NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT AND ACTION PLAN 26 2.3 E-GOVERNMENT …Our mission is to support business transformation of the G overnment, so it can provide better and more efficient public services… Tony Blair, May 2004 E-Government is much more than application of new modern ICT-technologies, it actually represents a fundamental transformation of the Government's manner of operation and the way the public administration is reasoning and acting, in order to create high quality services for citizens, businesses and public administration. While shaping its own needs, the road towards e-Government requires active participation and partnership of all entities: Government, citizens and the private sector. Each responsible and democratic Government must make efforts for more efficient and more transparent administration operation, through client oriented services, achieving standards for better life-style quality, faster economic and social development. Service users are not interested in the structure volume, type of connection and public administration organisation. The implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as priority, will provide simple electronic services for the citizens, business and the public administration. The benefits from e-Government implementation necessarily lead towards recognition of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), that would provide increased communication, exchange of experiences and knowledge between all entities in the public administration, that would lead to a higher level of transparency and efficiency of the functioning of the Government, state administration bodies and local self-Government bodies. E-Government is an expensive, long and uncertain process, the implementation of which, in case it is delayed, will be even more expensive. It is a reform process of transformation overcoming the legislative and control obstacles, financial, technological and digital divide obstacles, as well as obstacles due to resistance and conflict of interest. Lack of funds, resources and knowledge is often the case in the process of realisation of this concept. The worldwide analysis have shown that the transformation could be unsuccessful due to lack of positive energy, a large extent of knowledge, efforts, time and significant amount of funds for the purposes of creation of a favourable environment for implementation of this concept. It has to be emphasized that successful realisation requires endeavours and strong leadership from the highest state institutions. The process of e-Government introduction should be integrated with the process of public administration reform, and it is necessary to consider the potential e-Government implementation barriers on time, in order to promptly find the appropriate solutions. 2.3.1 Current situation The information systems in the Government and the ministries currently appear to be like isolated islands without a common basis that would link them. Parts of the Governmental institutions do not use local networks, and those that use it have special Internet connection. There is no computer NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT AND ACTION PLAN