Annual Report 2018

Discover all the actions taken in 2018 in order to simplify administrations in the Brussels-Capital Region.

2018 THE YEAR OF AWARENESS

The Brussels-Capital Region is, at last, following the general trend started over ten years ago by the European Union, the Federal State and the neighbouring regions. And the wait has paid off as the experiences of others and remarkable developments in digital technologies have helped it to better identify its priorities.

The Easybrussels steering committee, made up of representatives from public interest bodies and local authorities, has changed, dramatically. The interest in administrative simplification has grown.

Not a day goes by without the subject of the technological revolution coming up. Everyday life is changing at an alarming rate and in the words of futurologist Alvin Toffler, the illiterate of the future will be those who cannot unlearn and relearn.

The administration must rethink its relationship with users who are changing and managing their day-to-day lives differently. As a public service, it is up to the administration to take this into account.

Administrative processes and procedures must change, so that they are more in touch with the reality of citizens, but maintain the integrity, authenticity and security they need to grow.

But the digital revolution is only half the story. The instability inherent in changing technology is a risk that the administration cannot accept and is its biggest challenge. How can we meet users’ needs while at the same time ensuring the solemnity and authenticity that are central to the functioning of the State?

Digital inclusion is another issue associated with public services that, in essence, are intended for everyone. The administrative system must be accessible to all users. There should continue to be a human element to electronic procedures in one way or another.

In 2018, Brussels administrations became aware of this issue and the expectations in this respect.

The illiterate of the future will be those who cannot unlearn and relearn.

Alvin Toffler, futurologist

 Major projects were launched in the areas of public procurement, Open Data, invoicing and even electronic signatures at the European level. The laws focus on economic matters, but our public institutions addressed other aspects, including the simplification of processes by measuring the administrative burden, the dematerialization of procedures or easy access to documents online and the reduction in costs and travel.

As a whole, administrative simplification could be considered a transformation for citizens, facilitating the management of their files and their relationship with the administration, for the protection of the environment, by reducing travel and for filing of documents to keep, etc.

The administration’s aim is to facilitate the work of local government officers who, with a lighter workload, can concentrate more on files and respond more quickly to requests from an increasingly demanding society.

The strong foundation for change was laid in the Brussels-Capital Region in 2018 and in the name of Easybrussels, I am delighted. I would like to sincerely thank Fadila Laanan, our Secretary of State in charge of administrative simplification. Easybrussels has been able to count on her support and encouragement from the day it was created. Even though we are taking small steps, we are moving faster and making more progress. 2019 looks promising.

Cathy Marcus
Delegate to the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region and Easybrussels director

Discover the sections of Easybrussels’ annual report