A ministerial meeting, followed by a two-day conference, aims to give a boost to e-government in Europe, in other words online public services, such as health information, the payment of taxes or access to calls for tenders. The idea is to put an end to paperwork.

The day before the conference, being held on 19-20 November, ministers from 34 European countries were invited to Malmö, in Southern Sweden. Ten or so made the trip while others sent their state secretaries. Regardless, the Swedish EU Presidency still wants to make its mark: the political declaration expected to be adopted on the evening of 18 November will be valid for five years, compared with two years for earlier documents (Manchester 2005 and Lisbon 2007).

The ambitious aim is to close the “gap between ordinary citizens and their government,” but also to “reconnect governments with one another and governments with their administrations,” explained Mats Odell, the Swedish minister for local government and financial markets. Three priorities are on the agenda: to give citizens and enterprises access to online public services; to facilitate activities within the single market; and to enhance the e-government effectiveness of national administrations.