting eGovernment in general, but more with analysing the future needs of eGovernment in a European context, and defining the solutions that will shape eGovernment in the next ten to fifteen years.
The e-Forum Association embraces:
- Adapting the public service information infrastructure to the new challenges; developing a specific eGovernment model, as opposed to transplanting the private sector model.
- Generating synergies between European states, including EU Member States and EU candidate countries, in order to enrich eGovernment across Europe.
- Definition of deliverables: these will focus on a selection of priority areas that will be given high visibility. They will be measurable and will reinforce European cohesion and strengthen Europe´s ability to progress in the digital age.
Bringing public and private partners together:
The e-Forum Association is open to both public and private sector members. Political support and assistance from the public sector is essential. The private sector members bring their knowledge and expertise in new information and communication technologies, and will help the public sector define a harmonised European approach in areas such as infrastructure, interoperability and security.
The e-Forum Association website aims to become the eGovernment reference point for EU Member States and candidate countries. It offers Association members a number of benefits, from access to the e-Forum Resource Centre, to the opportunity to discuss eGovernment questions with experts from across Europe and beyond.
