Augsburg, November 3, 2008
Time and again, it is the individual "brains" who intensively drive progress in eGovernment in Germany. They provide the most important impetus for the associated modernization of administration. The renowned specialist medium eGovernment Computing has now honored two of the most important pacesetters of 2008. The eGovernment Leadership Award and the eGovernment Communication Award were presented for the first time at the eGovernment Summit in Bonn on Friday, October 31, 2008.
The awards went to two people who have decisively advanced eGovernment in Germany in recent years through their personal commitment and the implementation of their visions.
Friedrich Ebner, Head of IT at the Hessian Ministry of the Interior, receives the Leadership Award for his commitment to eGovernment in the state of Hesse
In the period up to 2003, Ebner succeeded in convincing the political level, initially in the Ministry of the Interior but also beyond, of the strategic importance of IT as an instrument of administrative modernization and the necessary political anchoring of IT in the state administration and government. He succeeded in establishing a political commitment to IT at the political level. This was reflected in the inclusion of the topic of "eGovernment" in the 2003 to 2008 government program with the political goal of making Hesse a pioneer in this area. This was accompanied by the anchoring of the topic of eGovernment at government level through the creation of a CIO with the rank of State Secretary.
Ernst Bürger, Head of the Information Society and eGovernment Division and the Deutschland-Online office at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, receives the Communication Award for his political efforts to promote the spread of eGovernment
Bürger has set the tone for eGovernment marketing during his time in office: he has tirelessly promoted eGovernment with commitment, the right sense of proportion and his own political, strategic flair. He created a well-functioning network of representatives from business, science and administration and brought them together with the aim of making eGovernment a real success. He promoted new ideas in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and in the community with a great deal of energy and unconventionally.
As head of the Deutschland-Online office, he also kept an eye on the interests of the federal and state governments. Here, too, he successfully pursued internal marketing. The often conflicting interests of the federal and state governments could thus be focused on the common goal, the success of the Deutschland-Online projects.
The success of eGovernment in Germany is not only determined by technical criteria. Particularly under the conditions of federalism, the commitment of individuals and communication across departmental boundaries are indispensable. With the two awards, eGovernment Computing honors personalities who have rendered outstanding services in this sense - also to encourage others to follow their example.
About eGovernment Computing:
eGovernment Computing is the newspaper for IT-supported local and state administration. It informs IT decision-makers at federal, state and local level and in public institutions about all relevant areas of digital information processing in the public sector. Since 2001, eGovernment Computing has been providing a reliable and complete overview of current technologies, initiatives, trends and specifications that are relevant to the target group's area of investment. It is a product of Vogel Business Media, one of Germany's leading specialist media companies.
If you have any questions, please contact
Manfred Klein
Editorial Director eGovernment Computing
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Tel. 08 21/21 77-0
Mobile: 0162/40 80 488
E-Mail: Manfred.Klein@vogel-it.de
