Lithuania. E-government in Context of Principles of Good Governance in Public Digitalisation in a legal perspective. Status, challenges and opportunities for Nordic-Baltic cooperation

Abstract

Good governance is a requirement for all public administration entities and is implemented through the relationship between citizens and government representatives. Good governance must enable the rational management of public affairs, the efficient use of resources and the achievement of the public good, while guaranteeing human rights. The quality of a country’s public administration is key to its economic performance and the well-being of its citizens. The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) has as its core mission to provide in-depth insights and practical knowledge on EU policy to all professionals involved in EU public affairs, with the main objective of further developing their skills and capacity to effectively manage national policymaking in the EU context. Lithuania joined EIPA on 29 May 2006 by signing an agreement between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and EIPA on cooperation and financial support, expressing its willingness to contribute to EIPA's activities in the areas of training, research, consultancy, and publications. Later years, Lithuanian researchers have worked on e-government issues in the development of the e-government system in Lithuania. However, Lithuania still faces technical, legal, and methodological problems that hinders the full effectiveness of e-government. These hindrances are problematic as various national and international studies have shown, a low level of efficiency in public administration is a strong factor that reduces the competitiveness of businesses and the attractiveness of a country to invest and live in. The digital transformation requires maturity of both the public sector and society itself. Public organisations must be willing to initiate digitisation and be able to develop and use the results of digitisation, and users must be willing, able, and able to use them.