Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

asic technology for digital signatures to government
organizations and the public. Through the scheme,
all Danish citizens can download a free softwarebased
digital signature, providing sufficient security
for most public-sector and private-sector transactions.
The objective is to increase take-up and usage
of digital signatures by the public and government
organizations. By January 2004, 68,000 citizens
had installed and activated their digital signatures.
Additionally, a juvenile signature has been created
for citizens between the ages of 15 and 18, to
further increase take-up.
In March 2003, the long-anticipated XML
InfostructureBase was launched, supporting the
development of XML document exchange across
the government and between the government
and businesses.
The eDay Initiative began in September 2003. Under
eDay, all public authorities in central and local government
are allowed to demand from each other
that all nonsensitive written communication be sent
electronically. eDay is expected to save the
public sector €25 million each year. The Danish government
will likely launch an eDay II in 2004, giving
citizens and businesses the right to demand that
digital signatures be accepted as legitimate identification
in their electronic communications with
public authorities.
More innovations are expected in 2004. For example,
Denmark will pilot Internet voting in the next elections
for the European parliament, in June 2004. The
pilot will involve 15,000 Danish voters in the town
of Ishoj, near Copenhagen. The trial, which aims at
increasing voter participation, was organized by the
local council in cooperation with the European
Parliament office in Denmark. To overcome security
concerns, Internet voting will be voluntary, and
voters will also have to visit a real ballot box to cast
their actual votes.
Denmark’s progress slowed in 2003—not as a result
of any mistakes, but from what we have seen to be
a common slow-down after a period of rapid development.
Denmark seems to have reached a plateau.
Taking the next step in maturity will require a
reevaluation of objectives and a resulting change in
approach. Denmark is already taking the first step of
reassessing its eGovernment goals. Now it will need
to develop a corresponding action plan that improves
its service depth and customer relationship management
maturity and encourages more people to use
eGovernment services.
Aside from putting these eGovernment foundations
in place, Denmark also launched one de facto
eGovernment service last year that is worth noting.
In late 2003, the Danish government introduced
www.virk.dk, a new enterprise portal created by a
collaborative effort among the public authorities
that regulate enterprises in Denmark. This project
is one of the first examples of a private company
running a service for the government. Virk.dk has
approximately 10,000 weekly visitors.
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