Erkki Liikanen highlights role of eGovernment Better public service and wider participation for citizens should be the results of egovernment, according to Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information society, speaking to a democracy and the information revolution conference on 29 June in Stock... Better public service and wider participation for citizens should be the results of egovernment, according to Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information society, speaking to a democracy and the information revolution conference on 29 June in Stockholm,. The increase in the use of information technology will not result in the withering away of the state, said Mr Liikanen. Rather he sees the state having a strong role in facilitating social inclusion and being able to have a clearer view of the attitudes of the citizens it serves. He drew on the example of Canada (http://www.canada.gc.ca) to illustrate well-designed egovernance, with a single entry portal led to all government services. The next stage for egovernment is developing interactive services that include the ability to handle economic transactions so that you can pay your taxes online. This is the case in Spain where it is possible to declare and pay income and property taxes online (http://www.aeat.es). Mr Liikanen signaled that European egovernment will soon hit a number of targets: - essential public data to be brought online (end 2002) - electronic access to main basic public services (end 2002/3) - simplified online procedures for business (end 2002) - electronic signatures within the public sector (end 2001) - all basic transactions with the Commission online (end 2001). The next step is to engage those who have not yet joined the digital age. Mr Liikanen, participated in an advisory group on digital divide to the UN Secretary-General earlier this year. The report said: 'New information and communications technologies are creating a new economy and a new global society. The challenge before us is to enable the currently excluded 4 billion of the world's population to participate in and benefit from the information revolution.' In his words, 'of course, the Internet cannot, by itself, bring roads, bridges, electricity or water into villages and low-income urban areas, but it can empower the people in these areas to demand such things more effectively, and to enable people to generate the income to pay for them. The constraints of distance can be overcome and development views from the developing countries themselves can now be heard in global policy debates.' In summing up, Mr. Liikanen acknowledged that, 'much work remains until the full benefits of eGovernment can be brought to citizens and businesses. The needs of the citizens should always be at the centre, not technology nor the needs of administrations.'
