CONvErGE – A major investment

key document which outlines how the country intends to direct the EU funds allocated to Malta under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The project, referred to as the Connected eGovernment (CONvErGE) project, is to create and bring together several Information Technology (IT) service applications under one umbrella. The Project was originally piloted by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business (MEIB), fully supported all along by MITA; however, due to the change in Ministerial portfolio the project passed under the responsibility of Ministry for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime and Services Economy (MCDMS), as the Ministry responsible for IT, taking leading role. MITA will also be responsible for the underlying shared enabling infrastructure required to sustain the new eService Applications that will be created by the CONvErGE project. Several other Ministries/Government bodies will be joint partners of the project, owning their specific part. As the leading partner, MCDMS will lead the project and coordinate the individual components into a holistic system.

The project will consist in the creation of a number of vertical e-Service applications in the areas outlined in more detail in the following paragraphs. These “vertical” applications will be enabled by a horizontal underlying shared infrastructure made up of: a Foundation Data Layer which represents those datasets commonly used and shared between both internal and external public administration processes, including also the vertical services forming part of the project; and an underlying technological layer which will also be beneficial to other ministries/departments not directly involved in the project and in turn will also be beneficial to businesses and to the citizens.

The joint partners, in collaboration with MCDMS as the Leading Partner, will be individually responsible for their eService applications with possible support from MITA. The partners in CONvErGE are:

The Ministry for Finance will be responsible for two components in CONvErGE, as follows:

• The Treasury Department will be implementing the Corporate Financial Management Solution. The CFMS, which will consist of several projects, will transform the financial operations of Government to reach several objectives including the introduction of Accrual Accounting Reform in Government. The objectives were designed around the requirements of the public sector, citizens and businesses and the international community. • The Customs Department will

implement a system which will allow Economic Operators to electronically lodge applications for Customs authorizations which will be processed and maintained electronically. Economic operators will no longer have to submit the same application for authorization locally if such an authorization would have been issued in another Member State. • The Health Division within the Ministry for Health will be responsible to develop a set of components that are essential parts of a comprehensive national eHealth infrastructure. The National eHealth Service’s goal is to support improvement of Malta’s health and increased efficiency and sustainability of Malta’s healthcare system. • The Ministry for Tourism, supported by the Malta Tourism Authority, will be embarking on a project that will provide a suite of location based services to enhance foreign visits to our