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Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

EU launches "eGovernment Awards"

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DN: IP/01/1705 Date: 30/11/2001

TXT: EN PDF: EN DOC: EN

IP/01/1705

Brussels, 30 November 2001

EU launches "eGovernment Awards"

The European Commission's new "eEurope Awards for Innovation in eGovernment" aims to highlight and promote the efforts made by European national, regional and local administrations in using Information Society Technologies to improve the quality and accessibility of their public services. Its launch follows the success of the "eGovernment label". This was recently awarded to 60 online services submitted by administrations for inclusion within "eGovernment: From Policy to Practice", a conference and exhibition organised jointly on November 29-30 by the European Commission and the EU Belgian Presidency. Almost 300 submissions were received from administrations around Europe. As its name suggests, the new Award is a concrete expression of the eEurope Action Plan 2002. "The Award will be a significant driving force for identifying and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector and for supporting the mutual recognition and adoption of best practices", said Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for the Information Society, as he announced the Award at the eGovernment conference in Brussels today.

A total of 282 administrations from around the world submitted their on-line services to a jury of independent experts for inclusion in the conference and exhibition, which brought together 36 ministers from across the EU, the European Economic Area and countries in EU accession negotiations.

The jury selected 60 winners to be presented either at the exhibition or directly within the conference proceedings. All were awarded the "eGovernment label" and a formal citation of their achievement, signed by the Commissioner and Belgian Ministers Rik Daems and Luc van den Bossche, the co-organisers of the conference.

"I do not envy the jury they faced a real challenge sorting through so many excellent nominations," remarked Commissioner Liikanen. "But this very successful and vigorous response confirms the need to exchange best practices in this field across Europe, which is why we have decided to make this competition an annual event through launching the eEurope Award for Innovation in e-Government."

The new Awards fall under the eEurope action line "Government online: electronic access to public services". Their focus will be on running services - to be eligible, entrants will have to have been in operation for at least one year prior to nomination.

To win an award, on the other hand, the administration needs to demonstrate that it has taken a fresh, innovative approach to a problem of concern to a significant number of people, and that it has delivered profound improvements in the services it offers to the public.

The aim is to reward excellence and promote the exchange of best practice. Winning administrations will therefore be given the opportunity to pass on the lessons they have learnt as part of the formal curriculum of institutes specialised in training courses for public administrations.

The awards will cover all governmental departments at all levels - central, regional, local - within the EU Member States and the Accession Countries. Over a period of years they will address the full spectrum of activities supported by public administrations, including healthcare, transport, education and the environment, as well as the democratic processes of government itself. Present plans are to target a specific policy area each year, with the first Awards to be presented in Copenhagen by the Danish Presidency in late 2002.