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EUROPEAN REVIEW

ISSUE 33 - Page 8

eGovernment: how speeches and awards turn in to facts and figures

THE EU IS CONTINUING ITS drive to get governments and local authorities to provide more and more services online while encouraging individuals and businesses to use them. Recently there have been awards ceremonies and surveys as well as speeches by Commissioners and ministerial declarations. In Manchester in November the e-Europe awards highlighted government projects in various EU Member States. Revenue Online from Ireland won the 'Impact' section because it had benefitted citizens and businesses by making it easier to pay tax as well as freeing revenue staff for other work while an electronic invoicing system from Denmark triumphed in 'Government transformation' having saved businesses €50 million a year and the government €120-150 million. According to Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding.'If we could get this working all over Europe we would save €15 billion'.

To this end the eGovernment ministers in the Member States want 50% of all large orders from public sector bodies to be administered electronically by 2010. However, for this to be achieved, both parties to the transaction must be willing and able to use the internet. A recent Eurostat report throws light on whether this is likely to be the case. Of individuals who had access to the internet in 2004 45% used it to get information from public authorities while 51% of online businesses did the same, 46% using the connection to download forms and 32% submitting completed forms. Overall the United Kingdom, Sweden and Austria came out top for online services to citizens and those for business were most developed in Estonia and Denmark.

Web sites mentioned on this page are available at :

e-Government 2004: Internet based interaction with European businesses and citizens

http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int/portal/page?
_pageid=1073,46587259&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
&p_product_code=KS-NP-05-035

EURid - The European Registry of Internet Domain Names

http://www.eurid.eu/

PASOK (Greek socialist party) - Web radio (in Greek)

http://www.pasok.gr/portal/gr/webradio/

eEurope awards - Front page:

http://www.e-europeawards.org

.eu launches into cyberspace - at last

Greek socialists pioneer web radio

OVER 2 YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE and having been talked about since 1999, the new 'top-level' domain name for European Union web sites finally appeared on the internet on 7 December. Within the first minutes of its launch, 60 applications per second were being recorded by the European Registry of Internet Domain Names (EURid), a non-profit organisation appointed by the European Commission to manage requests for a .eu address. Businesses were fighting over tickets.eu, job.eu and hotels.eu. while sex.eu was predictably the most popular with 213 requests by the end of the first day of registration.
While registrations are given out on a 'first-come, first-served' basis, trademark holders and public bodies have priority until April. Information Society and Media Commissioner, Viviane Reding said: 'For businesses, .eu will extend their marketing reach, while protecting them under EU law against cyber squatters. For Europeans in general, a ".eu" address can help make your web presence or that of your school, university, or club more visible across the EU'.

GREEK SOCIALIST PARTY PASOK has added another string to its communications bow by starting a web radio internet site. Believed to be the first of its kind , the site aims to carry speeches, interviews and press conferences and kicked off with a live broadcast of President George Papandreou's address to the Greek Institute
of Civic Education.

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e-Government 2004: Internet based interaction with European businesses and citizens	http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int/portal/page? _pageid=1073,46587259&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL &p_product_code=KS-NP-05-035
EURid - The European Registry of Internet Domain Names	http://www.eurid.eu/
PASOK (Greek socialist party) - Web radio (in Greek)	http://www.pasok.gr/portal/gr/webradio/
eEurope awards - Front page:	http://www.e-europeawards.org

.eu launches into cyberspace - at last			Greek socialists pioneer web radio
OVER 2 YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE and having been talked about since 1999, the new 'top-level' domain name for European Union web sites finally appeared on the internet on 7 December. Within the first minutes of its launch, 60 applications per second were being recorded by the European Registry of Internet Domain Names (EURid), a non-profit organisation appointed by the European Commission to manage requests for a .eu address. Businesses were fighting over tickets.eu, job.eu and hotels.eu. while sex.eu was predictably the most popular with 213 requests by the end of the first day of registration. While registrations are given out on a 'first-come, first-served' basis, trademark holders and public bodies have priority until April. Information Society and Media Commissioner, Viviane Reding said: 'For businesses, .eu will extend their marketing reach, while protecting them under EU law against cyber squatters. For Europeans in general, a ".eu" address can help make your web presence or that of your school, university, or club more visible across the EU'.			GREEK SOCIALIST PARTY PASOK has added another string to its communications bow by starting a web radio internet site. Believed to be the first of its kind , the site aims to carry speeches, interviews and press conferences and kicked off with a live broadcast of President George Papandreou's address to the Greek Institute of Civic Education.