Between the 12th and the 15th of last November, a delegation from the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN) of Portugal visited two similar entities in Norway, a bilateral initiative that allowed IRN to learn about the reality and functioning of registries in that country.
IRN's mission aimed to acknowledge best practices and innovative approaches in the registry’s domain, focusing on understanding governance, adopted procedures and the use of technology, in order to identify opportunities for improvement that can be replicated at the national level.
This initiative was possible to achieve due to the availability of financial resources for the project “Benchmarking in Records towards innovation and digital transformation”, through financing from the EEA Grants Bilateral Relations Fund.
On the 12th and 13th of November, the Portuguese delegation visited the Brønnøysundregistrene, a Norwegian government agency responsible for managing several national registers related to businesses, individuals and public sector entities. It plays a crucial role in ensuring transparency, legal compliance and efficient information management within Norway’s economy and society.
On the 15th of November, the focus was on Sjøfartsdirektoratet, a government agency responsible for ensuring safety at sea, protecting the marine environment and enforcing regulations relating Norwegian-registered ships and foreign ships in Norwegian waters.
On both occasions, it was possible to assess how those entities leveraged innovation, particularly digital transformation, to improve their registry services. Some of the key services provided by the two agencies were observed, including the registration of companies, legal persons, beneficial owners and ships, as well as an overview of ongoing research around emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain.
This study visit provided valuable information on the latest technical trends and best practices adopted by Norway for registry operations. In this way, the IRN delegation brought important inputs to the national working groups dedicated to the simplification and modernization of Registries, in the context of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) for this sector.
This trip also strengthened cooperation between Portugal and Norway, within the scope of the EEA Grants, promoting the exchange of knowledge, experiences and good practices in the area of Registries.