Croatia Leads in Digital Transformation with European ‘Once-Only’ Initiative

Croatia has achieved significant progress in implementing the European “Once-Only Technical System” (OOTS), a project designed to streamline administrative processes and enhance interoperability among public institutions across the European Union. As one of the top-performing nations, Croatia has reached level 5 on the OOTS integration success scale, a distinction shared by only seven EU Member States that have advanced this far in digital transformation.

This accomplishment is attributed to the foundations laid by earlier initiatives of the former Central State Office for the Development of Digital Society. The Ministry of Justice, Public Administration, and Digital Transformation has continued these efforts through the “Establishment of a Central Interoperability System” project, financed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026. Investments in digital infrastructure, improved security standards, and the creation of user-friendly public services have established a robust framework for integrating European systems like the OOTS, further solidifying Croatia’s leadership in the digital transformation of public administration.

The OOTS project introduces the “once-only principle,” which ensures that citizens and businesses submit their data to public administration just once. Subsequently, this information is securely shared between institutions, minimizing administrative burdens, expediting processes, and enhancing service quality while maintaining high privacy standards.

Croatia has also demonstrated its commitment to digital public administration by testing the Lifecycle Management Interface as part of the broader “Once-Only Common Services” (OOCS) initiative. Integrating OOTS into the national public service system promises to optimize the use of this interface, simplifying interactions between citizens, businesses, and public administration.

Minister Habijan remarked that the country’s achievement of level 5 reflects sustained investments and strategic digitalization efforts. He noted that Croatia’s progress positions it among the EU’s leaders in OOTS implementation, making it a key participant in the transformation of public services at the European level.

The initiative forms part of a broader European Commission strategy funded under the Connecting Europe Facility. With its current trajectory, Croatia is poised to become a model of best practice within the EU for the provision of digital public services.

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