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24. November 2009 – 14:25 by Bengt Feil
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From November 17th to 20th city of Malmö hosted the gathering of the eGovernment and eDemocracy tribe. Three events related to the use of the internet and information technologies in administration and politics happened in just one week: The ministerial eGovernment conference, the pre-conference dealing with scientific issues in this field and the popular eGovernment unConference. Csaba already discussed the popular unConference in an earlier article. Therefore I would like to share some impressions I had of the ministerial conference and try to pin down what the essence of the event was.
The ministerial declaration
The central outcome of the ministerial meeting was of course the Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment which was presented at the conference by Minster Mats Odell on Thursday. The declaration incorporates three major themes (for an in-depth critical analysis please read this excellent article by Andrea DiMaio):
- Empowerment and transparency through eGovernment services and the use of ICT
- Improved mobility in the Single Market by seamless eGovernment services
- Efficiency and effectiveness is enabled by a constant effort to use eGovernment
From the angle of the Pan European eParticipation Network the first point seems to be the most interesting one. It is good to see that the European Ministers responsible for this area commit to the use of ICT to improve democratic processes and not only administrative efficiency. This view was shared by the audience of the conference as well: In the final session the moderator (Richard Wilson) ask the delegates which of the three goals they think is the most important one and there was an overwhelming majority voting for empowerment and transparency over the other two goals.
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8. October 2009 – 13:41 by Danish Technological Institute
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Practicing what we preach, the European eGovernment Awards, ePractice.eu and the European Commission invite members of the ePractice.eu and PEP-NET communities to vote for their favourite cases among the 52 European eGovernment Awards 2009 finalists. The 4th European eGovernment Awards Public Prize is awarded to the finalist receiving the highest number of votes.
There are four categories for the European eGovernment Awards 2009, including the Public Prize. The themes of the categories are in line with the European Union’s framework and reflect the priorities of the 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference. As in 2007, the fourth category is the Public Prize and therefore not subject to expert evaluation.
The Public Prize is based on an online vote by ePractice.eu members for the best case from among the 52 shortlisted finalists. As such, the Public Prize represents a unique opportunity to be part of the process, help the European Commission to select the best practices and support your preferred finalists in winning one of the prestigious European eGovernment Awards.
Vote and win!
Cast your votes for the Public Prize by 18 October 2009 and you might be one of the five lucky portal members to receive free admission to the 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference in Malmö. In addition, all voters who cast their votes before 11 November 2009 - the final online voting deadline - will have a chance at winning some of our other prizes: USB phone chargers and computer screen cleaners.
The winners will be chosen randomly in two separate draws: One for free admission to the Ministerial eGovernment Conference and one for our other prizes. All winners will be notified by e-mail. All portal members who vote online for their three favourite cases from among the 52 finalists will be eligible for the draw, excluding European Commission and ePractice.eu staff and contractors.
If a winner of the free admission to the 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference fails to confirm his/her attendance within five working days after being notified, the invitation will be offered to another voter. Note that the invitation includes admission to the conference only, i.e. all costs regarding travel and accommodation will NOT be covered.
The 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference will be held on 19-20 November 2009 in Malmö (Sweden). This high-level conference offers a unique learning and networking opportunity, bringing together more than 1 000 prominent public and private decision-makers and experts from across Europe and beyond. This is a unique opportunity to be granted admission to this high-profile event: attendance is limited and by invitation only!
How to vote?
Votes can be cast only online, using the voting facility on the ePractice.eu site. In order to vote, you must be a registered member of ePractice.eu (membership open to all) and have the minimum required user profile. Please read the online voting rules here before starting to vote.
Voters are asked to cast votes for three finalists from at least two countries to strengthen the European dimension of the Public Prize. If you vote for three cases from the same country, your votes will be disqualified.
Online voting closes on 11 November 2009 at 18:00 CET.
Further information:
Posted by: Danish Technological Institute, Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen
Posted in News, Projects, good practice | 1 Comment »
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2. September 2009 – 12:30 by Danish Technological Institute
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As you may know a pre-conference to the 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference 2009 is under preparation. The conference is hosted under the Swedish Presidency of the EU, and is arranged by Vinnova, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, and the City of Malmö.
Under the title “eGovernment Research and Innovation: Empowering Citizens through Government Services across Sectors and Borders” the aim of the pre-conference is to demonstrate actual use of and potential of eGovernment research and incorporate the following themes:
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Empowering citizens and businesses
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Enhancing opportunities for businesses and citizens in the internal market
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Efficiency and effectiveness in all government services
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Citizen dialogue
As you see the pre-conference is directly linked to the topics of the 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference: Teaming up for the eUnion (www.egov2009.se), 19-10 November, also in Malmö. The Ministerial eGovernment Conference – like the European eGovernment Awards 2009 (www.epractice.eu/awards) presented at an integrated exhibition of the 52 Awards finalists and a ceremony on 19 November announcing this year’s winners – focus on eGovernment supporting the Single Market, eGovernment services empowering citizens and businesses as well as eGovernment enabling administrative efficiency and effectiveness.
The key-note address will be delivered by Swedish Minister for Local Government and Financial Markets, Mr Mats Odell and a dinner will be hosted by Vinnova and City of Malmö in the evening at the old City Hall.
The conference is by invitation only and places are limited, but you are encouraged to register your interest in participating on www.vinnova.se/preconference (see pre-registration). Here you will also find the programme and further practical information.
Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen/Danish Technological Institute
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