ŠAVŠ/TAČR Digital Czechia in a Digital Europe

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Swedish approach – a single strategy, multiple coordinators

The Swedish administration in the area of e-Government declares its main vision is to be “ as simple as possible for as many as possible ” 10 , i.e. for the most potential applicants. The key player in the field of e-Government is the Ministry of Infrastructure which was established in January 2019. This Ministry is responsible for digitalization and is supported by the Unit of Digital Government. In 2018 was established the Agency forDigital Government (DIGG) to serve as a hub for digitalization of the public sector. The main aim was to improve the coordination of public sector digitization and support it at the central, regional and local levels. The agency is also responsible for eIdentification, eInvoicing, digital post, web accessibility, standardization concerning data and information exchange. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is responsible for issues related to civil protection, public safety, emergency management and civil defence. Its responsibilities include supporting and coordinating Swedish information and cyber security as well as issuing regulations on cyber security. Thus, although at first glance the model may appear centralized (thanks to a strategist in the form of the Ministry of Infrastructure), it is a fully decentralized model where the coordination of management and implementation of the system is in charge of the following players: a) Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), b) The Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet), and c) the eCollaboriation programme. The role of the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet) is to manage and coordinate public procurement issues in the area of ICT. The Agency has been mandated to explore and develop ways of improving the use of electronic procurement in the public sector. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) coordinates e-Government in the regions and municipalities, based on principles based on the Swedish Government’s e-Government strategy. The eCollaborationProgram aims tosupportguidance-basedinteroperability, knowledge sharing, best practices and networking. The steering committee of this program consists of individual directors general of the agencies managing e-Government. The implementation of the e-Government system in Sweden is the responsibility of individual ministries, agencies and government departments.

10 Axelsson Karin, Lindblad-Gidlund Katarina, eGovernment in Sweden: New Directions, International Journal of Public Information Systems, Vol. 2009, No. 2, 2009, pp. 31-35.