The Administrations from FYROM and Austria successfully collaborated on the creation of the FYROM Interoperability Framework (IF). The Ministry of Information Society and Administration in FYROM coordinated the definition of the IF, in collaboration with the Austrian interoperability experts. A dedicated cross-sector working group was created for defining the interoperability documents complementing the IF. The collaboration is supported by funds from a Twinning project, which aims to provide support for the transposition, implementation and enforcement of the EU good practices.
Policy Context
The European Interoperability Framework is described in annex II of the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions 'Towards interoperability for European public services'. The EIF should be taken into account when making decisions on European public services that support the implementation of EU policy initiatives. The EIF should also be considered when establishing public services that in the future may be reused as part of European public services.
Twinning is an instrument for the cooperation between Public Administrations of EU Member States (MS) and of beneficiary countries. Beneficiaries include candidate countries and potential candidates to EU membership, as well as countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy. More specifically, Twinning aims to provide support for the transposition, implementation and enforcement of the EU legislation. It also strives to share good practices developed within the EU with beneficiary public administrations and to foster long-term relationships between administrations of existing and future EU countries.
Description of target users and groups
The purpose of the Interoperability Framework from FYROM is to promote and support the delivery of public services by fostering cross-sector and cross-border services, and in addition to guide public administrations in their work to provide services to business and citizens.
Description of the way to implement the initiative
Previous work and a new vision on interoperability
The Ministry of Information Society and Administration in FYROM launched interoperability initiatives in 2008, and the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) was selected as a starting point. The decision was made to develop a mediatory system, to serve as a service bus for data and documents exchange. A Law on Electronic Management was then adopted, regulating the cross-sector electronic exchange of information, whereas bylaws and guidelines stipulated in detail the technical prerequisites, standards, formats and information system certification related to the Law. Other initiatives on interoperability are the e-Government Strategy 2010-2012 and reports on interoperability. These reports addressed support in preparation of an overview and analysis of the existing registers including recommendations for interoperability and preparation of project fiche, and terms of reference for the interconnection and use of registries and databases between state authorities and institutions (RFS No. IPA/TAIB 2009/4.2/Lot 3/01.2, Specific Contract No.09-42542/1). Additional work on interoperability included specifications of the current Intermediary Platform for Exchange of Data and Documentation between four state institutions, technical specifications of ongoing interoperability projects (software, hardware, design, architecture) and procedures for exchange of data and documents.
A few years later, in order to simplify the procedures and documentation, to revise the vision on interoperability and to increase effectiveness and the efficiency of public administrations, the Ministry decided to develop a “National Interoperability Framework” (NIF) with the help of an EU member-state partner.
Organising support
The project of an IF was initiated in 2011. The Macedonian administration prepared a project plan and a project fiche for a Twinning cooperation funded by the European Union. Setting up the project plan took two months.
The Twinning cooperation provides opportunities for direct cooperation between the administrations of several countries, including the possibility to involve external experts who would be relevant for specific parts of the project. Upon finalization of the selection process, the Austrian team was selected as a Twinning partner. The Twinning project began on December 1, 2014.
A new NIF and how to implement it
The MIF was designed on the model of the EIF version 2, as this was the experience from Austria in establishing their own NIF. A cross-sector working group was created and was involved in the process of developing the necessary additional interoperability documents, defining how to implement the IF principles.
For example, in order to achieve semantic interoperability, a methodology was set up for specifying, documenting and using semantic assets, such as highly reusable metadata (e.g. xml schemata) and reference data (e.g. taxonomies, dictionaries) which are used in e-Government system development.
The interoperability (IOP) documents address why and based on which legislation data is shared (IOP-Legal), by whom is it shared (IOP-Organisational), what data and content is shared (IOP-Semantic) and how it is transmitted (IOP-Technical)
The members of the working group are the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, the Ministry of Interior, the Customs Administration, the Agency for Real-Estate Cadastre, the Ministry of Justice, the Office for Management of Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths, the State Election Commission and State Statistical Office.
Reuse and customisation
Most of the Austrian experience in establishing a NIF was reused, but some adjustments were needed. For example, this was the case for the elements dependent on processes and competencies, as these differ from one country to another. Another example is found in the legal area. Igor Crvenov, the expert from FYROM explains: “There is no European Directive on Interoperability - which would have obligated the Member States to harmonize their legislation”. There are various approaches to technical interoperability throughout EU countries as well. The EIF v2 provides only general recommendations for the implementation of an interface and the development of a mediatory system, with no detailed structure of a communication interface.
In the next step lies the challenge of implementing the MIF. The monitoring process will be established in 2016 and will provide insight in the actual implementation.
Return on investment
Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available
Lessons learnt
Collaboration brought only benefits
Preparing a detailed project plan for the Twinning project proposal was a key element of success. It provided a sound organisation, commitment from the various parties and delivery deadlines that needed to be met.
Collaborating with an experience partner was key to the success of establishing an IF. “The paving of the path is of enormous importance”, explains the expert from FYROM. Deep and active involvement of the Austrian partner in the processes for defining the IF meant direct participation in working groups and documentation. This allowed access to relevant, necessary and targeted information at the right moment. Presentations and discussions involving an experienced EU Member State provided additional persuasion which led to strong internal political support to the project.
A very appreciated outcome was that the project created strong ties between the countries.
Implementing a NIF
When defining the IF, it was also very important to understand how to implement a NIF. Austria provided strong guidance, based on a wide experience. Taking into account the legacy of Macedonian systems, Austrian experts recommended a concept similar to the Estonian X-Road approach. The pragmatic guidance clarified how to achieve the target solution.
How to monitor a NIF?
No obstacles were met so far, but some are expected during the implementation of the MIF. The Macedonian administration is currently lacking a tool for a monitoring system which would help and speed-up the implementation of the MIF. Starting points are the examples provided in the toolbox of the NIFO community (National Interoperability Framework Observatory).
Scope: Cross-border, National