About 47% of European Union citizens aged 16 to 74 obtained information from public authorities’ websites last year, a significant increase compared to 2008 (plus 33%) and the lowest percentage of citizens who used the websites of public authorities to obtain information was registered in Romania (10%), show data released on Saturday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). According to Eurostat, people are increasingly using the internet to solve everyday problems. In recent years, the use of e-government has become increasingly popular because it allows citizens to obtain information at any time or to solve administrative problems remotely.

By age groups, the highest increase in the percentage of people who used public authorities’ websites to obtain information was in the 25-34 age group (59%) and in the 35-44 age group (56%). Although the elderly are less likely to obtain information from public authorities’ websites, more than a quarter (26%) of EU citizens between the ages of 65 and 74 have used these government websites in 2020, according to Agerpres.

The development of e-government and the availability of online information vary considerably among the 27 Member States of the European Union.

In 2020, the highest percentage of citizens who used public authorities’ websites to obtain public information was registered in Denmark (89%), Finland (85%), the Netherlands (81%) and Sweden (79%), and the lowest – in Romania (10%), Italy and Bulgaria (both by 19%).