Summary & Context

The local e-government environment varies tremendously across the North Sea Region of the EU, with municipal strategies being shaped by very different national, regional and local policy contexts and political and technological agendas. This series of reports summarises the local e-government environment in six municipalities from six different countries who are participating in the Smart Cities Interreg IVb project. The reports allow project partners to review their local e-government context, and helps us identify to common factors across project partners, along with areas of difference between partners. This report summarises the e-government context in Groningen, based on interviews with staff from the city, and identifies factors that they feel shape their local e-government context and their involvement in the Smart Cities project.

As well as a narrative description of the context, this report contains two diagrams and a supporting table:

• The main policy drivers for Groningen • Those projects most relevant to Smart Cities in Groningen• Details of the entities mentioned including links to source material, in English where available.

The information in this document is derived from publically available descriptions supplied by Groningen, supplemented by desk-based research.

The Smart Cities Project

Figure 1 illustrates the organisations that City of Groningen has identified as being significant to the City’s involvement in the Smart Cities project.

There are two aspects of European Union (EU) policy that are impacting Groningen’s involvement in the Smart Cities project. The first (along with all project partners) is INTERREG IVB North Sea; the second explicitly identified item is the Services Directive.

The INTERREG initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the European Union, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. A principal aim of the Programme is to expand the scope of territorial cooperation and focus on high quality projects in innovation, the environment, accessibility, and sustainable and competitive communities.

The 2007-2013 Programme connects regions from seven countries around the North Sea, incorporating policy level planning and the long lasting and tangible effects of projects. The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with cutting edge policy areas in regional development through transnational projects.

Smart Cities is one of the projects funded through the programme. The general aim of the Smart Cities project is to create an innovation network between governments and academic partners leading to excellence in the domain of the development and take-up of e-services.

Project Context Map

No.2

Understanding e-government

in Groningen

Key Facts:

Groningen

City Council (Gemeente) within Groningen Province, in the

Netherlands (a unitary state).

Populations:

City – 182 000Province – 574 000

Netherland – 16 592 000

Cit

yN

eth

erla

nd

sP

rovi

nce

Eu

rop

e

Antwoord voorbedrijven

European Union

Regional DevelopmentINTERREG IVB

VNGMunicipal Association

National UrgencyProgramme

GroningenAccord

Services Directive

KING eGovagency

ECLICVision2014

Smart Cities

Departments for

● Urban Planning & Development

● Information & Admin

GroningenProvince

Universities& Hospitals

City of Groningen

● Points ofimprovement

● Customer focus● Efficiency

Ministry ofInternal Affairs

● Legal Obligations● Digitisation

● Efficiency● Deregulation

College Programme

Fig 1:Main drivers underpinning Groningen’s involvement

NB All items are linked to or supporting Smart Cities

The EU Services Directive aims to break down barriers to cross border trade in services between countries in the EU. It will make it easier for service providers, particularly small and medium sized enterprises, to offer their services to customers in other EU countries, whether establishing elsewhere in the EU or providing services remotely from the a member state. EU Member states are required to implement the Directive by 28 December 2009.

National level – the Netherlands

At the national level, through the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MBZK), the National Urgency Programme (NUP) provides the motivation for coordinated improvements in services across the Netherlands, driven by the Services Directive as well as strategic needs for efficiency, digitisation of government and deregulation. The NUP (Dutch: Nationaal Uitvoeringsprogramma Dienstverlening en e-overheid) was established because it was recognised that citizens and businesses need a government that is fast, efficient and customer-oriented. It is a government project bringing focus and coherence in the development of basic infrastructure of the e-government. The basic infrastructure being developed includes: access to electronic government, e-authentication, information numbers, and electronic information based registration and has set up Six sample projects to make the improved e-government infrastructure visible.

Central government in partnership with VNG, the association of Dutch municipalities, has established Antwoord voor bedrijven to provide a central point of information for entrepreneurs: laws and permits in The Netherlands. The organisation works closely with ministries, other national governments, provincial authorities, water boards and local councils. Antwoord voor bedrijven is part of the Antwoord@ initiative to link the various sources of government information.

