Technology push, legislation pull? E-government in the European Union

Abstract E-government is new on the European agenda. Member states have announced plans to a more open, accessible and transparent administration by using the latest in information technology. Yet, the current situation is far from that. Hardly coordinated projects and the notorious individualism of the member states probably describe the state of affairs best. The paper assesses the status quo of e-government in the European Union and explains the current problems by missing coordination in legislature.