Central and Eastern European eGov Days 2014

„Smart governance“ is a frequently quoted concept and high on the political agenda. But what does it imply for public administration and the design of processes and ICT systems? Key factors that can be derived include a transparent and participatory form of governance, “lean” (i.e. cost-effective) systems and a high quality standard in public services. To deliver such standards is not an easy task in a society, where more and more people are always on-line and have become used to mobile services that are available on a continuous basis, but where at the same time privacy concerns are high on the personal and political agenda. On top, European integration has added yet another layer of complexity. This conference and proceedings volume aims at providing new insights in the design of ICT-enabled processes in public administration and how to meet these challenges, particularly with respect to the specific situation in Central and Eastern European countries. Ten years ago, eight of these countries joined the European Union thereby ending half a century of division of the European continent. For the past decade, the Austrian Computer Society has organized the Eastern European eGov-Days providing a platform for knowledge transfer and exchange in both directions on the topic of e-government. This year, the conference aims at inquiring whether e-government is able to promote the integration of new member-states into the EU or whether it can also be a stumbling block for integration, if – for instance – eGovernment systems in different countries are not compatible or if data security issues (as they became visible with the NSA affair) are affecting the confidence of citizens in eGovernment. The organizers of the conference are the Andrassy University Budapest (AUB, the international university in German language in Budapest), the Austrian Computer Society (OCG), the Institute for State Organization and Administrative Reform in the Austrian Federal Chancellery (IfSV), the Austrian Institute for European Law and Policy (AIELP), the National University of Public Service Budapest (NUPS) and the University of Public Administration and Finance Ludwigsburg (HVF). The editors who are representing these institutions are most grateful for the support of the sponsors of the conference and of this volume, especially the Austrian Federal Chancellery, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Baden-Wurttemberg Foundation and the Austrian Cultural Forum. The conference is organized to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the partnership between the institutions which are now NUPS and HVF both educating civil servants of Hungary and Baden-Wurttemberg, respectively. The volume is dedicated to Prof. Alexander Prosser at WU Vienna for his 50th birthday. Alexander Prosser has promoted the academic co-operation between Austria and her Central and Eastern European neighbours in the field of eGovernment for many years. The Editors Budapest, Vienna and Ludwigsburg, April, 2014