Digitalization of administrative services: Yes, but with the maintenance of “paper” recourse and physical counters

SOCIETE

BELGIAN

NAMUR. Two weeks ago, the Walloon Parliament voted unanimously in Commission in favor of the two preliminary draft decrees carried by the Minister of Administrative Simplification and aimed at strengthening the use of digital communications with the administration. From now on, in order to promote the digitalization of services, electronic communications between users and the administration are automatically provided as soon as means are offered to be contacted by this means: e-mail address, online form, dedicated portal . The adopted texts, however, provide for a proposal to guarantee full accessibility of public services to users in precarious situations or digital divide, namely the possibility of using paper for administrative procedures.

“The digitalization of services is an essential step to succeeding in the challenge of administrative simplification. But this digitalization must not lead to an amplification of the digital divide. It cannot distance citizens from public services,” explains the Walloon Minister of Administrative Simplification Jacqueline Galant. And continues: “Alerted in recent weeks by citizens and local elected officials and deputies from all sides on this subject, the text which will be voted on in plenary next week will provide, more clearly, the possibility of continuing to use the paper and physical route while deploying digital services”, underlines the Minister.

The two preliminary draft decrees voted on in the Commission two weeks ago had been initiated by the previous Minister of Administrative Simplification, Valérie De Bue. “These texts, which I am carrying today, are clearly in line with the Government's policy: by promoting digitalization, we wish to simplify the lives of users and services, by making administration simpler and more efficient,” explains Jacqueline Galant

The digitalization of procedures is becoming the norm

By bringing the preliminary draft decrees to Parliament, the Minister of the Civil Service is accelerating the digitalization of the Walloon administration for more accessible and more efficient public services, which meet the expectations of all users.

All administrative procedures must now be able to be done online with, in the long term, the objective of having a single personalized digital portal which brings together all the information and all the services useful to citizens.

The text plans to maintain the possibility of using the “paper” route and physical counters.

During the vote on these two preliminary draft decrees aimed at facilitating online procedures and simplifying the lives of users, their vote in plenary session this week, Parliament will have the opportunity to ratify that, from now on, the digitalization of procedures becomes the norm, no longer the exception.
The legal bases in force, which will therefore be repealed, provide that the public authority is free to decide on a case-by-case basis which documents it wishes to communicate electronically or receive by this means.

Facilitate online procedures

Today, faced with the increasing digitalization of society, the administration must adapt and offer citizens, businesses and associations who so wish the possibility of carrying out as many procedures as possible online.

“I speak of “users who wish” because the text also provides for maintaining the possibility of using the “paper” route and physical counters, to avoid excluding certain audiences. It is therefore not a question of “digital by default” and this principle is enshrined in the decree and confirmed by an amendment desired by the majority and the opposition. continues Minister Galant.

Finally, still with a view to reducing the digital divide, the texts provide that the Government can take initiatives in different sectors aimed at providing maximum support to users in the context of online procedures, and thus reduce the digital divide. “I intend to take such initiatives in good agreement with the Minister in charge of Digital”she concludes.

J.M.

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