Distributed Ledger Technologies Shaping the Future of Digital Governments
On 22 April, the FIWARE Foundation held an event on Distributed Ledger Technologies: Shaping the Future of Digital Governments, in which Joao Rodrigues Frade, Head of Sector of the Commission's Digital Building Blocks, spoke about the ways such technologies are shaping society.
The presentation focused on three key areas:
- The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI)
- Building the future of digital government services
- The new digital trust paradigm
EBSI's role in Europe's digital transformation
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is working on the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), which is being put together by the Commission in close cooperation with the European Blockchain Partnership (EBP). Like eDelivery, eSignature, and eID, EBSI is another Building Block contributing to the digital transformation of EU public services.
Blockchain creates an immutable and decentralised record of a document's lifecycle. This allows users to create and control their own identity (using the European Self-Sovereign Identity Framework) across borders without relying on centralised authorities, while at the same time being in control of their educational credentials. In practical terms, this means that blockchain can facilitate checks on the integrity and origin of official documents without the need to contact their issuing entity each time.
Building the future of digital government services
A distributed ledger technology (DLT) uses a consensus mechanism to replicate, share, and synchronise digital data spread across multiple actors in the network. Unlike with a distributed database, there is no central administrator. A peer-to-peer network is required as well as consensus algorithms to ensure replication across nodes is undertaken. Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger design, which can be either public or private.
The new digital trust paradigm
By distributing information with a high level of transparency and security, DLTs have refined the internet by solving problems related to trust, transparency, and privacy. The beneficiaries are not just the private and public institutions, but also everyday citizens, who can rest safe in the knowledge their data is protected, and their interactions with private and public administrations simplified. A new data-sharing pattern is emerging at the EU level thanks to three main technological developments: blockchain, verifiable credentials, and the digital wallet.
Today, public administrations are responsible for issuing documents used as legal evidence in many walks of life. However, in an increasingly digital world, it has become significantly easier to falsify some of those documents. For instance, the proceeds from criminal activity in the EU are estimated to be €110 billion per year. Over the past few years, millions of European passports and ID cards have been reported stolen.
To stop those and many other crimes from taking place, Mr Frade emphasised the need for governments to continue to invest in the integrity of digital documents, strengthen the link between the identity of document holders and issuers, and continue to find ways to simplify verification processes.
FIWARE and the Token Project
The event was organised as part of FIWARE DLT4Gov Day, with the aim to bring a new understanding of how DLTs can be drivers of transformation in both the public and private sector. The TOKEN Project, which counts with Fiware's support, is trying to show the different ways in which public administrations can adopt solutions that help manage processes in a more open and efficient manner.
Throughout the virtual event, experts from different organisations discussed how DLTs in general, and blockchain in particular, can simplify the management of trusted information, making it easier for public administrations to handle data securely. It also explored how policymakers, technical experts, and thought leaders are capitalising on the potential of the DLTs and the most promising areas of application.
Below, the slides for Mr Frade's presentation at the Distributed Ledger Technologies: Shaping the Future of Digital Governments event.
eTranslation facilitates inclusive dialogue among EU citizens
The platform supporting the Conference on the Future of Europe went live on 19 April 2021.
It is an innovative space where citizens are able to discuss the future of Europe, share their ideas, and submit proposals on topics that matter to them in any of the 24 official EU languages. This new interactive instrument and unique example of participatory democracy are powered by eTranslation, one of the AI-based language tools developed by the European Commission.
Better connecting EU citizens
The platform offers three main ways to interact: people can express their views on Europe and the changes they believe are needed - or endorse and comment on what other Europeans have to say; they can find events to attend near them or online, or organise their own events.
There are pre-defined topics for discussion but there is also an “Other topics” option for citizens who want to engage in other or cross-cutting subjects. You can post your idea or leave a comment in any of the 24 official languages; those who do not speak your language can request an automatic translation by simply clicking a button.
You can find information on events happening near you or online, and get information on the event outcomes, even if you do not understand the language in which the event was held.
Finally, you can make your local event visible to the European audience and promote the results across the language barrier, as event organisers are committed to uploading the outcomes of their event's discussions to the platform.
