Malta tops eGovernment services rankings

Malta was confirmed the leader in the delivery and performance of eGovernment services amongst 34 countries – 28 European Union member states, plus Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey and Montenegro – according to the eGovernment Benchmark Report 2016 issued on Monday by the European Commission.  

The benchmarking study carried out by Capgemini, Sogeti, IDC, and the Politecnico di Milano measured four top-level indicators and compared the performance of eGovernment services between the participating countries. 

The study revealed that online public services were becoming increasingly accessible across Europe, with 81% being now available online.

However, deeper analysis of user-centricity, transparency, cross-border mobility and in general quality of use showed that growth was uneven and a substantial number of EU countries were still lagging behind.

As in 2015, Malta led in all the top-level indicators and ranked first in the overall results. 

In the User Centricity indicator, which measured the online ‘availability’ and ‘usability’ of eGovernment services, Malta ranked first in both measurements and also in the overall indicator, with a score of 95%, 18 percentage points more than the EU average.

The second indicator, Transparency, examined the extent to which governments were transparent about their own responsibilities and performance, the service delivery process, and the personal data involved. 

The EU average score in this indicator was 55% and Malta was clearly ahead of all other participating countries with a score of 97%.

In the third indicator, Cross Border Mobility, governments were assessed for their ability to provide businesses and citizens seamless access to online public services when away from their home country. 

Malta led the rankings in this indicator with an overall score of 89%, 34 percentage points more than the EU average.

Quality of services results by country

Malta also led in the fourth indicator, Key Enablers, which measured the availability of a number of technical elements which were deemed important for the delivery of eGovernment services.  Malta achieved an overall score of 98%, 44 percentage points more than the EU average.

Minister for Competitiveness Emmanuel Mallia welcomed the report’s results and reaffirmed the government’s support towards the implementation of the Digital Single Market Strategy, which was launched by the European Commission in 2015. 

“The government is committed to deliver innovative and secure eGovernment services aimed at opening up digital opportunities for both citizens and businesses alike and enhance Malta’s position as a leader in the digital economy,” he said.

The executive chairman of the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA), Tony Sultana, said that such positive results reflected the incessant drive of the Agency to produce secure, transparent and user-centric online services. 

“In collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, MITA and various Ministries, a number of mobile services are being developed, paving the way towards achieving the Government’s commitment to reach out to a wider spectrum of audiences through different channels,” he said.