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!