The last eGovernment benchmark 2017 report shows a significant improvement in the cross-border availability of e-Government services and the accessibility of public websites from mobile devices in the EU Member States. This study also indicates a need for improvement in the transparency of the provision of public services and the use of support technology such as eID or eDocuments.
The countries that have obtained the highest scores in the availability of e-Government services have been Malta, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and Norway. These countries lead the way towards the creation of a Digital Single Market.
Country performance: How do individual countries perform
Performance is measured as an average of scores for four top-level benchmarks:
- User centricity (how fast and easy to use public information and services online),
- Transparency (of government authorities’ operations, service delivery procedures and the level of control users have over their personal data),
- Cross-border mobility (the extent to which people can use public services outside their country),
- Key enablers (the availability of eID, eDocuments and Authentic Sources, etc).
Europe appears to be getting closer to the 100%-landmark with regard to user-centricity. However, it scores less well on the other three benchmarks, especially in terms of exploiting the potential of Key Enablers for public services.
User Centricity
This is the most advanced dimension of online public services in Europe in 2016, emphasising the focus of governments to bring more public information and services online. Europe records a 12 p.p. increase in online availability of services. The gap between worst and best performing countries is also closing.
Transparency of government organizations
The transparency of government organizations’ service processes and citizens’ control of personal data averages at 59% for the EU in 2016. The study shows that the transparency of service delivery processes (e.g. informing users on how long the process will take, response times, etc.) is insufficient for 1 in 2 people.
Cross-border service delivery
This dimension is essential for the Digital Single Market and records solid improvements over the years (+25% since 2012). Information and even services are becoming increasingly available to EU citizens when starting up a business or studying in another country.
Key technological enablers
The study reveals that the deployment of key technological enablers (i.e. eID, eDocuments and Authentic Sources) has the most room for improvement (at 52%; EU28+). The authentic sources indicator which facilitates pre-filling of online forms, progressed slower than other indicators, with only a 3% growth since 2012.
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