<p>23 November 2023 | 53 minutes read</p>
<p><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" class="img-fluid" src="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/download/attachments/694489587/illu-news-oots-20-10-2023.pn"></p>
<p><i>Once-Only Forum for Citizens & Students, 23 November 2023, Brussels</i></p>
<p>On 23 November 2023, the European Commission held the first in a series of public Forums looking at the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/OOTS/About+OOTS" target="_blank">Once-Only Technical System</a>. The Once-Only Forums address the current nature of selected cross-border administrative procedures (such as registering a motor vehicle in another EU Member State) and how the Once-Only Technical System will simplify such procedures, saving users time and money.</p>
<p>This Forum gathered a selected group of citizens with first-hand experience in administrative procedures related to either moving and/or studying abroad, such as registering a motor vehicle abroad, registering to a tertiary higher educational institution or applying for study financing.</p>
<p>Participants provided their personal experience with these cross-border procedures. They then examined how the Once-Only Technical System stands to make cross-border administration easier and improve access to the Single Market.</p>
<p>The feedback and input harnessed from this event will help the Commission and EU Member States understand how users perceive the benefits of Once-Only and so help inform the future of the Once-Only Technical System.</p>
<p>The Once-Only Technical System is a <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/OOTS/Architecture" target="_blank">technical framework</a> for data sharing. When completing an online procedure, EU citizens and businesses will be able to make an (explicit) request to retrieve official documents or data (known as ‘evidence’) from a public authority in one Member State, such as for a diploma or driving license, and have it automatically exchanged with a competent authority in another EU country (such as educational institutions, population registers, company registers etc.).</p>
<p>Development teams from the Commission and Member States are building the core infrastructure of the Once-Only Technical System (the “Common Services” and other elements). Public authorities who act as the authentic data sources of the evidence that will be exchanged through the Once-Only Technical System will now connect themselves to the System, finally allowing the automated exchange of evidence within the Single Market.</p>
<p>Future Once-Only Forums will take place between now and February 2024. Sign up to contribute to Forums looking at:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/OOTS/once-only+forum+event+students+and+recent+graduates" target="_blank">Administrative procedures related to studying abroad</a> (1 December 2023 & 12 January 2024);</li>
<li><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/OOTS/once-only+forum+event+expats" target="_blank">Administrative procedures related to moving abroad</a> (15 December 2023 & 26 January 2024).</li>
</ul> | 