On 12-13 December 2022, members of the Single Digital Gateway coordination group met in Brussels to discuss the implementation of the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS). This meeting was followed by the second OOTS Implementers Café, an open webinar for anyone interested in the Once-Only Technical System, especially national implementers connecting services to the Once-Only Technical System.

In both events, participants noted that with 12 months to go until the Once-Only Technical System Implementation deadline, the project has entered a critical phase.

During the SDG coordination meeting the Commission informed Member States about the availability of Once-Only Hub to help support national efforts to implement the Once-Only Technical System. Several Member States presented their national implementation plans, sharing ideas and approaches with participants. Commission staff also provided feedback from the various sub-groups, groups of national experts who are working on specific themes, such as evidence mapping and testing & deployment.

To support the Member States implement the Once-Only Technical System, the European Commission is organising a series of ‘OOTS Projectathons’ in 2023. These are three-day events where national teams will connect various systems and perform a marathon of peer-to-peer interoperability and compliance tests in a structured environment. The Commission presented the first draft of the OOTS Projectathon Playbook, which explains the objectives, format and general details of participating in an OOTS Projectathon.

The Implementers Café also presented the eDelivery building block. The Once-Only Technical System will reuse eDelivery access points to create a virtual secure network, establishing cross-domain and cross-sector interoperability across the EU.

On 31 January 2023, the third OOTS Implementers Café will look at the eID building block, and how reuse of eID and the eIDAS network to electronically identify users across Europe using their national eID means. You can sign-up here.

The Once-Only Technical System is a technical framework for data sharing. As of the end of 2023, citizens and businesses will be able to request official documents (known as “evidence”) to complete administrative procedures allowing people to study, work, live and retire in other EU countries. The decentralised architecture connects public authorities, so they can exchange evidence at the citizen's or business' request. You can keep up to date with the Implementation of this technical system on the Once-Only Hub.