Denmark

The guiding principles of Digital Government set out in the Charter of the Digital Nations are highly regarded by the state of Denmark, and we strive to work closely with the members of Digital Nations to explore meaningful areas to support and strengthen our multilateral cooperation and to further deepening the relations between our countries. 

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The Danish cornerstones of public digitisation and the widespread use of digital solutions have been set through close and binding cooperation across the public sector for many years. Since 2001, the Danish national government, regions, and municipalities have worked closely together to build a strong digital infrastructure. Today, the public sector has established IT systems in almost all professional fields e.g. health, social, education, and employment. There are more than 4.000 different IT systems in the state and similarly extensive IT portfolios in municipalities and regions. Additionally, the public sector has jointly established a digital infrastructure with, among others, MitID, Digital Post, and borger.dk. 

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Our digital strategies allow us to make joint investments in areas which are particularly complex, and in which there are interdependencies across different authorities and sectors. By initiating and accomplishing a majority of our goals set out by our digital strategies, we have achieved a series of top rankings in international surveys on digital government. For example, Denmark has been ranked number 1 in the UN E-Government Survey in 2018, 2020 and 2022, as well as in the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Index in 2018. 

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One of our central strategies is the Joint Public Digital Strategy which has been renewed in collaboration with central, regional and local government institutions since 2001. The most recent iteration of this strategy, which covers the years 2022-2025, contains initiatives that will address some of the most pressing issues facing Danish society such as labour shortage, climate change mitigation, and digital inclusion.

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What makes these strategies possible is that Danish citizens and businesses have generally welcomed the digital transition of the Danish society, recognising the many advantages, which has only strengthened the political willingness to commit to further enhancement of the digital transition. This is empathised by our analysis of the population's experiences and trust in public digital solutions from 2022, which shows that 77% of the Danish population has trust in public digital solutions. 

Following the general elections for the Danish parliament and as per the Royal Resolution of December 15th 2022, a Ministry of Digital Government has been established along with the appointment of the first Danish Minister for Digital Government, Marie Bjerre (Venstre). Consequently, the Agency for Digital Government has been transferred from the Ministry of Finance to the newly established Ministry of Digital Government. 

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Over the years, Denmark has successfully laid the groundwork for digitalising its public services by digitising databases and administrative processes early. This has been achieved by adopting the legislation needed to increase uptake of digital services in the population, and by focusing on fostering trust and developing skills in the population, while continuing to provide services for those challenged by the digital transition.

It is of utmost importance that our continued and ongoing investments in the future of digital infrastructure provide user-friendly, secure and up-to-date digital service to our citizens and businesses.

 

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“Data and new technology should be tools in the fight against the shortage of labor, contribute to the green transition of the Danish society and support the development and maintenance of the welfare society ( The Joint Government Digital Strategy, 2022-2025)