The International Awards will be presented to the winners at the forthcoming International Symposium 'Empowering Citizens through Technology and Participation' being held at the end of February 2008, and will recognise politicians and organisations who have 'made a tangible difference' by engaging online.

Winners of the European eGovernment Awards were announced today at the Ministerial eGovernment Conference in Lisbon. The City of Amsterdam from The Netherlands, the Ministry of Government Administration and Reform of Norway, the City of Besançon from France and the Portal of the Federal Government of Germany each picked up one of the prestigious awards celebrating Europe's most innovative public services.

What can citizens expect when e-government is finally implemented? The e-Citizen Charter provides the answer. This charter consists of quality standards that define the digital relationship between citizen and government (both in the field of information exchange, service delivery and political participation). These standards are formulated as rights citizens are entitled to, and matching obligations by government bodies.