The Assessment: a centralized model running out of steam

France ranks 15th out of 27 in Europe (DESI index). 44% of French people struggle with online procedures. 10% of 18-64 year olds are digitally illiterate. Cyberattacks paralyze hospitals (10% of victims) and local authorities (18/month).

Meanwhile, Estonia offers 99% of its public services online, and Denmark reaches 87% adoption of its "Digital Post". The French centralized model no longer allows the agility needed in the face of AI and total connectivity.

Architecture: Federal Base + Regional Agility

Republican Digital Base

Federal State

Sovereign digital identity (FranceConnect+)
Secure Cloud Infrastructure
Data Verification APIs
Cybersecurity standards
Open-source core software

Agile Regional Services

Each Region

Regional digital incubator
Local sector-specific applications
Inter-regional cooperation (open source)
Local digital hubs
Assistance for the digitally excluded

Examples of regional services

"Aides-Agri-Bretagne"

Mobile app to simulate and submit applications for agro-ecological transition subsidies.

"Savoie Tourism Pass"

Single platform for booking and paying for activities, ski lifts, museums and natural sites.

"Mon Apprenti Occitanie"

Matching artisans/SMEs with young apprentices, with 100% paperless contracts.

Electronic Voting for the RIR

For the Regional Initiative Referendum to be a living tool, it relies on a secure voting infrastructure:

Strong identity: linked to FranceConnect+ — one citizen, one vote
End-to-end encryption: ballot encrypted on the device, anonymity guaranteed
Verifiability: each citizen can verify their ballot is in the ballot box
Public source code: auditable by independent experts

Results: increased participation, reduced costs, near-instant counting.

Estimated investment

€5 to €10 billion over the first 5 years. A priority investment whose return (operational savings, increased efficiency) will far exceed the initial cost.