The Central State Office for the Development of the Digital Society participated as a representative of the Republic of Croatia in the eGovenment Steering Board Committee during the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union. On that occasion, the Berlin Declaration on the Digital Society and Value-Based Digital Government has been signed. 

The aim of the Declaration is to contribute to the digital transformation based on values promoted by the EU as well as to strengthen digital participation and digital inclusion in the Member States.

The Declaration follows up on the success of the Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment, which endorsed the key principles for digital public services put forward in the eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020. The Berlin Declaration takes the user-centricity principles formulated in the Tallinn Declaration a step further by strengthening the pioneering role of public administrations in driving a value-based digital transformation of our European societies.

The Declaration acknowledges the public sector as an essential element for the European Single Market and a driving force for new and innovative technological solutions for public services and societal challenges. It emphasises that public authorities at all levels must lead by example to strengthen the tenets of the European Union.

To do so it sets out seven key principles with related policy action lines and national and EU level:

• Validity and respect of fundamental rights and democratic values in the digital sphere;
• Social participation and digital inclusion to shape the digital world;
• Empowerment and digital literacy, allowing all citizens to participate in the digital sphere;
• Trust and security in digital government interactions, allowing everyone to navigate the digital world safely, authenticate and be digitally recognised within the EU conveniently;
• Digital sovereignty and interoperability, as a key in ensuring the ability of citizens and public administrations to make decisions and act self-determined in the digital world;
• Human-centred systems and innovative technologies in the public sector, strengthening its pioneering role in the research on secure and trustworthy technology design;
• A resilient and sustainable digital society, preserving our natural foundations of life in line with the Green Deal and using digital technologies to enhance the sustainability of our health systems.

Resources:
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/berlin-declaration-digital-society-and-value-based-digital-government
https://rdd.gov.hr/vijesti/potpisana-berlinska-deklaracija-o-digitalnom-drustvu-i-vrijednosno-utemeljenoj-digitalnoj-upravi/1746