Going digital: no more physical mail in Denmark Stephanie Piontek 6 June 2016

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MYSELF • Stephanie Piontek

• Political officer in the Danish Agency for Digitisation, Centre for User Experience and Implementation

• Implementation of mandatory Digital Post (digital message-box) and mandatory digital self-service solutions in Denmark

• In regular contact with public authorities and citizen interest organisations concerning implementation of Digital Post

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AGENDA OF TODAY Implementing Digital Post in Denmark

1. Timeline: The Danish Digital Post journey 2. Why did we introduce Digital Post? 3. How did we implement Digital Post? 4. How was it possible to implement Digital Post? 5. Conclusion: Where are we today?

6. Current challenges and learning points? 7. The future… and the Next Generation Digital Post

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DANISH DIGITAL POST JOURNEY 2016: Today

2005

2001

 Citizens can send e-  mails to public authorities  e-Boks A/S launches private message-box solution

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2007

2010

Paychecks from  Common  public authorities public digital sent via e-Boks’s infrastructure private solution

2012

2013

2014 2015

Launch of  1.11:  “The Mandatory State’s Digital Document Post for  Communication private Box” between public companies (Digital sector and Post v.1) citizens/companies can be digital  Danish Parliament passes Act on Mandatory public Digital Post

1.11:Man -datory Digital Post for citizens

2020

 Next Generation Digital Post

 Public authorities send 86.5 mio. Digital Post letters

WHY DID WE INTRODUCE DIGITAL POST?  Modernise public service delivery  Economic gains (reallocate funds to education, health sector etc.)  Danish e-Government Strategy 2011-2015 (80 % of communication between the public sector and citizens/companies must be digital)

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WHY DID WE INTRODUCE DIGITAL POST? CONT. 1. Economical/administrative incentives • Cut public spending on postage, letters, envelopes, printing. • Fewer administrative work-hours in public authorities.

= the public sector could save 133 million EURO (est.) pr. year

by full phase-in (2016) 2. End-user incentives • Citizens can have public post gathered in one place, accessible from everywhere.

• Post on time.

3. Security incentives • Safe and encrypted communication channel (you target exact citizen or company).

(4. Environmental gains) 6

HOW DID WE IMPLEMENT DIGITAL POST? 1.First step was to establish the legal framework • Danish Public Digital Post Act passed in 2012. • Mandatory for citizens (above age of 15 with a social security number) to receive Digital Post from public authorities (1 November 2014). • Mandatory for private companies (with a business registration number) to receive Digital Post from public authorities (1 November 2013). • Physical and digital letters have equal legal effect. • Not mandatory for public authorities to send Digital Post. • Possibility of temporary or permanent exemption from Digital Post.

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HOW DID WE IMPLEMENT DIGITAL POST? CONT. 2. Step was to find a provider of the Public Digital Post solution:

• We chose not to have an in-house solution.

• A private supplier was found through public procurement = e-Boks A/S.

• e-Boks’ free digital mail solution had been available for more than a decade (3.8 million registered users in mid 2014).

• In 2015 e-Boks once again won the public procurement and will supply the public solution until 2019 (potentially).

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HOW DID WE IMPLEMENT DIGITAL POST? CONT. 3. Step was to carry out a nation-wide implementation process:

• Prepare app. 4,7 million citizens to receive Digital Post or get exempted. • Prepare app. 660.000 companies to receive Digital Post or get exempted. • Prepare around 170 state institutions to receive and send Digital Post. • Prepare 98 municipalities to receive and send Digital Post and exempt. • Prepare 5 regions (hospital-sector) to receive and send Digital Post.

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Preparing citizens (and companies) •

national communication campaigns

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targeted campaigns (elderly, young people, etc.)

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help and support set-up (national and local)

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notification letter

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other awareness activities (workshops, digital ambassadors, competitions etc).

Preparing public authorities (and interest organisations) •

guidance and support

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facilitation of knowledge sharing (networks, information meetings etc.)

