OECD Peer Review of E-Government in Denmark - ePractice.eu

Supporting collaboration 1: Co-ordination of e-government policies and projects
Overall, Denmark’s current arrangements for top-level co-ordination of e-government have made
a significant contribution to its achievements, and there is strong support, both within and outside
government, for continuation of these arrangements beyond 2006. Although no major problems have
surfaced, there does seem to be room for further clarification of institutional responsibilities, and
reduction of any duplication of roles among those organisations providing co-ordination.
Since revision of the e-government strategy in 2004, there has been a notable increase in efforts
to develop all-of-government co-ordination frameworks and common ICT infrastructures, particularly
the Danish enterprise architecture and its associated technical standards. While there is almost
universal agreement and acceptance of the need to base the public sector’s use of ICT on these
mechanisms, there has not yet been a uniform move by organisations to align with and implement
them. As noted above, a significant number of commentators are suggesting that adoption of these
frameworks should become mandatory. Some consideration of incentives organisations face in this
regard may also be warranted.
Supporting collaboration 2: Common ICT infrastructures
Denmark has also been active in developing common ICT infrastructures that support
e-government collaboration. Two particularly interesting examples of such systems outlined below are
the Civil Registration System (CRS), and the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
The Civil Registration System
The Civil Registration System (CRS) is an example of how public registers have developed into a
consolidated ICT infrastructure that provides Danes with a personal identification number used for
dealing with government. The entire public sector uses these identification numbers and the CRS for
many administrative purposes. It is also used for a variety of reasons by the private sector (under
tightly proscribed arrangements).
The CRS is a core part of the e-government environment, providing Denmark with a significant
advantage in developing more user-focused services. The long-standing existence of the CRS has had
two other major benefits. First, it has readied public servants for the introduction of e-government by
getting them used to relying on common stores of data that have been developed on the basis of a
“collect once, use many times” principle. Second, it has enabled Danes to develop high levels of
experience and trust in government’s ability to collect, store and use their personal information
without compromising their privacy, preparing them for wider introduction of data sharing in support
of e-government.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
To date, PKI implementations in OECD countries have been challenging due to their complexity,
risk and high costs, which become especially acute when the size of the PKI user base is expanded
beyond relatively small numbers. It is an area of e-government where some significant failures have
been seen in recent years. This is not the case in Denmark, which has recently implemented a working
PKI and is using digital signatures in delivering services to both individuals and businesses.
Digital signatures are now also being used by both citizens and businesses to access a growing
range of e-government services, and uptake is constantly increasing. A goal of the current
e-government strategy is that, by 2006, at least 1.1 million digital signatures will be issued to citizens
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