The Provision of e-Services by Public Administration Bodies and Their Cybersecurity

Electronic services in information society provide significant opportunities of meeting the needs of such society, including those fulfilled by public administration. However, in order for e-administration to provide public services in an efficient manner, it needs to keep up with technological developments, thus meeting the technical standards envisaged for such services. Services in the digital sector can change greatly and rapidly, so public administration needs to monitor and analyse them on an ongoing basis and, where necessary, adapt to such changes. There are certain legal obstacles that hamper the development of public e-services and the efficient functioning of e-administration, especially in the competitive market of information society services. Administration bodies are obliged to act in compliance with the law and within its limits, also in the electronic market which requires considerable mobility. At the same time, they must keep up with the dynamically changing needs of the participants in that market and the freedom of decision that applies there, whereas public administration itself does not enjoy such freedom and can only take measures that are prescribed by law.