Administrative and legal support for the unification of the public administration terminology system in the context of forming E-Government Glossaries

Abstract

The article examines the administrative and legal framework for unifying public administration terminology in the context of digital transformation, e-government development, and Ukraine’s European integration. It is argued that digitalisation requires not only transferring procedures to an electronic environment but also creating a coherent conceptual framework defining the competence of public authorities, the legal regime of information, the status of electronic documents and registry data, public service delivery, and procedural safeguards. Fragmented regulation has resulted in different terms being used for related phenomena and in inconsistent interpretations of legal definitions. The study analyses the concepts of “public service”, “electronic public service”, “administrative service provided electronically”, “electronic document”, “public electronic register”, “electronic identification”, and “interoperability”. Terminological inconsistency is shown to weaken legal certainty, complicate legislative drafting, create risks of inconsistent application, and affect the legal status of electronic actions, procedural time limits, and access to judicial protection. The article substantiates the establishment of a State E-Government Glossary as an official electronic repository of unified legal definitions, terminological relationships, EU-law equivalents, and revision histories. It is proposed that its status be established by law and that the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine maintain, update, publish, and apply it when reviewing draft regulatory acts. A procedure for verifying new digital terms is proposed, including preparation of a terminological record, review by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, legal examination involving the Ministry of Justice, and inclusion of the term in the glossary with its legal source, status, and revision history. Particular attention is paid to alignment with the Interoperable Europe Act, eIDAS, and European digital identity and interoperability frameworks. The glossary is expected to improve law-making, ensure consistent application, protect participants in digital administrative procedures, and support Ukraine’s integration into the European digital and legal area. Keywords: public administration; e-government; digital governance; terminology system; unification of definitions; State Glossary of E-Government; administrative and legal support; law-making technique; legal certainty; semantic interoperability.