Hungarian Parliament has made the use of open standards mandatory by law in the intercommunication between public administration offices, public utility companies, citizens and voluntarily joining private companies, conducted via the central governmental system.
This week the Hungarian Parliament amended Act LX of 2009 on electronic public services. Below is a summary in 10 points of the amendment that makes the use of open standards mandatory.
Definitions:
Central system: the ‘nervous system’ of information and communication, operated by a company appointed by the Government.
Central system users: entities using the central system on a statutory or voluntary basis, including public administration offices, public utility companies, other companies and individuals and the IT systems thereof.
Portals: The central system can be accessed via portals (interfaces).
1. The good properties of portals (interfaces), listed below, will hereafter be set out by law.
What are the benefits?
However well the properties of the portals are defined, unless they are guaranteed by law, they will fail to deliver results in the long run.
2. The portals are standard, like wall sockets
What are the benefits?
Any device using a standard plug can be connected to the electric power supply by means of a wall socket. Connecting a television set or a refrigerator to the mains does not require the expertise of an electrician. And if the refrigerator is unplugged and a television plugged in instead, the television will work, too.
Similarly, the two types of portal set out by Hungarian legislation (the administrative portal and the client portal serving individual users) will function as statutory standard ‘sockets’ in intercommunication between computers.
3. ‘Information sockets’ can be used to connect computers
What are the benefits?
We no longer need to download information concerning us ‘manually’ one by one through the information ‘sockets’; instead, we can use software to do it for us automatically. Through the sockets the central system can operate seamlessly with the other IT and communication systems.
Consequently, we do not necessarily have to use the interface of the central system; we can access information concerning us with the help of user-friendly applications.
4. The standards governing connection to the sockets are public
Anybody can set up an information socket: the specifications of the portals of the central system are public, anybody can access them free of charge.
What are the benefits?
What this means is that they do not have to be connected to the central system, but rather, anybody can set up standard sockets enabling others to connect to their system.
By means of the sockets, not only can the central system operate seamlessly with the other IT and communication systems, but also these systems with each other.
Also, it supports the development of connections vertical (between the central system and other systems) and horizontal (other systems among each other). This dilutes the centralised role of the central system.
Nevertheless, there is much yet to be done to have the specifications of sockets established in the future more by means of a public process rather than exclusively by the government.
5. Public-benefit and royalty-free sockets
The sockets can not only be known publicly, but also used royalty-free and without any other restriction. Nobody can charge fees for the use of the socket standards.
Accordingly, by means of the sockets, IT and communication systems can operate together seamlessly – technically and financially.
What are the benefits?
It is public knowledge that setting up standards and subjecting their use to the fulfilment of conditions is a big earner.
This would be an opportunity the company appointed by the Government to operate the central system could theoretically take by persuading the Government to charge fees for the use of the sockets.
However, this opportunity has been excluded by the amendment.
6. The sockets are free of charge
The law explicitly states that no fees may be charged for the use of the sockets (that is, the system interfaces of the administrative and client portals).
What are the benefits?
It creates an unambiguous situation.
7. Sockets are competition-neutral and consequently allow for real interoperability
Sockets can be used regardless of whether the IT systems of interconnecting organisations and individuals use
open-source software (that is, one whose code is publicly knowable and useable) or
closed-source software (that is, one whose code remains private property).
Provided they use these sockets, the IT systems of connecting organisations and individual users will be able to communicate not only with the central system, but – regardless of the operation system they use – with each other, making them interoperable.
This contributes to real competition between open source and closed source software.
8. The open-standard socket has been included in Hungarian legislation.
The open-standard ‘socket’, as described above has been defined and included in Hungarian legislation under the term of ‘portal complying with the requirements of benefiting the public’.
What are the benefits?
It can be quoted in other contexts (e.g. in other legislation).
9. Already it can be used to enhance, for example, the data protection and privacy of citizens
Using the central system does not necessarily require the use of the interface of the central system: provided data protection requirements (applicable to all entities involved) are met, anybody can create user-friendly applications to enhance the flow of information between citizens and the central system.
What are the benefits?
For example, applications can be created to help the citizens, free of charge and in a user-friendly way, in finding out all the information and documents concerning them, held by public administration offices – as well as by public utility companies and, in general, the central system and all of its users.
10. It can be the basis for further co-operation
The Open Standards Alliance (http://nyissz.hu) initiating the amendment aims to promote the spread of monopoly-free markets that foster the development of interchangeable and interoperable products generated by open standards, and, consequently, broad competition markets.
To that end, the Alliance will co-operate with the government, provided their aims coincide. In the near future,
it wishes to render more transparent the process of granting benefits and allowances to citizens through the existing 93 channels – for the benefit of taxpayers, beneficiaries and the government. The first step in that direction was the open-standard amendment outlined above. In an effort to keep heading in the right direction, the Alliance will initiate collaboration between representatives of local governments, public utility companies, consumer protection bodies and the government.
in spite of EU tendencies the Alliance seeks to make its approach – interoperability based on publicly defined open standards – the EU norm under the Hungarian presidency of the European Union in 2011. To that end, it will promote public collaboration – possibly between every interested party, civil and political organisation in the European Union.
