5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference Executive Summary

The 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference occurred in a time of profound economic and social change. Not only do we witness how fragile and vulnerable our environment has become. We also witness how fragile and vulnerable our biggest institutions have become. As a consequence, trust in the ability of professionals and politicians to safeguard future well-being is diminishing. The 5th Ministerial eGovernment Conference was inspired by participatory governance. 1000 delegates from EU Member States, EFTA and candidate countries, the European Commission, international and regional organizations, leaders of the ICT industry as well as academia were invited to discuss the role of ICT in governance and public services. There was one dominant theme: participation and involvement of citizens and business to build today the institutions and infrastructures for the future state.