Towards a single EU digital space: eGA experts took part in the OOTS Forum in Malta

Ukraine continues its preparations for integration into the European digital space. On 11–12 June, representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the State Enterprise ‘National Information Systems’ and the e-Governance Academy took part in a forum in Malta dedicated to the implementation of the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS).

The event brought together Single Digital Gateway (SDG) coordinators, representatives of EU governing bodies, and teams responsible for implementing the ‘once-only’ principle in their countries.

“We have the necessary technical capabilities and a firm commitment to implementing this technology in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian documents are already available in electronic form, and digitalisation in Ukraine is developing rapidly across all sectors each year. The implementation of the ‘Once-Only’ principle is a logical continuation of our digitalisation strategy,” noted Olga Riabukha, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for Digitalisation.

The Single Digital Gateway is the single digital access point to public services in the European Union. One of the key components of this system is OOTS — an infrastructure that enables public authorities in different countries to exchange data securely, with the user’s consent. As a result, citizens and businesses do not need to resubmit documents or verify information that is already held in public registers.

“Within the DT4UA project, the e-Governance Academy supports Ukraine in implementing European interoperability standards and integration into the EU’s digital infrastructure. In particular, the project team is working on preparations for the implementation of the Single Digital Gateway and the Once-Only Technical System, as well as the development of cross-border interaction between the state registers of Ukraine and the European Union’s states,” noted Denys Pryharin, Senior expert at the e-Governance Academy. 

During the Forum, participants discussed the next steps for connecting Ukraine to the EU member states’ electronic systems, as well as testing interim solutions for EU candidate countries.

For Ukraine, participation in the development of the SDG and OOTS is a key component of digital European integration. This is particularly relevant for the millions of Ukrainians who currently live or study in European Union countries and use public services abroad.