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Opening  Speech  Minister  Geert  Bourgeois,  Vice-­‐Minister-­‐President   of  the  Flemish  Government  and  Flemish  Minister  for  Administrative   Affairs,  Local  and  Provincial  Government,  Civic  Integration,  Tourism   and  the  Vlaamse  Rand  

       

Ladies  and  gentlemen,    

I’d  like  to  welcome  you  to  the  first  session  of  the  Citadel  statement   lecture  series.  These  lecture  series  complement  the  EU  Ministerial   Conference  on  eGovernment,  in  Poznan.  It’s  an  honor  to  participate   in  this  initiative  that  develops  interest  and  attention  in  the  European   policy  debates  on  eGovernment.  I  would  like  to  thank  the  VUB  for  the   invitation  .    

 

The  Citadel  Statement  refers  to  the  output  of  the  European  meeting   the  Flemish  government  organized,  a  so  called  preconference,  during   the  Belgian  Presidency  of  the  European  Union,    last  year.  The  name   derived  from  the  conference  centre  in  the  Citadel  Park  in  the  city  of   Gent.  Originally  Citadel  comes  from  the  Italian  “Citta  Ideale”,  the   ideal  city.  And  that  fitted  perfectly  with  our  ambitions:  to  help  local   governments  provide  better  services  and  help  them  to  achieve  their   goals  by  using  of  modern  technology.      

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I  hope  after  these  lectures,  we  can  further  elaborate  and  develop  the   Citadel  Statement,  or  at  least  build  a  strong  strategy  and  framework   on  the  European  level  to  support  the  local  governments  in  their  e-­‐ government  activities.    

 

E-­‐government  is  a  topic  that  everybody  considers  to  be  very  

important,  but  in  the  end  it’s  left  to  each  community,  big  and  small,   to  face  the  challenges  surrounding  this  topic  on  its  own.  Minister   Bourgeois  is  responsible  both  for  e-­‐government  and  for  local   communities  in  Flanders.  So  it  is  an  obvious  priority  for  his  

administration  to  support  local  communities  in  their  e-­‐government   policy.    

 

In  a  modest  way  we  are  already  implementing  some  of  the  

recommendations  of  the  Citadel  Statement.  We  have  built  some   applications  which  we  offer  free  to  use  to  the  communities  (access   management  system).  We  are  opening  some  of  the  public  contracts   to  the  local  governments  concerning  ICT  services  and  products  and   telephony  providers.  By  doing  so  the  local  governments  can  benefit   from  the  good  conditions  the  Flemish  Administration  had  negotiated.      

Although  necessary,  these  are  not  the  things  needed  to  ensure  that   local  communities  can  develop  the  necessary  e-­‐government  services   to  improve  their  service  delivery  by  a  quantum  leap.  

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Throughout  the  autumn  of  2010,  more  than  120  users  from  18  

countries  all  over  Europe  including  64  organisations  –  including  every   major  local  government  association  in  Europe  –  representing  over   200  cities  across  5  continents,  collaborated  on  and  offline  to  identify   ways  to  help  local  government  deliver  on  the  key  objectives  of  the   Malmö  Ministerial  Declaration.    The  result  of  this  effort  was  a  pan-­‐ European  ‘Call  to  Action’  –  known  as  The  Citadel  Statement  –  that   identifies  five  core  areas  where  European  and  national  decision   makers  can  provide  tangible  support  to  improve  local  eGovernment:   1. Common  Architecture,  Shared  Services  and  Standards  

2. Open  Data,  Transparency  and  Personal  Rights   3. Citizen  Participation  and  Involvement  

4. Privacy  and  Identification  of  Individuals   5. Rural  Inclusion  

 

Let  me  demonstrate  why  these  five  area’s  are  so  important  by  telling   you  about  a  process  in  Flanders  that  on  the  surface  seems  easy  to   digitize  and  simple  to  automate,  yet  continuously  runs  into  the   problems  that  the  citadel  statement  addresses:    building  permits.    

Building  permits  are  basically  a  local  process.  The  architects  and   citizens  send  their  request  to  the  local  government  where  they  are   processed.    The  provincial  government  serves  as  the  court  of  appeals.    

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The  Flemish  regional  government  screens  some  categories  of   application  on  their  compliance  with  the  proper  rules  and  

regulations.    After  the  permit  has  been  issued  and  all  parties  involved   are  informed  on  the  result,  the  information  is  also  sent  to  the  federal   government,  mainly  for  tax  purposes.  

