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<h2 class="h3">The Once-Only view from Finland</h2>
<p>In May 2023, we discussed the Finnish implementation of the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS) with Olli Hurskainen, Mervi Kylmänen-Paakki and Kirsi Mikkonen from Development and Administrative Services Centre (KEHA-Centre).</p>
<p>The team shared their thoughts on working on such a large cross-border project, the nature of digitalisation and responding to continuous changes to the technological and regulatory situation and how OOTS Projectathons are helping them make maximum progress.</p>
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<h3 class="h4">Once-Only Technical System</h3>
<p>The Once-Only Technical System connects EU public authorities, so they can exchange official documents and data at the citizen’s request. It puts into practice the Once-Only Principle, which states that citizens should not be forced to provide information to authorities if another authority already holds that information (certificates, credentials, or licenses, for example, known as ‘evidence’) in electronic format. The legal deadline for the implementation of the Once-Only Technical System is 12 December 2023.</p>
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<h3 class="h4">The European perspective</h3>
<p>Jonathan sees great value in the impact of the Once-Only Technical System for Europe and its citizens. With a legal deadline approaching rapidly, the teams implementing this system are under great pressure to meet this important deadline. However, there is also lots of optimism. Especially as regards Europe’s wider digital ambitions. We asked Jonathan about his opinion on the state of the digitalisation of public services in France. With an unmistakable air of positivity, he underlined the central importance of “ensuring that administrations can exchange data with each other more easily and so make life easier for French citizens”.</p>
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<p>Digitalisation is nothing new in Finland, with the Nordic country ranking number one in the 2022 European Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) of Member States. In this context, the team felt confident about Finland’s overall position in terms of the digitalisation of public services.</p>
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<q>The Once-Only Technical System can bring a new European network in terms of data exchange between governments and maybe even between citizens afterwards.<situation varies, some procedures are done completely digitally, and then there might be some low-volume procedures [with lower levels of digitalisation]<br>observed Kirsi Mikkonen</q>
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<p>He continues that “<strong>It's an exceptional opportunity that opens to us. It mobilises all the Member States at the same time. The Internet is proof that we can do things internationally if everyone understands the value of doing so</strong>”. For Jonathan, “the Once-Only Technical System can bring a new European network in terms of data exchange between governments and maybe even between citizens afterwards. By extension, even if it is necessary to make a forward-looking effort of vision. That's what we need to develop, and for me anyway, this is what I carry as a message within the [SDG coordination <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=3639" target="_blank">group</a>]”.</p>
<p>Jonathan see’s the Once-Only Technical System, and projects like it, part of what can make Europe a true digital global leader. “<strong>The Same people who will make the European data centre, these will be the same people who will develop maybe a European Google</strong>”. He continued “<strong>We start with the procedures relating to citizens, but then can extend this initiative to [other] use cases</strong>”. Europe’s strength is that it is different countries cooperating. Reusing common solutions, like digital building blocks, to make common investments and save time and resources. But it only works “if we manage to communicate this European ambition”.</p>
<p>For Jonathan, Europe’s ability to innovate and cooperate is its strength. But he feels that regulating alone is not enough. “<strong>We must dare to change the rules of the game. We must dare to change the Technological paradigm […] If Europe can concentrate on Disruptive innovations, we change the rules of the game and we get involved creates a de facto advance rather than seeking to catch up</strong>”.</p>
<p>His message is undeniably positive: “<strong>Europe deserves to make a technological new start, rather than feeling like it always lags behind […] This is a policy that must be pursued at the European level”. He further notes that “We must not make the mistake of bringing this back to a national level. I think we really need to mobilise this vision and put it on a European scale</strong>”.</p>
<h3 class="h4">Implementation in France</h3>
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<p>We than spoke about the status of the Once-Only implementation in France. Showing the determination that will be fundamental to realising a project as the Once-Only Technical System, Jonathan says that France takes this challenge as an opportunity, asking himself how to reach this goal.</p>
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<q>Europe deserves to make a technological new start, rather than feeling like it always lags behind […] This is a policy that must be pursued at the European level</q>
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<p>He further explained that his organisation, DINUM, is at the heart of coordinating efforts by various French ministries and different jurisdictions in the implementation of the OOTS. The Once-Only Technical System represents a substantial workload both for DINUM and for the French administrations, whose involvement, cooperation, and responsiveness are essential. While common goals are of course understood, how to get there is not always so clear, with DINUM facilitating coordination in this area. DINUM is developing and at the same time implementing the Once-Only Technical System, while national administrations will need to develop national procedures.</p>
<p>For Jonathan, the Once-Only Technical System has great potential to fundamentally change Europe’s digital destiny by enabling Europe-wide interoperability beyond the 21 procedures of Annex II of the SDGR1. He stressed that from the view of the French government, the Once-Only Technical System is a way to “develop a digital gateway to Europe”. He observed that “<strong>there are obviously procedures that are identified by the Single Digital Gateway Regulation</strong> [SDGR (EU) 2018/1724], <strong>but what we also look at the potential behind the Once-Only Technical System, like openness, interoperability, [data]sharing, how to generally ease the ability of Europeans to move around Europe</strong>”.</p>
<p>Jonathan noted that digital transformation is a top priority for the French government, as well as a strong European agenda. This is the political backdrop for operating on the three: levels political, business and technical. Once cannot succeed without the other. He further noted that the implementation of the Once-Only Technical System requires an Agile methodology to be successful. Any project that takes place at these levels, must run in parallel with other projects and initiatives. Only this way, he noted, one can address problems without losing too much ground – a truly agile way of working.</p>
<p>We thanked Jonathan for his time and the conversation.</p>
<p style="margin-top:2.5rem;"><i>Interviews with national implementers are a unique chance to look beyond the technical cross-border interconnection of digital services in Europe and get to know the architects of our digital Europe and what motivates them.</i></p>
<p><strong>Thomas Fillis & Michael Ulrich, Once-Only Technical System Team (DIGIT-EXT)</strong></p>
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