Thom C. de Graaf, the Dutch Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations and Deputy Prime Minister, has spelled out his vision for e-government on the Commission's IDA (Interchange of Data between Administration) website. De Graaf points that all local authorites in Holland are already online and providing most public services electronically with the eGEM (municipalities) and e-provinces programmes.
But he says there is still a long way to go as "relatively few transactions are being conducted digitally as yet". He says "now is the time for local authorities to make the leap from digital information services to digital transaction services. In order to be able to do this they have to establish a link between the electronic front office and back office".
At European level, De Graaf says that collaboration is important as "different countries are dealing with similar issues as they attempt to implement e-government". But he also insists that solutions need to be tailor-made: "We don’t all have to do it the same way," he says.
The essential value-added he thinks Europe can bring is on interoperability and his belief is that the new IDABC programme adopted earlier this year will contribute to this. He also mentions the recent proposal on services in the internal market as providing "an important stimulus for 'single-counter’ thinking in the business sector".
De Graaf adds that open standards contribute to greater interoperability but that there are "still unanswered questions regarding the governance of standards". He says the Dutch Presidency intends to gain a "clearer insight into the matter and make more precise agreements".
Quelle: Euractiv, 15.07.2004