Groningen

The City of Groningen has a corresponding NUP project as shown in Figure 2. In January 2010, a new national Quality Institute KING started up: its mission is to add to sustainable improvement of quality for local governments and services of municipalities. The idea is that municipalities need a strong and focused national body.

Figure 2 illustrates the involvement of different organisations in projects associated with (or impacting) Smart Cities. The drivers behind the organisations’ involvement can be read from Figure 1. For instance, the business information partnership (described above), Antwoord voor bedrijven, with its Entrepreneurs Front Office project provides further motivation for involvement with Smart Cities WP3 and its contact-centre workstream.

The City of Groningen’s strategies of Customer Focus, Points of Improvement and the need for efficiency (at least as far as Smart Cities is concerned) is expressed through three strategies. First, there is the College Programme which coordinates economic development between province, city and civil society.

The Groningen Accord is an agreement between University of Groningen (RuG), Hanzehogeschool and the municipality of Groningen. It covers projects including a drastic renovation of the Zernike university complex to the north of the city including modern architecture and first rate public transport. Housing for students is also being given a powerful boost. Contributions are also being made to four innovation clusters that Groningen has nominated (energy, IT, life sciences and nanotechnology) and to the development and support of knowledge-intensive economic activity. It is this which is the main driver behind the involvement with WP4 (Wireless city).

Within the municipality of Groningen, Programme BOSS works across all eight departmental silos on central themes like improving customer services and the conduct of business, including change management and cultural change. It has clear links to involvement with Smart Cities WP3 workstreams.

BOSS has defined a vision on customer services (decided on by the city council in October 2009) which includes what has to change within the organisation to really improve the customer service. More digital services, more process-thinking, establishing a mid-office within the valid ICT architecture, standardised ways of working within front- and back-offices etc. The plan (Vision 2014) will take about four years to establish and to succeed.

Unit

Programmes &Projects

Strategy

Antwoord@bedrijven

Province

Universities and Hospitals

City OfGroningen

Urban Planningand Economic Development

Information and Administration

NUP

CollegeProgramme

Groningen Accord

Vision 2014

● Efficiency

● Points ofImprovement

● Customer Focus

Wireless City

ProgrammeBoSs

NUP

Multi Channel

EntrepreneursFront Office

Smart Cities WP4

Smart Cities WP3

Fig 2:Projects in Gemeente Groningen linked to Smart Cities

Source information

The table below gives descriptions of projects and bodies related to Groningen City’s involvement in Smart Cities, together with links for further information (some may be in Dutch).

Name: Smart Cities

www.smartcities.info

The project aims to understand which e-services services work best and why; it will facilitate transfer of e-Government successes across national borders; it will identify and support the real transformational impacts of such transfer of good practices on local government; it will equip decision makers with the knowledge and ambition to achieve further innovation in the delivery of e-enabled public services; and will engage national authorities in this ambition. At the European level, the project will support the creation and growth of communities of practice across the NSR building organisational commitment to and capacity for inter-regional government service sharing. Smart Cities will raise the bar in many aspects.

Name: EU Services Directive

The EU Services Directive aims to break down barriers to cross border trade in services between countries in the EU. It will make it easier for service providers, particularly small and medium sized enterprises, to offer their services to customers in other EU countries, whether establishing elsewhere in the EU or providing services remotely from the a member state. EU Member states are required to implement the Directive by 28 December 2009.

Name: INTERREG IVB North Sea

www.northsearegion.eu/ivb/home

The Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the European Union, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation.

The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with cutting edge policy areas in regional development through transnational projects.

A principal aim of the Programme is to expand the scope of territorial cooperation and focus on high quality projects in innovation, the environment, accessibility, and sustainable and competitive communities.

The 2007-2013 Programme connects regions from seven countries around the North Sea, incorporating policy level planning and the long lasting and tangible effects of projects.

