We are happy to share that EU Member State ministers in charge of government digitalisation signed the Berlin Declaration on Digital Society on 8 December 2020. The signing took place as part of the online EU2020 High-Level Conference on Value-Based Digital Transformation in Europe organised by the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Declaration aims to contribute to a value-based digital transformation by addressing and strengthening digital participation and digital inclusion in our societies.

Building on the achievements of the Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment, the signatories will work with the European Commission and the EU institutions to build a reinforced EU digital government policy and a future interoperability policy. The Berlin Declaration aims to help firmly anchor the core European values and fundamental rights as drivers and enablers of the digital transformation of the Member States' own public administrations and society, to strengthen the digital participation and the EU's digital sovereignty.

The Declaration marks continued political commitment at EU level on a few, but significant, priority areas for the digital transformation of society and the public sector. The actions to be undertaken in each country are meant to ensure inclusive, high quality, user-centric, interoperable digital public services for citizens and businesses.

The Berlin Declaration is the result of the close cooperation between the German Presidency of the Council of the EU, European Commission services and the European Union Informal Network of Chief Information Officers (CIOs), including Member States’ representatives responsible for digitalisation and the Directorate-General for Informatics (DIGIT), which is representing the European Commission in the CIOs network. The German Presidency closely cooperated with the future French Presidency of the Council of the EU to ensure political follow-up at the highest level in 2022.

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