Brussels, 10/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - Investment for providing public authorities with a pan-European infrastructure of information technology for companies and taxpayers pays substantial dividends in terms of quality of services and productivity to the tune of more than EUR 1.8 to each euro invested. Such is the result of a new report established in the European Commission Interchange of data between administrations - IDA, on the Trans-European Services for Telematics between Administrations project. Annual profits are estimated to be around EUR 8.6 million out of annual costs of EUR 4.8 million.
Information Society Commissioner, Erkki Liikanen, said that the proof is there, "We already knew that public investment in information technology cold generate high gains in productivity in the public sector, just as in private companies, as the recent on-line communication underlined" (EUEOPE 30 September p 13). This study brings timely proof of their positive effects for taxpayers. This gain is not just financial. "The TESTA study thus reveals", adds the Commissioner, "that investment increases the quality and availability of pan-European public services. I am happy to see other work being carried out in this direction". Surveys of uses demonstrate a high level of satisfaction, confirmed by a 300% rise in data transfer volume through the network between January 2002 and June 2003. The study expects subsequent growth from the demand in electronic exchanges between administrations and is setting up councils for the next stages.
The TESTA network is the largest of the thirty I£DA programmes funded by the European Commission in information technology for public services. The text of the study is available in English on the IDA website at the following address: (http: //europa.eu.int/ISPO/ida/jsp/doc.jsp?1622).