Digitisation on the agenda in the Annual Budget Agreements

The Annual Budget Agreements for 2021 between the government, KL (Local Government Denmark) and Danish Regions show the way for the joint government collaboration on digitisation. The Budget Agreements show that digitisation and technology continuously provide opportunities for improving welfare and can contribute to alleviating climate challenges.

There are many digital footprints in the Annual Budget Agreements between the government, KL and Danish Regions for 2021. New signature projects on artificial intelligence in the public sector have been initiated, focusing on e.g. minimizing CO2-emissions from buildings as well as detection of acute, critical diseases.

The Annual Budget Agreements also include: New data on My Overview, infrastructure and information security and an agreement on a joint investigation of the opportunities for better public-private collaboration on innovation and new technological solutions.

The parties have moreover decided to continue the discussions on new initiatives and a financial frame for the future joint government collaboration on digitisation in light of the expiration of the current Joint Government Digital Strategy at the end of 2020.

New signature projects

As part of the Digitisation Pact and the Annual Budget Agreements for 2020, the government, KL and Danish Regions established an investment fund for new technologies and digital welfare solutions.

In 2021, the fund will provide 60 million DKK for 13 signature projects on artificial intelligence in municipalities and regions. The new signature projects will provide experience with the potential of artificial intelligence in detecting acute, critical diseases such as sepsis and the possibilities of reducing CO2-emissions by optimizing the use of energy in public buildings.

My Overview

The government, KL and Danish Regions have as part of the Digitisation Pact and the Annual Budget Agreements established My Overview, which will provide the citizens with a digital overview of the most relevant information about themselves and their current cases, payments, deadlines and relevant agreements. My Overview will be expanded in stages until 2024.

The government and KL have agreed that the next steps on the municipal area will include information on selected cases in the job market and employment sector, which will be available during 2021. In addition, selected cases and initiatives in the sector of eldercare will be available during 2021 and 2022. In the central governmental area, tax and passport information will for example be part of My Overview in 2021.

Infrastructure and cyber and information security

The Annual Budget Agreements also include the continuous work with the digital infrastructure, including MitID, the next generation of Digital Post and NemLog-in.

The parties have agreed to raise the level of expenses for the infrastructure, raising the funds for operation, maintenance and development from 141.4 million DKK to 247.4 million DKK yearly from 2021 and onwards. The raised expenses are part of the strategic ambition to secure a stronger public ownership over the solutions and thus create a better framework for the future development of the solutions. In addition, the mailing expenses for Digital Post are centralised, so that government agencies no longer have to settle payments with the service provider individually.

The government, KL and Danish Regions have moreover agreed to establish surveillance and analysis capacities for the healthcare sector. The capacity for analysis will be included in the work with the national strategy for cyber and information security.

Focus on public-private collaboration on new technologies

The government, KL and Danish Regions also agree that public-private collaboration on innovation and new technological solutions can and should be furthered. It needs to be simpler for the public sector to use new technology. Better collaboration with e.g. tech companies through innovative and flexible procurements can be a step in the right direction.

The government, KL and Danish Regions have therefore jointly agreed to investigate the opportunities for establishing a joint government collaboration with representatives from the private sector and other relevant parties.

The future joint governmental collaboration on digitisation

The Joint Government Digital Strategy expires by the end of 2020, and the Digitisation Pact from 2019 has laid the foundation for the future collaboration on a number of areas, e.g. My Overview and the signature projects on artificial intelligence.

The government, KL and Danish Regions have with the Annual Budget Agreements for 2021 agreed to continue a strong collaboration on digitisation across the public sector. Therefore, the parties will continue the discussion on the future joint government collaboration on digitisation towards the Annual Budget Agreements for 2022.