Name: MBZK

www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/bzk

The aim of the Ministry of the Interior (BZK) is a well-functioning public administration, a safe society and a government in which citizens can rely on.

Table 1

Details of significant entities

Name: VNG

www.vng.nl/smartsite.dws?id=41361

Association of Dutch municipalities, formed to provide expert support to municipalities in forming their opinions, development of knowledge and innovation. United in the VNG Dutch municipalities have more influence than individually. Their association protects their interests, provides products and services adapted to their needs and provides a joint platform for communication.

Name: Nationaal Uitvoeringsprogramma Dienstverlening en e-overheid (NUP)

www.e-overheid.nl/sites/nup

Citizens and businesses need a government that fast, efficient and customer-oriented. This is a government project bringing focus and coherence in the development of basic infrastructure of the e-government. The basic infrastructure being developed includes: access to electronic government, e-authentication, information numbers, and electronic information based registration and has set up Six sample projects to make the improved e-government infrastructure visible.

Name: EGEM i-Teams

www.egem-iteams.nl

Electronic government improvement agency. Better service and optimal business processes to suit the ambitions of modern municipal government bodies. This is the objective of EGEM i-teams, in collaboration with municipal governments, and we achieve it by means of developing standards and offering tailor-made support.

Name: KING

www.kwaliteitsinstituutgemeenten.nl

Kwaliteits Instituut Nederlandse Gemeenten / Quality Institute for all the Dutch municipalities. Replaced EGEM from 1 Jan 2010. The mission of this new national institute is: add to sustainable improvement of quality for local governments and services of municipalities. The idea is that municipalities need a strong and focused national body. The tasks of the new KING are:

• development ICT standards and ICT architecture• benchmarks of high standardised quality/ certifying benchmarks• visits/visitations and quality of management and alderman to meet new challenges • facilitating implementation plans and generally.

Name: Antwoord@bedrijven

www.antwoordvoorbedrijven.nl

Government information for entrepreneurs: laws and permits in The NetherlandsAntwoord voor bedrijven is an initiative by the Dutch government. We work closely with ministries, other national governments, provincial authorities, water boards and local councils. Antwoord voor bedrijven is part of the Antwoord© initiative to link the various sources of government information.

Name: College programma 2007-2011

www.provinciegroningen.nl/bestuurenpolitiek/gedeputeerdestaten/gspagina

Coordination of economic development between province, city and civil society.

Name: Groningen Accord

www.gemeente.groningen.nl/onderwijs-en-studeren/groningen-kennisstad/akkoord-van-groningen

The Groningen Accord is an agreement between University of Groningen (RuG), Hanzehogeschool and the municipality of Groningen. It covers projects including a drastic renovation of the Zernike university complex to the north of the city including modern architecture and first rate public transport. Housing for students is also being given a powerful boost. Contributions are also being made to four innovation clusters that Groningen has nominated (energy, IT, life sciences and nanotechnology) and to the development and support of knowledge-intensive economic activity.

Name: City of Talent

www.cityoftalent.nl/en

Besides being a student city, Groningen is also ahead in the areas of research, innovation and entrepreneurship: a real city of talent.

In order to make this known to the rest of the Netherlands, University of Groningen, Hanze University Groningen, the UMCG University Medical Center Groningen and the Province and municipality of Groningen have joined forces. Under the common denominator of ‘Groningen, City of Talent’, in conjunction with Marketing Groningen, they have started a national campaign under the motto of: ‘Here is space for talent. Space for learning, for working and for growing. For further personal development and making the best of yourself. And there is room for living, sports and entertainment. There’s no place like Groningen.’

The Smart Cities project is creating an innovation network between cities and academic partners to develop and deliver better e-services to citizens and businesses in the North Sea Region. Smart Cities is funded by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme of the European Union.

Smart Cities is PARTLY funded by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme of the European Union. The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with regional development projects around the North Sea. Promoting transnational cooperation, the Programme aims to make the region a better place to live, work and invest in.

9 781907 576126

www.smartcities.infowww.epractice.eu/community/smartcities