Introduction
The 'Electronic Governance 2021-2025' strategy, drawn up jointly by the Ministry for Digitalisation and the Government IT Centre (CTIE), was adopted by the Government Council early in 2021.
One of the key areas of focus of the Ministry for Digitalisation aims at reinforcing eGovernment and enabling the transition to digital government, a concept that covers the use of technologies as part of the strategies to modernise the State, the purpose being to create genuine added value for citizens, businesses, and public authorities.
The 'Electronic Governance 2021-2025' strategy is part of this approach, determining the essential elements of the State's successful digital transition in order to provide the citizens with access to quality digital services and ensure the gradual transition to digital governance, as advocated by international bodies.
High quality online public services
The strategy for 2021-2025 highlights a number of principles to be complied with when public services are digitalised, so that citizens and businesses can be offered public services that meet their needs. It involves promoting cross-cutting digital accessibility, developing user-driven services, offering attractive online public services, and investing in public confidence in online services operated by the State.
Towards a fully digital administration
The strategy goes on to analyse the essential conditions required by the central civil service administration enabling it to meet society's needs efficiently. The fundamental aims of digitalisation are to facilitate the transition to an efficient paperless administration and to provide an IT environment that is conducive to new working methods. The strategy also emphasises the importance of being able to rely on a central IT partner that is competent, agile and dependable. To achieve this, the CTIE aims to reinforce its digitalisation services, develop leading-edge infrastructures, and guarantee very high levels of security and reliability.
The 6 principles for the development of an efficient eAdministration
6 key principles make it possible to guide and support the digitalisation of public services and ensure that online public services meet the needs of society: Once Only, Digital by Default, inclusion and accessibility, openness and transparency, reliability and security, interoperability and standardisation. These 6 principles will constitute the foundation for specific actions and initiatives accompanying Luxembourg's public administration in its digital transition.
The principles of Once Only, Digital by Default and transparency have been core elements of the Luxembourg Government's strategy since 2015. The strategy for 2021-2015 adds 3 new principles: inclusion and accessibility, reliability and security, and interoperability. The principle of interoperability is supplemented by a standardisation component.
Once Only
The public authorities will consistently reuse data already requested from a citizen or a business in order to offer straightforward, speedy procedures and improve the quality of the data that forms the basis for effective customised services. The reuse of data will only take place if the citizen or business has explicitly agreed to this.
Digital by default
The public authorities will eventually offer an electronic alternative for all their services. Their internal flows of information will be dematerialised, which will enable administrations to gain a thorough knowledge of the files and to process them more efficiently.
Inclusion and accessibility
Human beings, their abilities and their needs are placed at the centre of the efforts to create better online public services that are readily accessible, wherever the user may be and whatever the level of their abilities and tools at their disposal.
Openness and transparency
Direct dialogue with citizens and businesses is emphasised in order to offer innovative services by means of public participation and technological exchanges with the private sector.
Reliability and security
The State guarantees that the interaction of citizens and businesses with the public authorities takes place in a secure and reliable environment that is compliant with applicable legal standards. They will have the benefit of data protection of the highest level as well as readily available quality online services.
Interoperability and standardisation
The State's IT systems will need to be compatible among themselves and promote the exchange of data both between public sector bodies and between the public and private sectors, while guaranteeing that private data is respected. The public authorities will benefit from better quality data, dematerialised collaborative organisational flows, and the agility to develop new services.