The power of eTranslation
Thanks to language technologies, in particular eTranslation, you can have the information on the events and the contributions of other users automatically translated in your chosen language. This makes it possible to have a truly inclusive European dialogue on subjects that matter to all of us, such as climate change or post-pandemic recovery.
A feedback mechanism will ensure that the ideas expressed during the Conference feed into the EU's strategic planning and result in concrete recommendations for EU action.
Try it out here! Use the opportunity to make your voice heard in the language of your preference! Europe is listening.
More information: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_1764
Join DigitALL Public to see how the public and private sectors can work together to create a digital EU
Innovation in the public sector is naturally led by governments but also fuelled by partnerships with the private sector. We have come to know this tendency as GovTech – the ability to harness emerging technologies in the market to improve the operations of government and the delivery of public services.
From an EU perspective, GovTech is an important companion on the road to digital cross-border services. It has brought about new technologies, with huge potential to improve public services, and attracted companies from different sectors looking to contribute to the digital transformation of the EU.
But smaller companies and start-ups, in spite of their often innovative ideas, face extra challenges in this race, since larger corporations are often better equipped to get contracts with the public administration. How can governments harness the potential that that smaller market players offer in this transformation?
Widening the scope of public procurement
First, by regulating. For over a decade, EU Member States have been drafting policies and making commitments towards a more digital Europe. A large component of this EU digital transformation is interoperability across borders and policies. This is why the European Commission has been providing open technical standards and solutions to avoid vendor lock-in and make sure that any company, large or small, is equipped to develop services that will work across borders. Avoiding vendor lock-in helps ensure that no single individual company gets to reap the benefits of being the first mover.
Governments can also support smaller market players by transforming procurement. As Maximilian Strotmann from the ISA2 programme team at the EU Commission's department for informatics (DIGIT), explains, “reforming, modernising and experimenting with procurement is absolutely important. For the public sector, certainty and accountability have always been prime. But we should pay attention that we don’t find ourselves in a “straight-jacket” when we cannot embark on the type of innovation cooperation that we would like, between the best, most agile small start-ups and traditional public sector entities.”
To this end, there have been several initiatives across Europe looking to engage with small, innovative companies, in an exercise to expand the scope of public procurement. It was also the objective of the Digital Innovation Challenge, a co-creation initiative led start-ups and SMEs to understand how the Commission’s reusable solutions – like the Building Blocks – could support private sector innovation.
The importance of the European Commission’s innovation programmes
Starting in 2021, the Digital Europe Programme will continue the work CEF and ISA2 have successfully pursued so far – looking for next generation solutions and components for the public sector and collaborating with private GovTech players to develop better public services for EU citizens.
In the words of Robyn Scott, co-founder, and CEO of Apolitical, this “relationship goes both ways”, but “the public sector is critical in fostering private sector innovation: by funding early-stage R&D, by providing economic and regulatory incentives to support innovative economy and help kick-start important new markets, and by regulating monopolies that could otherwise crush small companies.”
If you would like to know more about GovTech, procurement, and public-private collaboration, join us at DigitALL Public, on April 20th, 21st, and 22nd, and look for the "How we build on the GovTech initiatives at the Member States and EU level" fireside chat.
DigitALL Public is a three-day online event that will gather some of the most innovative companies and organisations in the EU in several networking and learning activities including keynotes, interactive workshops and fireside chats. Will we see you there?
So join us at the DigitALL Public on April 20, 21, and 22,
a conference to celebrate Europe’s digital future!
National approaches to eID in Europe
The European Commission is in the middle of preparations for a proposal for a renewed approach to ensure there are widely available secure and interoperable digital identities for use in government and private online transactions. The proposal will lead to a transitional year in terms of the EU's approach to digital identity.
The national strategies on electronic identification, or eID, adopted by national public administrations play an important role concerning the aims of the eIDAS Regulation and future European approaches on eID. The eIDAS Regulation provides a legal foundation for European citizens and businesses to use their national eID scheme to access online public services available in other European countries, providing for a mutual recognition of eID schemes. For this mutual recognition to be effective, citizens and businesses must already be using and accustomed to national eID means. This is dependent on effective eID strategies at national level.
