It also confirms that the gap between the best and worst performing countries has been narrowing, currently at 42 percentage points (p.p.) well below the gap of 50 p.p. or more measured over the years 2012-2015. Front-runners in digital public services are Malta, Estonia and Austria followed closely by Latvia, Lithuania and Finland.
Europe is most advanced in the field called "user-centricity", indicating that public administrations prioritize services aimed at satisfying citizen’s needs and expectations. Further efforts are needed in strengthening the security of online public services, as well as in increasing transparency, cross-border mobility and the availability of electronic identification and edocuments.
The eGovernment Benchmark report, which has been running since 2012 is essential to inform and contribute to EU policies in the field. The Commission is committed to supporting the development and use of online public services which work across borders, notably through its eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020.