Creation of DISIC: the interoperability principle has fallen prey to a sleight of hand

Paris, March 4th, 2011. Press release.

On February 21st, 2011 a decree created the Interdepartmental Directorate for ICT (DISIC). April, which had sent its contribution, is delighted and congratulates Jérôme Filippini for his appointment as person in charge. This makes even more incomprehensible the second part of the decree, which removes without explanation the interoperability of the State's IT.

The creation of DISIC should indeed improve the complex mastering of processes and ensure IT and data durability. It is hence unfortunate that the same decree make interoperability disappear from the General Directorate for State Modernisation (DGME)'s mission statement without giving the task to DISIC.

Interoperability has been the core of the mission statements of the various State departments for over ten years: from ATICA (ICT agency) to ADAE (e-administration development agency), and more recently DGME, those institutions have always made a point of ensuring IT interoperability.1 DGME itself "suggests measures regarding the dematerialization of administrative procedures and IT interoperability", a mission that was removed by this decree2, without any explanation and without further ado.

"It is awkward and even unpleasant that the creation of an much-awaited for "State CIO" resulted in IT interoperability disappearing from its assignment, as a consequence of a regulatory conjuring trick", highlights Frédéric Couchet, April's Executive Director.

"The removal of this mission is all the more worrying as interoperability has also been questioned at the European level, by the European Commission. Whereas open standards and data durability are more than ever topical issues, forgetting those great principles would deeply harm DISIC's goals.", concludes Jeanne Tadeusz, in charge of Public Affairs.

April will ask for an appointment in order to discuss DISIC's assignment and the disapearance of interoperability.

About April

Pioneer of free software in France, April is since 1996 a major player in the democratization and the spread of Free Software and open standards to the general public, professionals and institutions in the French-speaking world. In the digital era that is ours, it also aims to inform the public on the dangers of an exclusive appropriation of information an knowledge by private interests.

The association has over 5,300 members, using or producing Free Software.

For more information, you may go to the following website: http://www.april.org/, contact us by phone at +33 178 769 280 or through our contact form.

Press contacts:

Frédéric Couchet, Executive Director, fcouchet@april.org +33 660 688 931

Jeanne Tadeusz, Public Affairs officer, jtadeusz@april.org +33 1 78 76 92 82

• 1. ATICA (ICT agency) was thus in charge of "promoting IT interoperability", and "encouraging administrations to use free software and open standards" (articles 3 and 9 of Decree #2001-737 of August 22nd, 2001 about the creation of ATICA). ADAE as well "suggests to the Prime Minister the measures aiming to dematerialize administrative procedures, to IT interoperability, and also to develop standards and collaborative frame of reference" (Decree no 2003-141 of February 21st, 2003 about the creation of interdepartmental services for the State reform).
• 2. A pithy deletion anyway: the words: "and to IT interoperability" are deleted;", article 12 of decree no 2011-193 of February 21st, 2011 about the creation of interdepartmental services for the State's ICT).