8.2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES A. Government and the private sector will invest in network infrastructures and technologies, keeping up with national and international developments, providing Maltese citizens with platforms that are accessible, reliable and secure. D. High quality service and affordable access will be driving forces. B. The design and implementation of government network infrastructure and applications will be based on open standards to ensure interoperability and collaboration at national and international level. Government will lead by example, adopting high quality standards and embracing important technology principles such as abstraction, loose coupling, cohesiveness and generality. C. National Digital Strategy 2014 – 2020 51