IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

European Commission launches e-government survey | Finland to issue new electronic ID cards UK e-government may not yield savings for ten years: report: It will be nearly ten years before e-government services start yielding cost savings for the UK government, according to a new report. The "e-Government Cost Savings Report" by public sector IT analyst Kable estimates that by the financial year 2005/2006, e-government will be generating savings for local and central government of STG289 million a year, but spending on e-government will cost STG1.2 billion for that year alone. "Plotting the e-investment against the increase in savings over the coming years shows that on an annual basis, the savings may match the costs only by financial year 2012," said Karen Swinden, Kable's head of forecasting. The study forecasts that between 2001/2002 and 2005/2006, e-government will cost UK taxpayers STG7.4 billion, with spending peaking in 2003/2004 at STG1.8 billion. Swinden also cautioned that it was possible that savings from e-government may never overtake its costs. "Unlike the private sector, the public sector cannot maximise the savings from digitisation by dramatically cutting physical access [to services] and staff numbers, as it has a duty to ensure equal access for all, including those who do not have digital access," she said.

European Commission launches e-government survey: The European Commission has launched an on-line benchmarking study to assess the quality of key e-government services in Europe. The study, called Top of the Web, aims to evaluate 20 public e-services for citizens and businesses that are available in the 15 EU member states, along with Iceland and Norway. The citizen services that are being assessed include those related to income tax, job seeking, social security, and personal documents and certificates; while the business e-services under scrutiny include VAT and tax matters, company registration, and public procurement. More than 4,000 Webmasters have agreed to implement a questionnaire for users into their Web sites. The results of the benchmarking study will be posted on the Top of the Web site, www.topoftheweb.net, giving e-service providers and Webmasters feedback on the quality of their services and allowing e-government providers to compare their performance with fellow providers. The study will be repeated in 2004.

New EU computer system aims to reduce fraud: The European Council has given the go-ahead for a new computer system aimed at cutting down on excise duty fraud in the EU. Excise duty fraud, which is mostly associated with the movement of alcohol and tobacco, is estimated to cost EU countries around EUR5 billion a year. The European Commission reckons that about 80,000 individuals and companies will need to be connected to the new system, which aims to link up all traders and provide EU member states with real-time information about consignments. The cost of implementation to each member state could range from EUR5 million to EUR12 million, and the annual running costs once operational are estimated at EUR4 million for the Commission and EUR300,000 for each member state's government. The electronic system, which will replace the current paper-based one, is not expected to be operational until 2008.

Finland to issue new electronic ID cards: The government of Finland has announced plans to upgrade its citizens' electronic ID (eID) card system. The Population Register Centre, which supplies the digital certificates used in eID cards, has commissioned Irish e-security company Baltimore Technologies to provide it with new technology for the cards. The new version of the eID cards, which were first launched in 1999, will enable citizens to conduct secure transactions with public authorities and businesses over the Internet and via mobile devices. These transactions could include on-line banking services, educational services and other services provided by the public administration. The eID card can also be used as an official travel document for Finnish citizens in 19 European countries. The card will contain a total of three certificates: the citizen's authentication certificate, his or her digital signature certificate and the Population Register Centre's certificate.

US to test e-voting for overseas citizens: The US government is preparing to enable military personnel who are based overseas to vote electronically in elections. The Defense Department, ten states and a number of counties around the country will conduct an extensive e-voting trial during the 2004 presidential election. The trial is aimed at absentee members of the uniformed services and their dependents, as well as other US citizens living abroad. The on-line initiative, known as SERVE (Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment) expands on a small-scale on-line voting trial that was successfully conducted during the 2000 elections. Under the SERVE scheme, all eligible overseas voters will be encouraged to register on the SERVE Web site, www.serveusa.gov, where they will be able to vote securely during the election once they have been issued with a digital certificate. The states that are scheduled to participate in the program are Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Washington.

New Zealand to create on-line resource of tradespeople: The government of New Zealand is requiring all builders to register on-line, an initiative that may lead to the establishment of an in-depth resource on tradespeople for consumers. Under a new law, builders and other key tradespeople will soon be obligated to register their credentials with the government, giving details of any disciplinary actions taken against them. Economic Development Ministry senior policy analyst Susan Townsend has indicated that the registry, which will likely be available to the public over the Internet, may be linked up with existing databases of registered electricians, plumbers and gasfitters. Individual entries in the registries could be linked up to sources providing more information, such as the Master Builders Federation and the NZ Certified Builders Association, two self-regulatory organisations. Townsend said that being able to link statutory and self-regulatory information with information maintained by individuals was one of the advantages of having an Internet-based system.

Quelle: electricnews