Digital Services (IT0065)

Background and objectives

Digital technologies are gradually transforming organizational processes in public administration and, consequently, online service delivery. Such transformation requires a strong central government support and an adequate involvement of and active and professional community and civil society, to improve processes leading to digital service delivery in public administration.

Digital transition in Italian public administrations is the result of a long process and, like any other reform process it requires initiatives that produce a major impact both on PA processes and on the level of awareness among citizens and businesses.
Digitalization can only exit when there is simplification. It unites and improves the life of those who really feel engaged in a renewal process.

Process reengineering is the primary objective of a digitalization process with citizens and businesses at the core.

The “once only” principle (citizens cannot be vehicles of data for public administrations that are unable to talk to each other) has to be the compass orienting a more human digitalization process every day, a process based on common sense, satisfaction and real efficiency of the services we work to deliver.

Commitments

This action focuses on three main activities:
- dissemination of digital services, including through the Coordinators for digital transition, to promote the diffusion of initiatives, processes and platforms enabling and simplifying the relationship between citizens and businesses and central and local public administration;
- actions, including through initiatives and solutions based on emerging technologies, which produce a real benefit to citizens (i.e. trusted chain, transparency when interacting with citizens, etc.);
- promoting public digital services by implementing awareness-raising initiatives in PA, including in cooperation with the Department for Information, to promote digital services and knowledge among citizens and businesses.

Lead Administration
Agency for Digital Italy (AGID) – Daniela Intravaia

Other administrations involved
• Agency of Customs and Monopolies, CONSIP, Department for EU Policies (PCM – DPE), DG for Students, Development and Internationalization of Higher Education (DGSINFS – MIUR), INPS, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economics and Finance (MEF), Unioncamere
• Puglia Region
• City of Rome

Monitoring contact person from the Open Government Forum University of Salerno – Daniela Vellutino

9. Digital services

9. Digital services

Completion: Substantial

Milestones 9.1–9.5 (AgID): According to the self-assessment, the government appointed a Minister for Innovation, which changed the implementation of some of the originally-envisaged actions. AgID reports it used its website and social media channels to disseminate information about SPID (Italy’s public digital identity system) and its specific services. There is no information available about the numbers of people reached through dissemination. AgID has included help on SPID communications in territory agreements with the Emilia Romagna, Puglia, and Lazio regions. The self-assessment also reports that the City of Rome is using AgID’s communication digital services kits and support tools. [126]

Milestone 9.6 (DGSINFS-MIUR): The Diplome ‘wallet’ is available online. [127] There are no statistics available on usage.

Milestones 9.7–9.9 (Agency of Customs and Monopolies): The self-assessment states that the agency developed a prototype process to track an alcohol product using blockchain and aims to finish developing online functions to submit requests and manage the product movement by the end of 2021. [128] The agency enabled an electronic payments system using the pagoPA system beginning February 2021. [129]

Milestones 9.10 and 9.11 (MAECI): The FAST IT platform, offering consular services online to Italian citizens, now includes new services such as the ability to change residency to another country or district. [130] It is unclear if MAECI took any awareness-raising actions.

Milestones 9.12–9.14 (PCM – DPE): PCM-DPE integrated the “eTranslation” software (translations are also checked by a professional) and it’s in use on the Department for European Policies website. [131] The translation process is still being worked on and is not yet available for other administrations.

Milestones 9.15–9.18 (PCM – DPF): There is no evidence in the self-assessment or the online repository for georeferencing of children’s education services, nor for innovations facilitating subsidies for newborns and childcare. A manual for supporting childcare professionals was published before the adoption of the action plan. [132] The Department of Family Policy’s website lists the contact details of individuals and organizations who are part of the active-aging network. [133]

Milestones 9.19–9.21 (Unioncamere): In continuation of existing activities, the self-assessment reports that Unioncamere continued sending informational emails to companies every six months, containing information related to digital business services. It also states that Unioncamere held 140 information events between May and November 2019. [134]

Milestones 9.22–9.32 (Puglia Region, City of Rome): The Puglia Region reports in the self-assessment that it integrated SPID into nearly all its regional services which are now available online, and is continuing to update its catalogue of digital services and integrate more authorization procedures with SPID. [135] The self-assessment reports that the pandemic delayed the availability of CIE, CNS, and SPID digital identity systems for City of Rome services until January 2021. [136] The PagoPA online payments system is available but still being implemented. [137] The self-assessment reports not having completed Milestone 9.31 on developing Rome’s application solutions to deliver common services to various subsystems. The self-assessment reports that Rome updated its services to citizens and businesses to be compliant with usability and accessibility standards. [138]

Additional Milestones 9.A1–9.A5 (Ministry of Education): The Ministry of Education added to the original action plan five more milestones under Commitment 9. These sought to update students and schools about COVID-19 rules, support distance learning during the pandemic, promote the development of digital skills in education and adult education, and promote social awareness on cybersecurity and digital citizenship. The self-assessment asserts that online updates were constantly made on COVID-19 requirements; that pupils from all levels of public education received 600,000 devices to facilitate distance learning; that students in hospitals, prisons, and adult students received devices for distance learning; and that the Ministry of Education launched “Schools” and “GoDigital” channels on social media (Facebook had 11k followers, Instagram had 1.7k followers).