IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Die Anstalt für Kommunale Datenverarbeitung in Bayern (AKDB) und die ekom21 GmbH, der IT-Dienstleister für Kommunalverwaltungen in Hessen, haben auf der CeBIT ihre Zusammenarbeit im Bereich „Zentrale einfache Melderegisterauskünfte“ bekannt gegeben.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that Estonia has good experiences in developing and utilising information and communications technology and the success of our e-solutions is an example of how technology can help to advance democracy.

"Estonia is prepared to share its experiences in the e-governance and e-involvement sectors with other countries," he stated.

Estonia has pledged to assist Greece with e-government projects, in a memorandum of agreement signed between the two nations on September 9. Digital ID card system, digital signature and other e-government projects, already implemented in Estonia, will be adapted for Greece.

Estonian Economy and Infrastructure Minister Urve Palo signed on Friday an agreement between Estonia and Singapore, with the aim of cooperation in the information and communication technology (ICT) sphere, LETA/Postimees Online reports.

"This is great recognition for the whole of the Estonian ICT sector, and in particular because Singapore has entered into similar agreements with few countries," said Estonian Economy and Infrastructure Minister Urve Palo. "Similar to Estonia, Singapore is a highly developed IT-country and the cooperation agreement opens doors for Estonian entrepreneurs."

Parts said that when building up e-state, it is important to observe every state’s peculiarities and create solutions in line with needs.

The agreement is believed to be the first international agreement to be concluded using electronic signatures.

The agreement involves Estonia's assistance to Finland in adopting the X-Road system, the "backbone" data exchange layer that connects the different databases used by the nation's various online services, said a statement by the Estonian Government Office on Wednesday.

Wenn der Prümer Vertrag auf die USA übertragen werde, sei kein gleichwertiger Datenschutzstandard garantiert, sagte Schaar am Dienstag im Deutschlandfunk. Das US- Datenschutzgesetz gelte nur für US-Bürger und für Personen, die sich dort langfristig aufhalten. Es gelte "ausdrücklich nicht für Daten, die aus dem Ausland kommen".

As technology advances at an ever-increasing pace, the way we live, work, and interact with our environment is constantly evolving. Now, more than ever, it is essential that city leaders come together to discuss and strategise how to harness the power of digital innovation to improve the quality of life for their residents.

That is the goal of the Mayors’ Digital Assembly, the political advisory body that provides guidance to the Living-in.EU movement. On 15 June, the movement organises its first EU Mayors Digital Assembly in Brussels, in the framework of the Brussels Urban Summit 2023. Local, regional, and national policymakers will get together to share their views on what leadership decisions are needed to accompany a city and a region in its digital transformation, and how to ensure that people are placed in the centre of the process.

During their meeting, the foreign minister of the Republic of Korea was first and foremost interested in the utilisation of information technology in the Estonian public sector. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that there is a great deal of untapped potential in economic and trade relations between Estonia and South Korea.

Senior officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal have agreed to collaborate on a subregional information communication technology (ICT) project to improve connectivity among the four countries.

Budget cuts and the drive to share services has encouraged some unlikely collaborations between neighbouring councils and other local public sector agencies, and some local authorities are now seeking to embed the practice by sharing their network infrastructures.

As network and telecoms contracts come up for renewal, they are finding the money to merge network infrastructures to achieve future savings, more efficient sharing at the applications level and to join up service delivery across agencies. They are also keeping an eye on the development of the Public Service Network (PSN).

Hampshire and Oxfordshire Agree New ICT PartnershipAs reported by UKauthorITy.com in December, the agreement is the result of a decision to share an SAP will initially be centred on an SAP system that bothcouncils use for their human resources and finances. Under the new arrangements, Hampshire will replace a private contractor supporting Oxfordshire's SAP system, saving Oxfordshire £1m over the next three years, and generating shared capacity for Hampshire county council.

The two forces have created a combined information, communication and technology department, which is being managed by Thames Valley.

The forces said the deal aims to "realise cost reductions that would not be achievable individually".

Police staff working at both forces will work together in one department managed by Thames Valley police.

The forces said that the collaboration builds on other successful shared services projects in the south east region, and added that it will provide "real opportunities to enhance and improve the services delivered to the public".

The word partnership has been used and misused in local government for years. The term should be used to describe achieving objectives by co-operation. But, at times, it is used to describe any activity where one individual or organisation works with another – losing any effective meaning along the way.

Partnership has both benefits and risks. The track record for the public sector is mixed. Regular news items highlight the failure of partnership to realise planned benefits or to keep to set budgets or timescales. This is often attributed to a lack of formal structure and clear risk-sharing arrangements.

As Internet becomes increasingly social allowing instant access to shared information, governments across the Gulf region have put a premium on strengthening efforts to tap into web-enabled technologies to engage the public.

With regional e-Government service delivery on the rise, ICDL GCC Foundation, an organisation that promotes digital skills and cyber safety for-all across the GCC, believes there is a greater need now for developing skills within the governments to address the intricacies of online collaboration technology.