During this transitional phase for European digital identification, and feeding into the ongoing EU conversation, CEF eID has therefore published a report that provides an overview of the current state of play of European countries’ eID strategies.
The report identifies eID strategy documents in almost all Member States, whether as a stand-alone strategy or as part of a broader strategy. The key objectives identified in these strategies include the promotion of the widespread use of eID and the availability of services using these technologies. Another common objective includes the development of eID means, either the introduction of a national eID card, new and more secure versions of national eID cards or new eID means. Examples include Estonia, which is in progress to procure a new Mobile ID solution by 2022 and Finland where a group of private organisations are planning to introduce new means, SisuID, and connected ecosystem. Further objectives, as shown in the figure below, include ensuring cross-border mutual recognition of those means, updating eID infrastructure, and the establishment of a centralised eGovernment gateway.
While a number of these objectives are shared by several countries, there are also considerable differences in priorities across countries, reflecting their differing levels of maturity and general approaches to eID. This heterogeneity is also seen across countries in the role the State plays in relation to eID. In some countries, the State actively intervenes in the provision of eID, while in others it adopts a more hands-off approach setting the rules with which eIDs should comply but allowing private suppliers to provide the eID means. The role of the state can be broadly considered in three main categories.
- The Identity Broker model, whereby eID means are operated by private service providers and the state acts as an intermediary connecting identity providers with services.
- The Primary Identity Provider model, whereby the government retains direct control and is primarily responsible for the creation, implementation and maintenance of eID means.
- The Mixed model, whereby the state provides some eID means while others are provided by private service providers with the state acting as identity broker.
The Mixed model is most frequently adopted, accounting for over half of the 27 Member States. Meanwhile a pure Identity Broker model is seen in just one Member State, whilst the Primary Identity Provider model accounts for over one third of Member States.
Figure 1 – Role of the state in the provision of eID means
The report on the state of play of eID strategies in Europe shows that European countries have adopted a range of different approaches with differing objectives and roles for the state, as well as levels of uptake for eID solutions. The overview it provides can help inform EU and national stakeholders as they work together to achieve key EU-wide objectives on eID, and we move towards an updated and renewed European approach on this issue.
How the Berlin and Tallinn Declarations support better public services across the EU
The digitalisation of public services in Europe has continuously evolved in the past decades in parallel with the shift of more and more of our activities as a society to digital environments. From eGovernment to digital government and now digital societies, European Member States have stated their common vision for the way ahead in Ministerial Declarations: Malmo in 2009, then Tallinn in 2017 and now Berlin in 2020. These are major stepping stones of the common European vision for digital public services, innovation and user-centricity.
Making governments user-centric: the Tallinn and Berlin Declarations
In 2017, the Tallinn Declaration has been key for important investments in the digitisation of the public sector with a particular focus on user-centricity, committing to «put the end-users – citizens, businesses, public sector employees – truly at the centre of services».
This brings us to the Berlin Declaration, signed on 8 December 2020. This document lays down new digital goals for the EU public sector in the coming years. It reinforces the role of public administrations in driving a values-based digital transformation of our societies, as a driving force for new and innovative technological solutions to tackle societal challenges.
Fostering public sector digital innovation
2020 was not any other year. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our ways of living, working, learning, entertaining. At the same time, it has shown that “innovative digital tools can be developed incorporating the European Union’s values and fundamental rights” which help us tackle effectively huge challenges and build more resilient societies.
The 2017 Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment marked a milestone for a service-oriented, reliable and innovative eGovernment in Europe. And the 2020 Berlin Declaration has as one of its’ 7 principles: “Human-centered systems and innovative technologies in the public sector”.
It clearly links innovation and values stating that “The public sector has a role-model function in ensuring that the development and application of these novel technologies are firmly rooted in our common fundamental rights and values and underpinned by a regulatory framework that is sufficiently flexible to mitigate the risks while accelerating innovation and competitiveness.”