 

The  Flemish  government  is  currently  working  on  a  project  “  the   digital  building  permit”  to  digitize  this  particular  process.  To  do  it   right  you  need  to  involve  the  local  communities  in  this  project  so  we   got  the  city  of  Antwerp  on  board  as  a  partner.    What  are  the  issues   we  came  across?:      

• Lack  of  a  common  architecture  amongst  local  governments.    We   wanted  the  project  to  deliver  something  that  all  local  

governments,  large  and  small,  can  use.      

• Different  standards:    when  the  federal  and  Flemish  government   talk  about  building  permits  it  turns  out  we  speak  a  different   language:    we  each  keep  different  information,  in  different   formats  because  we  use  it  for  different  purposes.    We’ll  need  to   straighten  all  that  out  before  we  can  meaningfully  and  efficiently   digitize  the  process.  

• Open  data  and  transparency:    local  governments  differ  widely  in   the  degree  of  transparency  they  offer  to  their  applicants/citizens.     Citizens  nor  architects  are  today  able  to  track  their  applications   throughout  the  process.    Once  we  agree  on  shared  services,  we  

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can  offer  to  our  citizens,  the  simple  service  of  tracking  their   applications  through  local  provincial,  regional  and  federal   bureaucracy.  

• Citizen  participation:    once  you  have  building  permit  application   information  registered  in  an  agreed  upon  format,  accessible  by   shared  services,  it  becomes  possible  to  inform,  even  warn  

citizens  about  possible  construction  works  in  their  neighborhood,   enabling  them  to  better  exercise  their  right  to  comment  on  and   object  to  the  planned  works.    Today  this  is  still  done  by  a  paper   poster  which  tells  you  in  hard  to  understand  legalese  to  visit  city   hall  if  you  wish  to  view  plans  and  make  comments.  Most  of  the   time  the  paper  billboard  is  made  unreadable  by  rain.  Goodbye   citizen  participation.    

• Privacy:    This  is  a  very  important  issue.    Every  e-­‐government   project  or  policy  runs  into  it  and  many  even  get  broken  by  it.    It   cannot  be  denied  that  digitizing  information  –  when  it  is  done   well  –  enhances  the  quality  of  information,  but  renders  it  

possible  for  someone  with  enough  access  to  the  data  to  gain  an   enormous  amount  of  information  on  private  persons.    On  the   other  hand,  if  privacy  regulations  are  too  strict,  you  end  up   making  it  impossible  to  build  new  e-­‐gov  projects,  or  in  the  best   case,  lose  all  efficiency  bonuses  in  privacy  red  tape.      

This  is  not  only  the  case  with  e-­‐government  projects  but  also  has   an  important  impact  on  safety.  Last  year  my  portable  was  stolen  

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from  my  car  parked  in  one  of  the  best  protected  underground   public  parking  in  Brussel.  I  went  to  the  police  and  although  there   were  about  six  camera’s  focused  on  my  car,  they  did  not  bother   to  get  into  the  case  because  it  would  take  them  too  long  to   watch  all  the  video  tapes.  When  I  asked  if  there  could  be  a   delegation  to  the  two  men  sitting  in  front  of  their  huge  video   wall  with  an  overview  on  the  whole  parking,  the  answer  was  no   because  of  privacy.  Only  police  personnel  can  break  into  the   privacy  and  review  video,  the  men  sitting  in  front  of  their  video   wall  can  only  notify  the  police  when  they  see  something  

happening  on  their  screens  but  never  touch  the  rewind  button.   In  this  situation  I  wondered  who’s  privacy  was  protected  and  the   conclusion  was,  that  of  the  people  who  stole  my  portable.  For   me  this  is  an  example  of  how  guidelines  are  not  translated  into   practical  solutions  taking  into  account  ICT-­‐applications.  

 

The  last  issue  we  came  across  with  our  digital  building  permit  is:   • Rural  inclusion:  building  permits  are  a  core  business  for  local  

communities.  But  the  local  governments  differ  very  much  in  size   and  capacity.    From  central  cities  like  Antwerp  or  Brussels  to   small  rural  communities,  we  need  a  solution  that  is  applicable  to   both.  Otherwise  we  end  up  creating  better  government  services   only  for  those  people  living  in  central  cities.    Well  conceived  local   e-­‐government  policies  can  help  rural  communities  by  easing  their  

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bureaucratic  burdens,  by  simplifying  procedures  and  making   information  flows  transparent.      

