EU-wide digital once-only principle for citizens and businesses : policy options and their impacts : final report

Action 16 of the Digital Single Market strategy calls for improved cooperation among national systems to ensure that "businesses and individuals only have to communicate their data once to public administrations". This report: takes stock of current data re-use in national and cross-border interactions with public administrations; explores gaps and barriers affecting prospects for a EU-wide digital Once-Only Principle (OOP); identifies policy objectives and options; and analyses their impacts on key stakeholders under different possible scenarios (considering the very different circumstances of businesses and of individuals). The study found: 1- Broad support for OOP in general, but wide variation in maturity across Europe; 2- Many initiatives and legislative measures that are likely to simplify implementation of EU-wide OOP; 3- Significant evidence gaps on costs and benefits, especially beyond Member State level. EU-wide OOP will require a legal basis (Directive at EU level) to support exchange of data for the purposes of the Once-Only Principle (Recommendation 1). An EU-wide coordinated "proactive encouragement" strategy is likely to provide the most effective and beneficial stimulus to balanced and sustainable progress. For this, an EU-wide taskforce is to be set up to advance mutual learning, appropriate convergence and coordination. (Recommendation 2). In order to ensure effective implementation, we propose an approach based on access to an interoperable and clearly-described collection of base registries (Recommendation 3).