FAQ

What is the aim of the conference?
The 5th eGovernment conference – Teaming up for the eUnion – was held in conjunction with the Informal Ministerial Meeting on eGovernment, the aim of which is to take further steps towards a more open Europe. eGovernment involves using new technology to streamline activities and facilitate contact between authorities, citizens and companies. At the meeting, EU ministers responsible for eGovernment adopted a declaration on how future eGovernment in Europe is to be designed, with common goals up to 2015. 

Who are the organisers?
The ministerial meeting was part of the Swedish Presidency of the EU and was one of 11 informal ministerial meetings being held in Sweden during the second half of 2009. It was hosted by Minister for Local Government and Financial Markets Mats Odell and Vice President of the European Commission Siim Kallas. The conference was being jointly arranged by the Swedish Presidency and the European Commission.  

How often is the conference held?
Ministerial meetings and ministerial conferences on eGovernment have been held every other year since 2001.

When and where have the previous conferences been held?
Previous conferences have been held in Brussels (2001), Como (2003), Manchester (2005) and Lisbon (2007). The meeting and conference now being held in Malmö can be compared to the meeting and conference held in Manchester in 2005, at which the foundation for cooperation on eGovernment up until 2010 was laid – while the future vision for the period 2010–2015 was determined in Malmö.

How many people attended the conference?
Over 1 000 people registered for the conference.

How much will the ministerial meeting and conference cost?
The ministerial meeting and conference are part of the Swedish Presidency, which has a total budget of over SEK 900 million. The budget for arranging the ministerial meeting and conference has been set at SEK 23 million. The European Commission is contributing SEK 4 million.