Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, coordinates the Digital Europe for All (DE4A) project launched on January 2020 with the aim to support the implementation of the Single Digital Gateway Regulation (SDGR) across Europe ((EU) 2018/1724) to make the digital single market a reality.
The three-year project makes part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme and involves 23 different organizations from 10 Member States. In compliance with the Single Digital Gateway (SDG), the eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020 and the European Interoperability Framework Implementation Strategy, DE4A will ease online access to information, administrative procedures and assistance services for both citizens and businesses across the European Union.
EU citizens and businesses, especially those moving across different EU countries, currently struggle to get a firm understanding of the rules governing their field of action or the steps required to carry out ordinary procedures. Searching for information often proves to be a tiresome and confusing process and information usually is scattered around different websites that don’t provide any reliability. Also, a number of procedures are still paper based only or require making appointments for physical attention and queuing at an office, which can be a waste of time and money for businesses and citizens.
All these obstacles hold back the consolidation of a genuine single market where the free movement of goods, services, capital and people are fully ensured. To address these problems, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation establishing a single digital gateway expected to save companies more than €11 billion per year and boost cross-border activity.
DE4A will develop a Toolkit for extended semantic interoperability and on secure, privacy-preserving and trustworthy realisation of fundamental once-only, relevant-only and digital by default principles for online procedures accessible through the SDG, with a special focus on facilitating migration across borders and sectors while reinforcing trust in public institutions and unleashing multiple impacts on efficiency and reduction of administrative burden and costs.
The project will validate the technologies and solutions developed on three real-life cross border pilots, chosen from the SDGR online administrative procedures:
- Studying abroad – Paperless procedures for facilitating students’ mobility including high education and study grant applications, sharing diplomas and certifications for professional recognition.
- Doing business abroad – Meeting business needs, retrieving and keeping up-to-date company data from authentic sources supporting the economy of European industry.
- Moving abroad – Enabling citizens’ mobility by allowing digital access to process for registering a change of address, requesting civil status certifications and retirement for pension and claims information.
DE4A and its pilots are being coordinated by Atos Spain and its Research & Innovation group, with the Blockchain, Identity and Privacy Unit also working on the design and implementation of trust management models and blockchain support framework for effective disintermediation and notarization that fosters transparency.
“DE4A will contribute towards the implementation of common solutions for the digitalisation of public services in cross-border situations and will create a breakthrough in validating across borders once only principle and SDG procedures with real citizens” mentioned Ana María Piñuela Marcos, Head of the Secure Societies and Societal Transformation Unit.
For more information visit: www.de4a.eu