Content
Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe & Municipalities Involvement
eMunicipalities Without Borders in Slovenia
eMunicipalities Without Borders Mayors Consortium
Participating eMunicipalities Without Borders in Slovenia
Participating eMunicipalities Without Borders in Hungary
References
Joint eMunicipalities Without Borders Development. Presented to the 5th Danube eRegion Conference – DeRC 2015: Cross-border eSolutions & eServices Prototypes Development on September 22, 2015, pp 48 (Attachment)
Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe & Municipalities Involvement
In the last years, the need to coordinate efforts to keep Europe up with the digital revolution has been one of the main goals of the European policymakers. The Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE), launched on May 19, 2010, was the EU’s strategy to address this challenge and to benefit from the opportunities created by the on-going digitalization process.
Within the DAE framework, the creation of a Digital Single Market plays an important role in addressing digital gaps and in fostering the flow of online services and entertainment across national borders. For the effective implementation of the DAE, the commitment of Local and Regional Authorities is essential. The “Digital Local Agenda” and the “DAE going local” are two of the initiatives aimed to secure or increase the commitment of the local level to the digitalization objectives.
To the eRegions development, the Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe (published by the European Commission on May 6, 2015) is very important for several reasons. One, within the Digital Single Market, the eRegions will develop faster. Two, only after the eRegions are digital in reality, the EU Digital Single Market can be materialized. Three, more competitive as an eRegion is, more competitive the EU Market as a whole will be. Four, a joint EU strategy is urgently needed since no single country, no single region, no single industry can make it happen.
From another perspective, it is about Europe in the EU regions. It is important to know how local and regional authorities in 28 Member States serve the cause of European integration and act as “ambassadors of Europe” on the ground.
A relevant document is the Working Programme of the Urban Agenda for the EU. Draft version. Based on Pact of Amsterdam agreed at the Informal Meeting of Ministers responsible for Urban Matters on 30 May 2016.
eMunicipalities Without Borders in Slovenia
The Inter-Municipality Initiative: Cross-border eCollaboration in the Danube eRegion has been under way since February 2011. A major focus of the initiative is to encourage organizations having interest in any aspect of cross-border eBusiness in the region to engage in a joint Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based prototype development. A prototype is the beginning of an action leading to a possible joint pilot. The pilot may be a core of an EU project proposal of an eSolution, or an eService development solving a problem shared by the organization in at least three countries.
A term “eMunicipality without borders” was launched by the panel Mayors of the eMunicipalities Without Borders Working Together of the 3rd Danube eRegion Conference – DeRC2013: eComune senza confini, eGemeinde ohne Grenzen, eÖnkormányzat határok nélkül, eOpština bez granica, eObčina brez meja. The panel’s suggestion was that it is no longer enough to discuss cross-border issues faced in the municipalities. The Mayor and the Administration Director of the Municipality of Ribnica have suggested to address the development opportunities of the municipalities without borders. A visionary, action focused municipality implementing latest eTechnologies, being named eMunicipality, is able to go beyond the existing borders.
The municipalities listed below have jointly developed a common website eMunicipalities Without Borders in English language. It is allowing access to data on the organizations and activities in each municipality being of interest to business, visitors, and tourists.
The small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) on a territory of the municipality are encouraged to engage in a cross-border eBusiness using latest eTechnologies to support all e-transactions of a business process: inquiry, catalog, purchase order, order confirmation, delivery note, invoice, payment. The ICT providers are encouraged to look for low-cost, easy-to-use holistic eServices in order to assist numerous SMEs to engage in a cross-border eBusiness. For example, eProcurement chains. The effort is in line with the UNCTAD report In Search of Cross-border E-commerce Trade Data (April 2016).
On June 30, 2015, the eMunicipalities Without Borders Mayors Consortium was established (eMunicipality without borders, eComune senza confini, eGemeinde ohne Grenzen, eÖnkormányzat határok nélkül, eOpština bez granica, eObčina brez meja). The consortium is coordinated by Mag. Miha Ješe, Mayor, Municipality of Škofja Loka, Miha.Jese@SkofjaLoka.si . The eMunicipalities in the neighboring countries are invited to join the consortium.
A particular attention is devoted to the interlinking with the SMEs on the territory of a municipality. The mayors are supportive to the e-Leaders training and education. The e-Leaders are people capable of driving successful innovation and capitalising on advances in information and communication technologies. Sufficient supply of e-leadership skills to the economy is believed to foster economic growth and create jobs through its key role in identifying and exploiting innovation opportunities (e-Leadership Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. Final Report. European Commission, October 2015).
The Consortium is supportive to the eEnterprise Slovenia development. Similar efforts may be initiated in any other country contributing to a country-wide coordinated cross-border “e” development. For example, eEnterprise Austria, eEnterprise Bulgaria, eEnterprise Croatia, eEnterprise Italy, eEnterprise Serbia, eEnterprise Slovakia, eEnterprise Switzerland.
On September 21-22, 2015 there was the 5th Danube eRegion Conference – DeRC 2015: Cross-border eSolutions & eServices Prototypes Development. One of the panels was Joint eMunicipalities Without Borders Development.
Mag. Miha Ješe, Mayor & Coordinator, eMunicipalities Without Borders Mayors Consortium and Mr Tine Radinja, Deputy Mayor, Municipality of Škofja Loka, Slovenia have presented a topic Concept of the eMunicipalities Websites and a related prototype in the eRegions Think Tank Meeting on March 15, 2016.
