Two weeks ago, the Walloon Parliament voted unanimously in Committee in favour of the two draft decrees put forward by the Minister for Administrative Simplification, aimed at strengthening the use of digital communication with the administration. From now on, to encourage the digitalisation of services, electronic communications between users and the administration will automatically be provided for whenever means are offered to be contacted this way: email address, online form, dedicated portal. “These texts, initiated by my predecessor Valérie De Bue and which I am now carrying forward, clearly align with the Government's policy: by encouraging digitalisation, we want to simplify life for users and services, making the administration simpler and more efficient”, explains the Minister for Administrative Simplification, Jacqueline Galant.
The adopted texts do, however, include a proposal to guarantee full accessibility of public services to users in precarious situations or facing the digital divide: the possibility of using the paper route for administrative procedures: “The digitalisation of services is an essential step in meeting the challenge of administrative simplification. But this digitalisation must not widen the digital divide. It must not push citizens away from public services. I have been alerted in recent weeks by citizens, local elected representatives and MPs from all sides about this. The text that will be voted on in plenary next week will more clearly provide for the possibility of continuing to use the paper and physical route while rolling out digital services”, the Minister stresses.
Work on a shock of administrative simplification continues
By bringing the draft decrees before Parliament, the Minister for the Civil Service is accelerating the digitalisation of the Walloon administration for more accessible and efficient public services that meet the expectations of all users.
All administrative procedures must now be available online, with the long-term goal of having a single personalised digital portal bringing together all the information and services useful to citizens.
The two draft decrees, aimed at making online procedures easier and simplifying life for users, have just been unanimously adopted in Committee. When voted on in plenary this week, Parliament will have the opportunity to confirm that the digitalisation of procedures is now becoming the norm, no longer the exception.
The current legal bases, which will subsequently be repealed, allow public authorities to decide on a case-by-case basis which documents they wish to communicate or receive electronically.
Today, faced with the growing digitalisation of society, the administration must adapt and offer citizens, businesses and associations who wish to, the possibility of carrying out as many procedures as possible online.
"I speak of 'users who wish to' because the text also provides for keeping the possibility of using the paper route and physical counters, so as to avoid excluding certain groups. This is therefore not about 'digital by default', and this principle is enshrined in the decree and confirmed by an amendment sought by both majority and opposition", explains Minister Jacqueline Galant.
"Finally, still with the aim of reducing the digital divide, the texts provide that the Government may take initiatives in various sectors to support users as much as possible with online procedures, thereby reducing the digital divide. I certainly intend to take such initiatives in close cooperation with the Minister responsible for Digitalisation", concludes Minister Jacqueline Galant.
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