While Malta has 95 per of government services already available online, the EU is trailing behind with just 74 per cent. Malta also achieved better results than the EU average for usability.
According to the report, 87 per cent of those connected to the internet are making use of online government services while the EU’s average falls to 70 per cent.
Malta has always maintained a lead where it comes to online services following multi-million investments to boost e-government services.
According to the report, Malta and Austria are still considered EU leaders in online public services.
On the other hand, the lack of direct personal contact and the compulsory need to present some papers after accessing online services were the main reasons quoted by those Maltese who do not use online services.
Almost half of the EU’s citizens (46 per cent) now go online to look for a job, use the public library, file a tax return, register a birth and apply for a passport.
Some 80 per cent said that using online public services save them time, 76 per cent liked the flexibility and 62 per cent said they save money.
On an EU level, the most popular online service is declaring income taxes – used by 73 per cent – while moving or changing address is also a popular service used by 57 per cent of EU citizens.
The EU wants 50 per cent of EU citizens to use e-Government services by 2015.
EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes described the findings as “promising”. However, she said that “member states need to do more to make e-Government work across borders”.
. The Nationalist Party welcomed the latest confirmation that Malta has once again placed high on the EU’s scoreboard.
Claudio Grech, spokesman for planning and simplification of administrative processes, said the result proves Malta’s strategy and policy approach towards the modernisation of public services through the application of ICT has yielded results.
“The PN strongly urges the Government to sustain the relevance of the e-Government programme and its crucial role in delivering public service reform and in realising efficiency gains and customer service improvements in the public sector,” he said.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Ivan Camilleri
Quelle/Source: Times of Malta, 08.06.2013
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