On September 19, 2016 the current activities of the eMunicipalities Mayors Consortium will be presented and discussed on the panel eMunicipalities Without Borders Collaborating in the eRegion.
eMunicipalities Without Borders Mayors Consortium
Participating eMunicipalities Without Borders in Slovenia
Idrijca River Valley: eMunicipalities of Cerkno, Idrija, Logatec
Bojan Sever, Mayor & eCoordinator
Pomurje: Town eMunicipality of Murska Sobota
Aleksander Jevšek, Ph.D., Mayor & eCoordinator & President, Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia, Maribor & Member, Slovenia Delegation in the Committee of the Regions
Ribnica Valley: eMunicipalities of Loški potok, Ribnica, Sodražica
Jože Levstek, Mayor & eCoordinator
Sora Valles: eMunicipalities of Gorenja vas – Poljane, Škofja Loka, Železniki, Žiri
Miha Ješe, M.Sc., Mayor & eCoordinator
eMunicipality of Idrija
Bojan Sever, Mayor & eCoordinator, Neighboring eMunicipalities Cerkno, Idrija, Logatec
Darjan Petrič, M.Sc., Director, Municipality Administration
Janja Hadalin, Advisor for Environment and Space & Website Editor
Bojan.Sever@Idrija.si, Darjan.Petric@Idrija.si, Janja.Hadalin@Idrija.si
Town eMunicipality of Murska Sobota
Aleksander Jevšek, Ph.D., Mayor & eCoordinator & President, Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia, Maribor & Member, Slovenia Delegation in the Committee of the Regions
Srečko Đurov, Acting Director, Municipality Administration
Aleš Skalič, Project Manager, Development Centre Murska Sobota & Municipality Website Editor
Aleksander.Jevsek@Murska-Sobota.si, Srecko.Durov@Murska-Sobota.si, Ales.Skalic@RCMS.si
eMunicipality of Ribnica
Jože Levstek, Mayor & eCoordinator, Neighboring eMunicipalities Loški potok, Ribnica, Sodražica
Janez Mate, Director, Municipality Administration
Domen Čampa Marinč, Public Relations & Website Editor
Joze.Levstek@Ribnica.si, Janez.Mate@Ribnica.si, Campa.Marinc@Ribnica.si
eMunicipality of Škofja Loka
Miha Ješe, M.Sc., Mayor & eCoordinator, Neighboring eMunicipalities Škofja Loka, Železniki, Gorenja vas – Poljane, Žiri
Špela Justin, Director, Municipality Administration
Jernej Tavčar, Public Relations & Website Editor
Miha.Jese@SkofjaLoka.si, Spela.Justin@SkofjaLoka.si, Jernej.Tavcar@SkofjaLoka.si,
Participating eMunicipalities Without Borders in Hungary
eCity of Szentgotthárd
Gábor Huszár, Mayor & eCoordinator
Béla Labritz, Vice Mayor
Dr. Zsolt Dancsecs, Administration Director
Polgarmester@Szentgotthard.hu, Labritz@Szentgotthard.hu, jegyzo@Szentgotthard.hu,
eMunicipality of Lenti
László Horváth, Mayor
Marianna Szabóné Gáspár, Administration Director
Norbert Varga, Website Editor
Polgarmester@Lenti.hu, aljegyzo@lenti.hu, informatika@lenti.hu
eMunicipality of Kőszeg
László Huber, Mayor
Polgarmester@Koszeg.hu
References
Commission proposes new e-commerce rules to help consumers and companies reap full benefit of Single Market. European Commission, Press releases database, Brussels, 25 May 2016
Europe’s Digital Progress Report 2016. European Commission, Brussels, 25.5.2016, pp 122
Bringing SMEs onto the e-Commerce Highway. International Trade Centre (ITC). United Nations Conference on Trade and Development – UNCTAD. Doc. No. OCE-16-13.E, Geneva, 2016, pp 101
eDIGIREGION Report Summary – Realising The Digital Agenda Through. European Commission, CORDIS, Transnational Cooperation Between Regions, May 2, 2016
In Search of Cross-border E-commerce Trade Data. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development – UNCTAD. Division on Technology and Logistics. Science, Technology and ICT Branch, ICT Analysis Section, April 2016, pp 27
10 ideas for the future of Europe’s digital economy – “SMEs as the engines of digital change”. European Digital SME Alliance, Brussels, 11.03.2016, pp 6
E-commerce statistics. Data extracted in November 2015. Eurostat, 29 February 2016
Research for REGI Committee – Enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs. Briefing. By Filipa Azevedo and Diána Haase, Research Administrators. European Parliament, Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies, 2016, pp10
Small Business Websites in 2016: A Survey. By Amanda Soderlund, Analyst, Clutch, Information Technology and Services, Washington DC, Feb 17, 2016
European Parliament resolution on Towards a Digital Single Market Act. Strasbourg, 19 January 2016
State Council approves pilot areas for cross-border e-commerce. State Council of China, Jan 15, 2016
China Cross-Border E-Commerce: Opportunities for Dutch Companies. Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Guangzhou 2015
Sensis e-Business Report 2015. The Online Experience of Small and Medium Enterprises. By Di Marzio Research, Sencis Melbourne, July 2015, pp 84
ICT Innovation Vouchers Scheme for Regions. European Commission, Digital Single Market, June 25 2015
Has European Regional Development Fund – ERDF support to SMEs in the area of e‑commerce been effective? Special report. European Court of Auditors, Luxembourg 2015, pp 36
EMunicipalities To Have State Level Architecture. iGovernment India, December 12, 2013
E-Transformation of Municipalities and Social Media’s Role on e-Participation in European e-Municipalities. By Burak Polat, Cemile Tokgöz BakÖroølu, Mira Elif Demirhan SayÖn. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, MCSER Publishing-Rome, Italy, Vol. 2, No. 9, October 2013, pp 386-392
Please see the attachment
eMunicipalities Website Prototype brochure
Joint eMunicipalities Without Borders Development (as per November 10, 2015)
at the bottom of this page