 

With  examples  like  the  digital  building  permit  in  the  back  of  our  head,   it  is  clear  that  there  is  a  great  need  for  a  common  framework  for  all   levels  of  governments  involved:  local,  regional  and  national.    The   Citadel  statement  identifies  the  necessary  components  of  such  a   framework.    Too  often  the  European  statements  read  as  a  collection   of  noble  intensions  and  admirable  goals,  but  only  very  seldom  do   they  include  tools  to  realize  them.      

It  pleases  my  minister  and  me  that  the  launch  of  the  Citadel   Statement  generated  widespread  interest  across  Europe  from  

sponsor  organizations  and  external  observers.    Senior  officials  at  the   European  Commission  have  called  the  Statement  “an  excellent  piece   of  work,”  and  have  asked  to  “work  with  those  supporting  the  Citadel   Statement  in  order  to  re-­‐use  the  knowledge  and  experience  available   via  the  various  organizations  of  local  and  regional  administrations.”        

The  Directorate  General  for  Information  Society  and  Media  (DG  

INFSO)  has  launched  the  “Local  2020”  programme  to  focus  the  Digital   Agenda  2020  of  the  European  Union  more  on  the  needs  and  

possibilities  of  the  local  level.  And  we  have  seen  that  several  groups   have  introduced  projects  for  European  financing  referring  explicitly  to   the  principles  set  forth  in  the  Citadel  Statement.  One  of  those  

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projects  is  named  “Citadel  on  the  Move”    This  project  is  led  by  the   Flemish  Egovernment  organization  CORVE,  and  we  are  partnering   with  the  cities  of  Manchester,  Issy  (near  Paris),  Athens  and  Gent  as   well  as  with  a  number  of  organizations  and  enterprises  across  

Europe.  The  project  received  a  very  positive  evaluation  from  the  EU   and  is  now  in  negotiation  about  the  grant  itself.    

 

Citadel  on  the  Move  will  unite  Europe’s  leading  local  government   organizations  with  Living  Lab  experts,  ICT  specialists  and  expert  SMEs   in  a  common  effort  to  harness  the  power  of  ‘Open  Data’  and  User-­‐ Driven  Innovation  Systems  to  develop  ‘high  speed’  Mobile  

Applications  that  can  be  shared  by  citizens  across  Europe.   Nowadays,  mobile  phones  are  widely  used  and  hold  the  key  to  

ensure  e-­‐inclusion  of  every  European  citizen.  At  the  same  time  Social   Media  and  the  Open  Data  Movement  are  rapidly  joining  together  to   unleash  the  tremendous  innovation  potential  of  citizens  to  build  the   type  of  mobile  services  they  want  and  need.  Three  major  gaps  must   be  filled  to  realize  this  potential:    

• TECHNOLOGY:  there  is  a  need  for  standard  mobile  applications   that  citizens  will  be  able  to  access  easily  and  use  anywhere,     • INNOVATION:  there  is  a  need  to  create  a  specific  link  between  

the  Living  Labs  methodology  (which  harnesses  the  collective   power  of  citizens  and  SMEs  in  the  co-­‐creation  of  services),  the   Open  Data  movement  and  the  Mobile  world    

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• OPEN  DATA:  there  is  a  need  for  standard  templates  to  aggregate   data  from  various  sources  and  transform  it  into  a  publicly  

useable  format  –  or  to  move  beyond  ‘open  data’  towards  ‘open   access.’    

 

The  goal  of  Citadel  on  the  Move  is  to  demonstrate  that  it  is  possible   to  combine  Open  Access  Data  and  Mobile  Application  tools  to  create   ‘smart,’  innovative  citizen-­‐generated  services  that  can  be  used  in   differed  European  Cities.  Ultimately,  Citadel  on  the  Move  seeks  to   advance  nothing  less  than  digital  materialization  of  European  

integration  through  the  creation  of  ‘smart’  mobile  Services  that,  in   conjunction  with  high  speed  broadband  access,  can  be  shared  and   used  anywhere.  

 

In  so  doing,  Citadel  on  the  Move  aims  to  help  deliver  on  the  key   objectives  of  both  Malmö  and  the  Citadel  Statement  by  empowering   citizens  to  use  open  data  to  create  ‘smart’  mobile  applications  that   can  be  potentially  shared  across  Europe  cities  –  large  and  small.      

