Italy's IO app emerges as leading model for European public service digitalisation

IO, the digital interface created by the state-owned PagoPa, consolidates local tax bills, prescription orders and preventive-health alerts into a single smartphone experience. Matteo de Santi of PagoPa notes that the app’s evolution has turned Italy into a benchmark for European digital public services, with peers like the UK and France seeking to learn from its rollout. The surge was sparked by Covid-19 requirements and further boosted by the post-pandemic recovery fund, which funded extensive upgrades to public-sector IT infrastructure.

Massimiliano Facchini of Accenture Italy and Greece highlights that the recovery plan has fast-tracked digitalisation, now entering a phase of consolidation. Regional initiatives such as the Zis innovation zones and Lombardy’s economic development strategy, described by Guido Guidesi, illustrate broader territorial efforts to link businesses, universities and public bodies. Valentino Ditoma of Ntt Data Italy stresses that success hinges on clear goals, effective organisational structures and open information sharing.