The Berlin Declaration monitoring mechanism as an effective tool to monitor EU Member States' digital transformation: The Berlin Declaration monitoring mechanism: monitoring digital transformation in Europe
Pages 463 - 472
Abstract
Since its deployment in 2021, the Berlin Declaration monitoring mechanism (BDM) has proven to be an effective tool to monitor the digital transformation of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU). Particularly, by putting forward seven Policy Areas that tackle different aspects of the digital sphere, the BDM has supported Member States in implementing the objectives set out in the Declaration, while fostering transparency and enabling countries to learn from one another. Overall, the results of the monitoring mechanism between 2021 and 2022 vary depending on the Policy Area under consideration. Therefore, after providing an overview of the BDM methodology, this paper aims to investigate two Policy Areas that have advanced at different paces over the same period of time, namely Policy Area 3 – Foster digital empowerment and digital literacy and Policy Area 4 – Strengthen trust through security in the digital sphere, to better understand how the Berlin Declaration and its related monitoring mechanism have helped Member States to foster the digital transformation of their governments and public services. To do so, good practices from different European countries, as well as initiatives advanced by the European Commission, will be examined. In its conclusion, this paper will point out some limitations related to the BDM itself and set forth possible future developments beyond the mere application of the Declaration, taking into account the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will run from January to June 2024.
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June 2024
1089 pages
ISBN:9798400709883
DOI:10.1145/3657054
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Published: 11 June 2024
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dg.o 2024
dg.o 2024: 25th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research
June 11 - 14, 2024
Taipei, Taiwan
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