Research company IDC has claimed that the five biggest countries in Western Europe -- the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy -- will spend increasing amounts on e-government projects over the next four years. However, in a warning to companies dealing in e-government software, hardware and services, the report says that not all of the countries will increase spending by equal amounts, nor are they all starting from the same base.
In Spain, for example, e-government spending will rise by some 50 percent between 2004 and 2008. But that rise will come from a fairly low starting point of USD200 million in e-government outlay this year, climbing to just USD300 million in 2008, or roughly a quarter of what will be spent in the UK in four years' time and just over a fifth of Germany's e-government spend in 2008.
Of the five countries, France will up its spend the least in percentage terms, rising from USD980 million in 2004 to USD1.3 billion in 2008, a 32 percent increase. Germany, meanwhile, will have the greatest overall budget for e-government, amounting to USD1.4 billion in four years' time, up by 42 percent from the USD985 million it will spend in 2004, IDC reported.
UK e-government spending will rise by 45 percent in the next four years to USD1.2 billion, while Italian e-government expenditure should hit USD520 million in 2008, or about 40 percent more than the country is currently spending.
"IT spending on e-government is expected to continue growing at uneven rates in Europe's top five countries," commented Massimiliano Claps, senior research analyst, IDC European vertical markets. "IT vendors that want to take advantage of these opportunities must closely monitor the new initiatives, understand the drivers of the various projects, and take advantage of growth at the local government level."
Autor: Matthew Clark
Quelle: ElectricNews.Net, 14.10.2004
