The development of e-services in Estonia has been fast in recent years. Most management of business with the state can be executed either by e-mail or through different portals. Simpler proceedings can be performed by way of summary procedures, but more complex transactions requiring legal certainty must be confirmed either with personal or notary�s digital signature. The development of e-services in Estonia has been facilitated by the wide spread of the Estonian ID card and broad availability of the Internet. The ID card allows us to securely communicate with the state. Can the same be said about communication with other EU member states? Estonia has set itself a target to accept digital signatures that have been issued with ID card certificates of other EU countries. Portugal has a similar aim and other countries are also moving in the same direction.

Because of increasing global trade and relevant security threats, customs administrators all over the world are facing new challenges � how to facilitate trade while also implementing required security measures so as to maintain safety in customs proceedings. This article describes the latest changes in the role of customs facilities, also looking at how useful technology principles can be brought to bear so as to meet those challenges and to modernise customs business procedures.

The Swedish eID system

Contributions to a culture of cyber-security

The Lithuanian government�s resolution on general requirements for the Internet sites of government institutions was adopted five years ago. This year a qualitative and quantitative study was conducted to show that the condition of such sites and their compliance with the stated requirements have improved to a considerable degree.

In April 2006, the Lithuanian government�s Information Society Development Committee began to implement a new project � �Creation of Interoperability Among Information Systems: The Capacity of Interaction Among Systems of Public Administration Institutions.� The aim was to help public administration institutions and officials more effectively to co-operate in the development of the network of public electronic services which are provided to Lithuanians on the Internet.

On September 23, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a list of high-priority projects that were prepared by the Secretariat of Special Assignments Minister for Electronic Government Affairs of Latvia. These projects relate to the development of the Information Society and e-services in Latvia�s and were submitted by the ministries and the institutions subordinated to them.

The aim of the Geomatics Regional Information Society Initiative (GRISI) project is to develop new geomatics services in such areas as the E-economy, E-identity, E-government and interregional co-operation. There is also the need to create �added geomatics value� to existing initiatives and to demonstrate geomatic solutions as a tool for promoting economic development. The organisers of the GRISI project have established four spatial data infrastructures in four partner regions, and they have also completed five thematic sub-projects which supplemented the established infrastructure with specific thematic services.

Ensuring the best uptake and use of information and communications technologies (ICT) by the citizens, businesses and governments of European Union member states � that is one of the key objectives in the i2010 Strategic Framework [1]. The ICT Policy Support Programme (PSP) of the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) is aimed at encouraging the more widespread adoption of innovative ICT solutions in Europe, particularly in such areas as ageing well, energy efficiency and consensus building. For this purpose EUR 39 million of Community support is being allocated for this purpose in 2008.

E-participation means the use of ICT to broaden and deepen political participation by enabling citizens to connect with one another and with their elected representatives. This is a concept which is much more difficult to implement than it is to understand. With the development of the TID+ project, citizens and officials are handed a tool which is based on seven years of practical experience.