PASSPORT: a novel architectural model for the provision of seamless cross-border e-government services

Businesses face significant obstacles in interacting with public administrations across Europe. On the other hand, there has recently been a clear trend of governments to deliver electronic services ("e-government") through integrated, customer-oriented mechanisms ("one-stop government"). However, related efforts - both within and outside the European Union - are nationally focused and do not address the needs of businesses entering into cross-border processes. This paper presents a novel architectural, operational and technical framework for providing seamless electronic services to companies that require information and/or transactions with public administrations on cross-border issues. The PASSPORT e-service provision and delivery model improves the accessibility of government services and alleviates some business frustrations due to current administrative procedures.