SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT’S E-PETITIONER SYSTEM NOMINATED FOR E-EUROPE AWARD

098/2005 | 28 October 2005

The Scottish Parliament’s e-Petitions system has been nominated for a prestigious European award.

The eEurope Awards for eGovernment recognise best practice in internet projects among member states of the European Union, the candidate countries and member states of the European Fair Trade Association.

The Public Petitions Committee has been selected as a finalist in the Service Use category of the awards, which are being presented at the Ministerial eGovernment Conference co-organised by the UK Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission in Manchester on 24-25 November.

Awards will be handed out on the first day of the “Transforming Public Services” conference with break-out sessions taking place on the second day to exchange ideas between participants.

The awards are organised by the European Commission to steer Europe towards becoming the most competitive knowledge-based economy by 2010.

Other pioneering schemes nominated in the Service Use category include an online vehicle service in Malta, a careers advisory service in Wales and an online voting system in the Netherlands.

The Scottish Parliament will have a stand at the event, at Manchester International Conference Centre, to demonstrate to delegates how the e-petitioning system works.

Committee Convener Michael McMahon said:

“This is the third time this year that the Public Petitions Committee’s e-petitioning system has earned positive recognition at European level.

“This nomination reflects the willingness of the Parliament to embrace new innovative techniques and modern procedures to enhance the democratic process.

“It is an honour for the e-petitions system to be nominated alongside other impressive e-projects around Europe, and I hope the Scottish Parliament’s positive e-democracy experiences serve as an inspiration to others.”

In August, the German Parliament – the Bundestag – announced it was launching an electronic petitions system based on a version used by the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee.

There was also praise for the Parliament's e-Petitioning facility at an event in the European Parliament in Brussels in May, held by EPRI (European Parliaments Research Initiative) Knowledge.

Since its formal launch in February 2004, 63 e-petitions have been posted on the Parliament’s website using the system, attracting over 21,000 signatures and over 700 discussion comments.

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