Digital public services and innovation in practice: CEF and ISA2
To achieve these goals, the CEF and ISA2 programmes have been developing technological solutions and services that contribute to building a unified, interoperable European ecosystem of digital solutions. In co-creation with the EU Member States, they have rolled out interoperable digital solutions such as eID, eSignature, and CoreVocs.
These interoperable solutions will come together to support the rollout of the Once-Only Principle. This is the principle of Once Only, where citizens have to share their information only once for administrative procedures (even across borders) and governments exchange the relevant information in the background. By simplifying cross-border administrative procedures, and making the life of citizens easier, CEF and ISA2 strive to create a user-centric digital government experience.
Innovation in public services takes many forms. Digital innovation relies on new technologies which are rapidly evolving and not always easily adopted by the public sector. ISA2 has helped increase our knowledge of innovative technologies entering the market and helped assess the impact they could have to improve service delivery, citizen experiences and interactions. The knowledge gained through these actions will be put to good use in the new programmes where dedicated support is planned to allow European public services to come together to innovate and pilot new technologies.
Starting in 2021, the new Digital Europe Programme will continue the work started under CEF digital and ISA2 to offer continued support for the development of digital services of governments across the EU Member States, to make the lives of citizens easier, and help implement major EU policies.
To celebrate this of programmes, we are organising an event which looks back at their joint achievements and prepares for the digital journey ahead. DigitALL Public will gather some of the most innovative companies and organisations in the EU, during three days of online activities including keynotes, interactive workshops and fireside chats. We would love to see you there.
So join us at the DigitALL Public on April 20, 21 and 22,
a conference to celebrate Europe’s digital future!
How the European Commission is creating a truly unified digital experience for EU citizens
The Connecting Europe Facility and ISA2 programmes, alongside with EU Member States, have been working throughout the last EU budget cycle to create a more digital Europe – developing and connecting technology that has a positive impact on society. The time has come for these programmes to carry on their mission together, under the new Digital Europe Programme.
To celebrate this change, we are organising an event that looks back at their joint achievements and prepares for the digital journey ahead – DigitALL Public will gather some of the most innovative companies and organisations in the EU, during three days of online activities including keynotes, interactive workshops and fireside chats.
The new Digital Europe Programme will continue the work that the CEF and ISA2 programmes achieved in supporting more digital service delivery for governments across EU Member States, to make citizens’ lives easier and ensure European legislation creates a common, predictable online environment for everyone.
The CEF and ISA2 programmes have rolled out Building Blocks and open and reusable solutions that make it easier for governments, but also for businesses, to make their digital services more innovative, transformative and – most importantly – interoperable across national borders. These Building Blocks support the adoption of open technical standards to ensure IT systems can operate across borders, to form a digital single market.
The creation and development of these Building Blocks and open solutions was in itself not easy. Prior to the roll out of these digital solutions within the European internal market, the Member States launched several Large-Scale Pilot programmes. These pilots tested critical cross-border infrastructure, enabling processes like secure message exchange, electronic identity or archiving – helping the European Commission identify the most pressing barriers to digital transformation . The outcome of these pilots were viable prototypes that could then be incubated and refined by the ISA2 programme. Once a solution had matured into a fully interoperable digital solution – a Building Block – it could then be deployed and promoted through the CEF Digital programme, the digital arm of the Connecting Europe Facility, the EU’s main funding for trans-continental infrastructure 2014-2020.
Today, anyone can implement one of these European solutions, or build software based on open technical standards.
Europe must now go one-step further. Together we will create a truly unified digital experience for EU citizens through the implementation of the Once Only Principle.
This is the principle of Once Only, where citizens only have to share their information once for administrative procedures (even across borders) and governments exchange the relevant information in the background. The Once Only Principle is the backbone of a Single Digital Gateway for all European citizens and businesses wishing to move or do business abroad. All this is to make every day experiences as smooth as possible for EU citizens, and truly live up to the promise of a connected digital single market.
So join us at the DigitALL Public on April 20, 21 and 22,
a conference to celebrate Europe’s digital future!