Malta tops EU eGovernment benchmark, says new report

The 21st edition of Capgemini's annual eGovernment Benchmark report, analysed around 15,000 government services and scored them for user centricity, transparency, infrastructure and cross-border services - and Malta again topped the rankings.

EU27+ Top 10 eGovernments (including applicant countries & EFTA)

The EU27's average performance across the four benchmarks has risen to 76 points out of 100, with user centricity leading as the highest scoring dimension at 93. Particularly, the key dimension of cross-border services has shown significant improvement, climbing from 59 to 66 points.

The report also indicates the EU's advancement towards achieving the Digital Decade objective of ensuring widespread availability of public services online, irrespective of country or service provider.

Interoperability plays a crucial role in ensuring digital services are accessible to all. While 91% of services provided by central government bodies are available online, compared to 71% for local governments, the gap between them has narrowed significantly in the past four years.

However, there remains a substantial difference in the user experience for national and cross-border users, with national users having access to 88% of services digitally compared to 56% for cross-border users. To bridge this gap, local and regional government authorities should focus on enhancing technological infrastructure for delivering high-quality services.

By promoting interoperability and implementing the Interoperable Europe Act, Europe is moving towards seamless interaction between digital services and data across different government levels. This push towards interoperability will be essential to create consistent services across Europe, independent of country or service provider.

"As we approach the 2030 milestone outlined in the European Commission's Digital Decade policy program, it is encouraging to see EU countries prioritising the development of resilient digital infrastructures. This is crucial for deploying accessible digital services and enhancing offerings for cross-border users," said Marc Reinhardt, Public Sector Global Industry Leader at Capgemini.

The growing prominence of AI in eGovernment activities has been a key aspect of making the EU digitally fit. Approximately 29% of portals now offer a live support function with AI capability. However, the increasing use of AI raises regulatory concerns that must be addressed to align with EU values.

In conclusion, focusing on safe, user-centric, and transparent services is deemed essential for accelerating digitalisation and ensuring usability for all.

These principles are vital for trustworthy eGovernment and service delivery, allowing users to securely authenticate and access services with ease. The shift towards mobile-friendly government websites and the emphasis on cybersecurity further highlight the ongoing efforts to enhance digital services across Europe.