It  cannot  be  stressed  enough  that  to  realize  the  potential  of  the   statement  of  Malmö,  we  need  the  citadel  statement  as  a  

counterweight.    It  is  not  enough  for  Europe  to  define  lofty  goals,  it   must  now  give  us  a  framework  necessary  to  enable  member  states  to   realize  those  goals.    Especially  in  the  area  of  e-­‐government,  where  

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citizens  want  cross-­‐border  information  about  mobility,  about  

commerce,  about  real  estate  and  about  rules  and  regulations.    Local   communities  own  a  great  deal  of  that  information  and  they  are  the   level  of  government  closest  to  our  citizens.    We  need  to  give  them   the  tools  and  the  support  they  need  to  develop  e-­‐government   services  necessary  to  release  that  data,  to  give  citizens  and   companies  well  structured  access  to  this  information,  to  realize   efficiency  and  transparency,  to  in  fact  build  a  better  democracy.          

 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,    

The  Flemish  strategy  is  clear:  eGovernment  is  not  “digitizing  

bureaucracy”.  Our  principles  are:  “don’t  ask  what  you  already  know   (or  should  know)”.  We  want  to  diminishing  administrative  burdens   via  proactive  rights  (e.g.  people  with  a  low  family  income  get  their   financial  support  from  the  Flemish  government  automatically  and   proactively  instead  of  having  to  fill  out  a  form  every  year  asking  for   the  support).  Therefore  we  use  modern  technology  to  achieve  these   public  goals.  

 

The  Flemish  eGovernment  Authority,  CORVE,  under  the  direction  of   Minister  Bourgeois  will  drive  the  overall  innovation  effort.  CORVE,  a   service  within  our  ICT  entity,  established  its  pioneering  MAGDA  

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platform  for  integrating  and  sharing  data  in  an  open  innovation   environment.  CORVE’s  key  areas  of  focus  will  include:    

• respect  for  the  sensitivity  of  some  of  the  data  and  the  privacy  of   the  users  of  that  data,    

• awareness  of  the  need  for  setting  up  organizational  

mechanisms  to  guarantee  the  quality  and  “linkability”  of  the   data,    

• building  experience  with  different  technical  approaches  to   integrating  data  coming  from  different  data  sources.  

 

But  even  in  Belgium  we  are  subject  to  inefficiencies  that  prevent  our   administrations  from  generating  a  vast  range  of  e-­‐government  

services.  On  the  federal  or  national  level  there  is  a  vast  experience  of   linking  and  providing  information  in  specific  sectors  like  healthcare   and  social  security.  The  Flemish  government  is  becoming  more  active   in  e-­‐government  project  and  wants  to  integrate  different  datasets   also  from  other  government  levels.  And  then  we  are  faced  with   different  opinions  on  how  the  linking  of  information,  the  systems  to   be  used  and  the  processes  to  be  followed.  It  has  come  to  a  point  that   e-­‐government  on  our  regional  level  has  been  slowed  down  too  much   and  the  Flemish  government  is  considering  to  go  its  own  way.  This   will  result  in  the  services  that  we  want  to  provide  to  the  local  

governments  and  citizens  but  it  will  be  within  yet  another  regional   framework  and  by  definition  less  efficient  compared  to  a  framework  

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where  all  government  levels  are  included.  Now  projects  are  

postponed  and  time,  money  and  opportunities  are  wasted  it  seems   impossible  to  think  rationally  about  what  an  e-­‐government  

framework  should  be  in  the  future  and  some  players  involved  prefer   sticking  to  their  own  systems  and  opinions  regardless  of  the  effect  on   others.  

 

In  this  context  I  am  convinced  that  the  effect  of  the  European  level   on  all  levels  of  this  domain  should  not  be  underestimated  if  a  

European  framework,  principles  and  guidelines  were  to  be  put  in   place.    

 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  conclude:  

E-­‐government  now  is  too  much  a  result  of  a  few  individuals  within   the  European  and  the  national  context  who  are  really  going  for  it.   Those  people  we  should  appreciate  and  thank,  e.g.  Geert  Mareels  of   CORVE  who  took  the  initiative  for  the  Citadel  Statement.  But  we  need   to  build  e-­‐government  into  a  real  profession  and  therefore  it  needs  a   framework,  standards  and  support  from  local,  regional  and  national   governments  but  also  from  the  European  level.  E-­‐government  is   mostly  delivered  locally  but  without  and  international  context  we   lose  a  lot  of  efficiency  and  potential.    

(13)

The  Flemish  government  is  only  a  small  player  but  we  want  to  

provide  as  much  support  as  we  can  to  make  e-­‐government  progress   and  make  governments  more  efficient,  transparent  and  client  

oriented.      

Thank  you  for  your  attention  and  I  wish  you  an  interesting  journey  of   lecture.  

References

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