Government online services in Malta were rated the best in an EU report that benchmarked the performance of 33 countries.
The study measured indicators such as the availability and user-friendliness of eGovernment services.
Malta took the top spot in all the key indicators analysed by the eGovernment Benchmark Report 2014, released yesterday by the European Commission.
The study compared the performance of the 28 EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey in 2013.
Malta was one of the countries that managed to keep the gap between what was available online and how it was experienced relatively narrow, the study found.
The services also scored high in the transparency indicator that analysed the transparency of public organisations, service delivery and personal data.
We believe the benefits of eGovernment go beyond cost savings and increased efficiency
Malta led by a substantial margin, obtaining an average of 96 per cent, followed by Estonia, which achieved an average of 75 per cent.
The third indicator that put Malta at the top dealt with cross-border mobility for citizens and businesses. It measured the availability and usability of selected high-impact cross-border services.
Acknowledging the reality that cross-border transfers were still in their infancy across the EU, the report said most countries provided eGovernment services for their nationals but were not in a position to offer them to other European nationals.
However, for countries like Malta, Finland and Estonia, the difference between cross-border and national services was minimal, the report said.
Malta also led in the fourth indicator that assessed the availability of key enablers such as eID, eDocuments and authentic sources.
The news was welcomed by Competitiveness Parliamentary Secretary José Herrera who insisted the results confirmed the government’s commitment towards creating a digital Malta.
“We believe the benefits of eGovernment go beyond cost savings and increased efficiency but also include the promoting of social inclusion, encouraging citizen participation and the expanding of our digital economy,” he said.