The European Parliament has praised the European online administration action plan presented by the European Commission a year ago. In a non-legislative resolution, MEPs called for an “open, efficient and integrated” digital administration.
It should be recalled that the new Commission strategy for the 2016-20 period outlines a certain number of principles to which future initiatives must adhere. It is advocating a dynamic and flexible approach that helps it to keep up to speed in a rapidly changing environment and, in this regard, sets out the actions undertaken in 2016 and 2017.
MEPs support the principles listed by the Commission. They are particularly keen on the “digital by default” principle, according to which services should be proposed in a digital format whenever it is possible, as well as the “once and for all” principle whereby citizens and businesses should not be required to provide identical information on different occasions. They also welcome the Commission’s determination to introduce a digital one-stop service as soon as possible.
The report drafted by Sabine Verheyen (EPP, Germany) goes much further, however, and calls on the Commission to identify the specific and quantifiable objectives for the action plan on the basis of performance indicators, monitoring the accomplishment of these goals and the presentation of annual reports action plan application. It calls on the member states to assess the possibilities for developing mobile solutions for online administrative services, given that only a third of these services are adapted to mobile devices.
The report was adopted by 570 votes in favour, 70 against, with 36 abstentions and offers its support for “open data”: it reaffirms that the free, open and inclusive circulation of data will help to foster and create new and novel solutions and help strengthen efficiency and transparency. It also highlights the need for connectivity in rural areas and qualified administrative staff. An appeal is also made for further examination of the data ownership principle in the knowledge that only 15% of Europeans feel that they have total control of their personal data.
The action plan can be consulted at:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2016/0179/COM_COM (2016)0179_EN.pdf. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)