IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The European Commission has announced a decision allowing the governments of 11 candidate countries to collaborate in trans-national e-government initiatives with the EU Member States ahead of their formal accession to the Union. From January next year the countries will be permitted to share data with EU administrations on the application of EU law, enforcement of Internal Market rules, as well as the supply of e-government services across borders to citizens and enterprises.

Participation in the Commission’s Interchange of Data Between Administrations (IDA) programme, a strategic initiative supporting e-government activities and best practice exchange between EU Member States, has already been extended to Poland with procedures to formally bring Slovenia on board due to conclude shortly.

The IDA programme will be opened to the remaining candidate countries, namely Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia, on 1 January 2003.

Turkey and Malta are also expected to follow in a matter of months.

The Commission said that IDA's E25m work programme for 2003, currently under preparation, will be taking into account the needs of all candidate countries.

Quelle: europemedia