​​Although the European Commission has completed its EU Action Plan to modernise the public sector and foster e-Government – providing public services to citizens and businesses via the internet – not all newly developed digital public services are available across the EU. This is mainly due to implementation delays in some Member States. This is the conclusion of a report published today by the European Court of Auditors. Among other things, the auditors recommend that action be taken if there are delays in attaining digital targets at national level, and further promote e-Government services among users.

“Digital public services reduce administrative burdens on citizens and businesses by making their interactions with authorities faster, easier and less costly,” said Ivana Maletić, the ECA member who led the audit. “Actions started by the Commission, such as electronic identification, the Single Digital Gateway and the interconnection of Member States’ business registers, not only help Member States to connect their systems and exchange information, but also encourage them to accelerate changes and digitise their public services.”