Since 2001, central, regional, and local government institutions have cooperated to create the foundation for the Danish digital public sector. This cooperation across levels of government has been based on comprehensive digital strategies for the public sector for more than 20 years in the form of multi-annual agreements about the direction of the development of digital government in Denmark.
The strategic approach to digital initiatives makes it possible for the Danish public sector to make joint investments in areas which are particularly complex and in which there are interdependencies across different authorities, sectors, and levels of government.
Digital government has proven to be an effective and efficient tool in rethinking processes and workflows in the public sector. The tradition of the public sector’s strategic work on digital government entails continuous endeavours for closer public-sector collaboration to deliver excellent, efficient, and coherent services to the public and businesses. The current Joint Government Digital Strategy runs from 2022 until 2025.
The government’s digital strategies concern public authorities at all levels of government, whether central, regional, or local authorities. This includes administrative institutions such as ministries, agencies, municipal, and regional administrations, as well as self-governing public institutions, such as the universities.
The government’s digital strategies are not alone in ensuring that Denmark is well prepared to seize the opportunities of digital development.
Individual authorities have a responsibility to harness the digital potential within its own purview and, thus, to ensure that digital development leads to the desired change. In parallel with joint public sector efforts, there are sector-specific digital projects and strategies, for example municipal and regional digital strategies. This approach to the digital development of the public sector provides a good balance between common strategic targets and local adaptation and priorities.
Furthermore, private businesses, trade unions, and NGOs also interact with the public sector, contributing to finding common solutions for the digital transition of society and helping to secure the foundation for a strong and secure digital Denmark.
The current Joint Government Digital Strategy runs from 2022 until 2025. The strategy includes initiatives which will accommodate some of the greatest challenges that Danish society is facing, including labour shortage, climate change mitigation, and digital inclusion.
The digital society must be inclusive for all, and the public sector has an obligation to ensure that the greatest number of people possible have the opportunity and the skills to participate. Accordingly, the Joint Government Digital Strategy 2022-2025 will - among its 28 initiatives - introduce two new solutions. First, a new infrastructure component will allow users to grant and rescind permissions for authorities to use their personalised data. Second, digital powers of attorney will pave the way for allowing people to let their relatives manage their digital contact with the public sector.
See the presse release about the Joint Government Digital Strategy 2022-2025
The initial steps towards a digital Denmark were taken with the implementation of strategic initiatives such as digital billing and enabling the exchange of e-mails between citizens and the public sector. Later on, the public sector’s digital service infrastructure, particularly in the healthcare sector, was developed further and digital communication with the public sector was made mandatory.
A number of digital self-service solutions, derived from previous digital strategies, are now an integrated part of the everyday life as a digital citizen in Denmark. In this way, the strategies help to fully equip people, businesses, and the public sector for a digital everyday in Denmark, now and in future.
The previous Joint Government Digital Strategy ran from 2016 to 2020, setting the course for better use of data by authorities and sharing data between them. Furthermore, the strategy focused on the need to strengthen information security and develop future-proof digital solutions in order to ensure coherent user journeys.
Read more about the Danish digital journey from 2001 to today