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HOW DID WE IMPLEMENT DIGITAL POST? CONT. Governance: • Huge cross public sector exercise = need for continuous coordination between public sector parties

• Responsibility for preparing citizens/companies divided between local, regional and state institutions. • Different social and interest organisations took an active part as well. • Responsibility for preparing the public authorities divided between representatives of the local, regional and state level. • The initial implementation process is concluded, but we are still in a transitional phase.

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HOW WAS IT POSSIBLE TO IMPLEMENT DIGITAL POST? Important conditions for success:

• A digital population to begin with (90% has internet access and a computer) • Political backing and consensus when it comes to public digitalisation projects and investments.

• A tradition for working with cross public sector e-Government strategies. • We implemented a digital post solution already in place.

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CONCLUSION: WHERE ARE WE TODAY? • 4.3 million citizens (89%) receive Digital Post from public authorities

• 527.457 (11%) are exempt from Digital Post (still receive physical letters) • 680.000 private companies receive Digital Post from public authorities • 190.502 (4,5%) have not logged onto Digital Post during the last 6 months • In 2015 public authorities sent 86.5 million Digital Post messages • 77 % of letters from public authorities are being sent as Digital Post (2015) • 81 % of citizens are satisfied with Digital Post (up from 76 % in 2015)

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CONCLUSION: WHERE ARE WE TODAY? CONT. • We have gone digital! • Citizens have to a large extent embraced Digital Post • Public authorities are sending more and more post as Digital Post • The technical solution has proven very stable (few major incidents)

But challenges remain…

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CURRENT CHALLENGES AND LEARNING POINTS • Digital Post to private companies not entirely successful (especially one-man businesses)

• 4,5% do not check their Digital Post

• Physical letters still being sent(due to e.g. legal barriers, technical barriers, old habits etc.)

• Digital Post solution not well-suited for authority-to-authority communication (lack of standards when it comes to use of attention-formats and meta-data)

• One provider = unsustainable monopoly situation?

• Digital leadership must be on the agenda in public boardrooms! 16

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE? • New e-Government Strategy 2016-2020 has recently been launched.

• Areas of priority:

 Increasingly user-friendly digital services  Digitisation as a means of creating growth  Security and trust in the forefront

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NEXT GENERATION DIGITAL POST Many questions: • What will the next Generation of Digital Post look like? • Will we have one or more private providers?

• What will the private/public partnership dimension look like? • What will the future user-needs look like? • What about the European perspective? Can national message-boxes

communicate across countries?

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NEXT GENERATION DIGITAL POST CURRENT DRAFT 2016

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202X

EU PERSPECTIVE • Multiple Stakeholder Platform for ICT Standards • European Interoperability Reference Architecture • Reference Architecture for Digital Services? Citizen Portals? • Target architectures will very between member states

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Q&A

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! [email protected] [email protected]

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! [email protected] [email protected]

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DIGITAL POST – HOW IT WORKS

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DIGITAL POST – COSTS OF IMPLEMENTATION Difficult to pinpoint the exact costs. Costs for public authorities:

Price for sending a Digital Post letter: 0,03 EURO

 Aquiring the Digital Post solution (less than 200 EURO)  Investment costs in system integrations - input and output management systems (costs vary according to the authority in question)  Costs relating to numbers of messages being sent, size, attachments etc.  Investment costs related to development of organizational skills and abilities

The Agency for Digitisation is responsible for:

Price for sending a paper letter: 2,4 EURO

 Costs relating to operations and developments (through the contract with e-Boks)  Costs relating to the public tender  Other implementation costs (National information campaigns, support activities etc.)

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Communication scenarios Citizen

Company

Public Authority

DP1 NGDP?

Citizen Borger

Ci2Ci

Co2Ci

PA2Ci

Ci2Co

Co2C o

PA2Co

Ci2PA

Co2PA

PA2PA

Company Virksomhed

Public Authority

(The current Digital Post solution was not made for authority to authority communication)

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