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Project Events and Workshops

Past workshops and events organised by the Breaking Barriers to e‑Government project, bringing together researchers and practitioners in eGovernment.

Workshop Series

Between June 2005 and March 2007, the project convened five workshops across Europe. Each event brought together researchers, public-sector practitioners, and European Commission stakeholders to examine obstacles to eGovernment and share practical solutions.

  • 17 June 2005
    Workshop One
    Inaugural project workshop
  • 29 September 2005
    Workshop Two
    Second project workshop
  • 26 June 2006
    Workshop Three
    Third project workshop
  • 22 November 2006
    Workshop Four — From Barriers to Benefits: Efficiency and Effectiveness of eGovernment
    IST 2006, Helsinki
  • 9 March 2007
    Workshop Five
    Fifth project workshop

About the Workshops

Each workshop served as a forum for exchanging research findings, discussing the project's evolving inventory of barriers, and developing good-practice case studies. Workshop Four, held at IST 2006 in Helsinki, focused specifically on moving from barrier identification to measurable benefits — exploring how efficiency and effectiveness could be improved through eGovernment initiatives.

The workshops were integral to shaping the project's final recommendations, published alongside the concluding newsletter in January 2008. Participants included representatives from the Oxford Internet Institute, gov3, Tilburg University, Murcia, and CRID, as well as invited experts from across the European eGovernment community.

Workshop findings informed the project's final outputs and recommendations.

View Project Outputs

The project's workshop series grew from a simple idea: that the barriers to eGovernment adoption are best understood through direct dialogue between those who build digital public services and those who use them. Each session across the series opened with structured discussions on specific obstacles, from technical interoperability challenges to the human factors that shape how citizens engage with online government platforms. Practitioners shared real-world case studies, while researchers contributed comparative analysis drawn from across member states. The format deliberately mixed plenary presentations with small breakout groups, allowing quieter voices and less experienced participants to contribute openly. By the close of the series, a shared vocabulary had emerged, one that would inform the project's later publications and continue to shape conversations about inclusive digital governance long after the final meeting adjourned.