Single Digital Gateway
European Regulation 2018/1724 (SDG) offers the opportunity for public administrations to provide a new experience of using their services, simplifying them and standardizing their access to European citizens and businesses.
The goals
The goals
The Single Digital Gateway (SDG) project is an initiative based on the European Regulation 2018/1724, aimed at facilitating access to information (Annex I of the regulation) and a range of online public services (Annex II of the regulation) aimed at citizens and businesses within the European Digital Single Market. The Single Digital Gateway, within Annex II, defines 21 procedures that each European member state has translated into national administrative procedures made available in a fully digital manner to European citizens and businesses with the aim of ensuring their online access and facilitating their use according to the "Once only" principle.
Simplify access to public information and services
Simplify access to public information and services
The Single Digital Gateway aims to reduce complexity and simplify access to online public services for European citizens and businesses, enabling them to access information and services more intuitively and efficiently.
Interoperability
Interoperability
The Single Digital Gateway aims to reduce complexity and simplify access to online public services for European citizens and businesses, enabling them to access information and services more intuitively and efficiently.
Digitizing public services
Digitizing public services
The use of services, which have been made accessible and can be requested entirely online, is faster by managing them digitally and applying the "Once only" principle whereby only data not already held by the public administration is requested from users.
The Once Only principle is enabled through the Once only technical system (OOTS) of retrieving data and/or documents automatically in the possession of public administrations in a member state.
Implementation steps
Implementation steps
Below are the main steps shared at the European level for the implementation of the Single Digital Gateway.
Entry into force of the EU Single Digital Gateway Regulation
To facilitate the citizens of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopt EU Regulation 2018/1724 establishing a single digital gateway. (Implementation Annex I)
Publication of online information
December 12, 2020 Your Europe becomes the single point of access to information, procedures and support services for EU citizens and businesses. The web portal provides up-to-date online information of services and allows redirection to the individual Procedure Portal providing them. (Implementation Annex I)
Adoption of the "Once-only" principle
The Commission adopts Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1463 laying down the technical and operational specifications for the cross-border exchange of datasets and/or documents through the adoption of the "Once-only" principle whereby citizens and businesses will provide their data to public authorities only once, and the latter will be able to dialogue, exchanging, at the user's request, data and official documents. (Implementation Annex II)
Digitization of procedures
December 12, 2023 completes the digitization of procedures under the Regulations for European citizens and businesses to access services. (Implementation Annex II)
AgID's role and implementation in Italy
AgID's role and implementation in Italy
The Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) is the implementing entity responsible for the national technical coordination of the SDG regulation. It has been instrumental in the implementation of the European Plan for the establishment of the Single Digital Gateway (SDG) in Italy, both by accompanying Public Administrations in the process of design and development of the national infrastructure, necessary to ensure interoperability between Public Administrations in Italy and with other member states, and in the digitization of the services affected by the Single Digital Gateway.
The implementation of the regulation in Italy is linked to PNRR measure M1C1 investment 1.3.2.
Analysis of the project implementation context
With the support of the Department of European Policies, AgID has identified the Public Administrations affected by the Single Digital Gateway and identified with each of them the administrative processes related to the procedures indicated within Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 through an exploration phase.
Definition of scopes
Grouping of the 21 EU procedures associated with the same functional domain (e.g., Studies, Social Security, etc.).
Engagement of Public Administrations
Activities to identify competent Italian Public Administrations for EU procedures according to the identified areas.
Identification of administrative procedures
Identification of administrative processes underlying the procedures specified within Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724.
Support and useful tools offered to Public Administrations
AgID has provided support to Public Administrations in the process of digitizing services, providing them with the tools and helping them identify the necessary adjustments to be applied within their information systems to be compliant with the requirements of the European Regulation.
Adoption of the OOTS automatic retrieval system
The Once Only Technical System (OOTS) Automatic Retrieval System is a set of interacting technical systems of the Member States and the European Commission that enables automatic retrieval of data and/or documents directly from a European Member State's public administration body. It is based on the "once only" or "once only" principle, according to which citizens and businesses will provide their data to public authorities only once, and these authorities will be able to dialogue, exchanging official data and documents at the user's request.
Italian eIDAS node implementation
AgID has been working to ensure citizens' online access to public services at the European level through the implementation of the Italian eIDAS Node, which plays a key role in managing electronic identification and authentication. The Italian eIDAS Node acts as an intermediary between online service providers and the eID systems of EU member states. This means that European citizens with national digital identities recognized under eIDAS are guaranteed access to Italian Public Administration services.
Creation of the Service Catalogue
AgID was responsible for the creation of the Services Catalog, a portal that serves as a connection point between the Your Europe portal and the Italian Public Administration Portals and brings together in an intuitive way all the administrative procedures involved in the SDG project. It is designed to simplify users' search for and access to services, adapting to each person's personal and professional needs, directing them to the services they are interested in, and providing them with information on how to use them, the requirements needed to use them, and access to the Entities' portals.
Creation of National Preview Space
Along with the Service Catalogue, the National Preview Space was designed and developed, a space that, during the compilation and collection of data needed to complete procedures within the specific Public Administration Portals, allows users to preview documents identified by the automated OOTS system and retrieve them.
AgID has organized webinars on the processes to follow for digitization:
The new digital experience
The new digital experience
From the simplification and digitization of public administration services comes a new digital experience.
For European citizens and enterprises
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Search for the service you are interested in and get the information easily
By browsing the Your Europe portal and Service Catalog, you can browse procedures and locate services provided by government agencies by accessing up-to-date information.
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Login to the Public Administration portal and retrieve data through the automated OOTS system
Log on to the Public Administration Portal, use the digital tools provided to retrieve the requested data and/or documents already held by the PA (Once-only Principle) automatically.
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Complete the application
Enter all the necessary data and apply fully digitally.
For Public Administration
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Facilitates service identification
Use the Service Catalog to survey the services covered by the Single Digital Gateway project and make them more easily found by European citizens and businesses.
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Offer full information
Make available to European citizens and businesses all essential information inherent in the services, including the requirements for completing the application, the documentation needed, how to apply, and the expected timelines.
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Automates documents retrieval
While using the service you make data and/or documents retrieval available to European citizens and enterprises through the automated OOTS system.
The project monitoring
The project monitoring
AgID, in addition to accompanying the Public Administrations in achieving the project objectives, monitors the data collected from the project implementation. Monitoring is an essential activity for collecting results, assessing impacts and identifying how to make improvements.