Member State Interview

The Once-Only view from France

In December 2022, we spoke to Mr Jonathan Attia to gain first-hand insights into the implementation of the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS) in France. As of the end of 2023, the Once-Only Technical System will streamline cross-border online procedures by allowing citizens and businesses to supply the same data to public authorities only once.

Ensuring that the quality of the system, and service, is a high priority for Jonathan: “we really must always keep in mind the experience of the end user. That's what drives everything in fact”. Jonathan reiterated his commitment to keep “high availability and high performance”. This is the key to building an even more ambitious system. “Because we want to be able to say to other [EU Member] States and to tell the European Commission that we are working for the [European] citizen. We want that when citizens connect, will have a satisfaction that this will enable politicians to engage more funds to develop this digital Europe”.

The European perspective

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”.

He continues that “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”. 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 group]”.

Jonathan see’s the Once-Only Technical System, and projects like it, part of what can make Europe a true digital global leader. “The Same people who will make the European data centre, these will be the same people who will develop maybe a European Google”. He continued “We start with the procedures relating to citizens, but then can extend this initiative to [other] use cases”. 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”.

For Jonathan, Europe’s ability to innovate and cooperate is its strength. But he feels that regulating alone is not enough. “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”.

His message is undeniably positive: “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”.

Implementation in France

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.

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 “there are obviously procedures that are identified by the Single Digital Gateway Regulation [SDGR (EU) 2018/1724], 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”.

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.

We thanked Jonathan for his time and the conversation.

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.

Thomas Fillis & Michael Ulrich, Once-Only Technical System Team (DIGIT-EXT)