The European Institute of Public Administration is organising a seminar entitled Citizen Involvement – A Government for All by Using ICT, which will take place at EIPA’s premises in Maastricht on 2-3 July 2009.

The seminar will focus on effectively putting into practice the new 21^st Century paradigm “Inclusion is a cornerstone of the EU policy in the information society. It is a social necessity and an economic opportunity”.  Within the i2010 framework, the new EU policy for Citizen Involvement through ICT – eInclusion – introduces a relevant enhanced approach, starting with the eInclusion 2008 actions “be part of it”, in order to address smooth sustainable inclusion in the next decade. eInclusion is widening the scope and contribution for improving quality of life, but it is also a new investment for mid- to long-term economic value in this phase of economy recovery. 

Centred on the European Commission action of ICT for eInclusion, the main directions and enhancements are discussed to allow governments to respond more actively to the demand of the citizens, as well as a strong bid for new technologies to become more accessible, friendly, qualitative and service-oriented. This therefore increases the current capacity of action related to unfavourable situations such as the current global financial crisis.

During this two-day seminar, the presentations will focus on the interlinked topics of Citizen Involvement, i.e.:

eAccessibility, eInclusion, eUsability, Economic value, Disabilities & digital divide, eHealth and eGovernment, Public eServices, Social Inclusion and Lifelong Learning.

Opportunities for networking and the exchange of best practices will enrich the seminar. Moreover, specific attention will be given to the mechanisms for achieving full customer satisfaction in public administration through the citizen-centric delivery of public services through the use of new technologies.

We consider that this seminar should be of interest for public officials from all levels of government who are connected to citizens or involvement of citizens.

You will find enclosed a detailed programme as well as general information and a registration form. For more details please contact Mrs Nicolette Brouwers, Programme Organiser (tel.: +31 43 32 96 245, fax: +31 43 32 96 296, e-mail: n.brouwers@eipa.eu ). You are also welcome to visit our website www.eipa.eu for more information.

Should you wish to know any further details, please do not hesitate to contact us.