European data exchange gets a kick-start with OOTS


Moving abroad, taking a Master’s degree in a different country or doing business in Germany or Belgium as an entrepreneur: common events within Europe’s borders which often continue to involve a great deal of administrative burden. “Take a Dutchman who used to live in town X and who relocated to Madrid”, RINIS’s Wim Luursema clarifies. “After he has been living there for a while, he learns he still needs a birth certificate issued by his home town in the Netherlands in order to be able to register as a resident in Spain. However, the registry of births, marriages and deaths in his home town will issue said birth certificate only if he comes over in person in order to identify himself at the local registry. Which is a lot of hassle: for the local authority as well as its former resident.”

The once-only principle

The OOTS is intended to change all that. It is the technical and practical implementation of the European once-only principle: citizens should not be required to provide information to a public authority within the EU if another public authority already holds that information in digital form. “Public organisations in the EU have been required to comply with this principle since December 2024. And even though the benefits are obvious, the conversations we have with our participants and our clients show there is still a degree of hesitation,” Luursema comments. “Which is a pity, as joining the OOTS can prove greatly beneficial to organisations. Especially as it saves a lot of work and is much less susceptible to fraud than manually exchanging all kinds of documents and records.”

In among other roles at RINIS, Luursema also serves as the OOTS project leader. Since early 2023, he and his colleagues have been working with German and Austrian peer organisations on the DENLAT pilot project. This project is aimed at Dutch companies that wish to report business activities in Germany. Through the OOTS, they can now transmit their Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration online to their German counterpart. As the data now come directly from an authentic source, data reliability is guaranteed. Plus business owners get to go through the process much quicker as this does not involve PDF files or - worse still - hard copy records. Luursema: “This is precisely what the once-only principle is meant to do. It makes it considerably easier for EU residents to study, move house, work, retire or do business outside of their national borders.”

Solid foundation

The OOTS as it exists now is a solid foundation although it very much remains a Minimal Viable Product in its own right. RINIS is now working up the system to make it actionable for all 21 processes earmarked by the EU. For one thing, we have since created a link to EMREX, the system that allows European educational institutions to exchange data on degrees and qualifications. In addition, RINIS is exploring the delivery of birth certificates through the OOTS, working closely with VNG and the municipal authority of the town of Rijswijk. A basis for this has now been set up.

Luursema: “Organisations that wish to start data sharing as part of the processes that have been singled out can simply let us know. Ultimately, we take our cue from the level of demand from participants and clients.”

Proactive government

The way RINIS sees it, the European obligation for government organisations is not the main reason why organisations do well to join the OOTS. The main reason is the added value the system has to offer when it comes to the quality of service delivered to citizens. Luursema: “If we mean to be proactive as a digital government, and according to the Digital Government Work Agenda, that is exactly what we want to be, we need to be more in tune with the needs and lives of citizens and business owners. Joining the OOTS makes things a lot easier in this respect.”