WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/DNK/73 
4 December 2007 
 (07-5354) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   DENMARK
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:    
National IT- and Telecom Agency  
Holsteinsgade 63 
DK-2100 København Ø 
Denmark Tel: (+45) 3545 0000 Fax: (+45) 3545 0010 Email: itst@itst.dk 
Website: www.itst.dk 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   New software solutions 
to the public sector in Denmark. 
5. Title, number of pages and langu age(s) of the notified document:   Agreement on the use 
of open standards for software in the public  sector (3 pages each, English and Danish 
version included).  G/TBT/N/DNK/73 
Page 2  
 
  6. Description of content:    
The Danish Government is in the process of en tering into an agreement with the regions and 
municipalities to make seven sets of IT sta ndards mandatory for new IT systems in the 
public sector after 1 January 2008.The agreemen t, entitled the “Agreement on the use of 
open standards for software in the public sector”, will be referred to below as ‘the 
Agreement’.  
 The Agreement lays down requirements accordi ng to which all new IT solutions in the 
public sector after 1 January 2008 must be b ased on or able to support the use of the 
specified open standards. The term “mandatory  open standards” is being introduced in this 
connection.  
 Work has been going on in Denmark since 2001 on systematic provision of the use of IT standards in connection with the development of digital government in Denmark. Under the 
new Agreement, the use of selected open st andards will be compulsory for all public 
authorities unless a range of specifically stipulated inconveniences arise which would make 
use of the standards unfavourable.   The purpose of using open standards is to pr omote competition between software suppliers 
and to promote continuity and interoperab ility in the public sector, and thereby make it 
easier for citizens and businesses to communicate with the public sector by digital means. 
The groundwork is being laid for a transpar ent solution that will be the same for all 
suppliers, both national an d international. The selected sta ndards are based, where possible, 
on international standards. Where national adap tations have been made they were necessary 
in order to ensure optimal use in a Danish public sector context and are in accordance with 
the principle of proportionality.  
 
The Agreement includes a definition of open standards and describes the option of being able to provide exemption from the requirement to use mandatory open standards if this is 
justified by a number of inconveniences that would arise if the requirement were complied with. In this context, inconveniences ar e understood as meaning increased development 
costs, a weaker level of security, a functional deterioration, a significant slowdown or 
international obligations in respect of industr y standards. The availability of exemptions 
means that the Agreement will not be associated  with increased costs for the public sector.  
 The Agreement also stipulates seven specific sets of mandatory open standards, which are 
as follows:  
- Standards for data exchange be tween public authorities (OIOXML); 
- Standards for electronic case and document management (FESD); - Standards for electronic purchasing in the public sector (OIOUBL); - Standards for digital signatures (OCES); - Standards for public-sector websites/ homepages and accessibility (HTML/XHTML, CSS 
and WCAG); 
- Standards for IT security (DS-484 – State only); - Standards for document exchange (ODF/OOXML).  In support of the description, including the s tipulation of the seven specific sets of 
mandatory open standards, this notification is  accompanied by a general guideline called the 
“Guideline on the use of open standards for software in the public sector”.  G/TBT/N/DNK/73 
 Page 3 
 
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:   
The introduction of open standards will promote a competitive market for software and help 
bring about a situation where public sector IT sy stems will be able to exchange information 
irrespective of the software chosen.  The anticipated benefits from basing all new IT solutions, to a greater extent, on the 
specified open standards are: 
- that it makes it possible to develop new digital service offerings;  - that it makes public-sector case management more effective by recycling data;  - that it gives individual public authorities greater freedom in their choice of software suppliers; 
- that it ensures greater freedom for citizen s and businesses in their choice of software 
products when communicating with the public sector. 
8. Relevant documents:   - 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }1 January 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   15 December 2007 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [    ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Dansk Standard 
Kollegievej 6 DK-2920 Charlottenlund Tel: (+45) 3996 6101 Fax: (+45) 3996 6102 
Email: dansk.standard@ds.dk 
www.ds.dk