On the 21st of November 2023, in the heart of Brussels, a landmark event celebrated the 15th anniversary of the European Commission’s Open Source Observatory (OSOR). The conference, titled “OSOR Turns 15: From Pioneering to Mainstreaming Open Technologies in Public Services,” brought together many of the brightest minds in the use of open source. A full conference room with 274 attendees witnessed the transformative journey of open source in public services. The event highlighted the significant achievements of open source communities, paying tribute to the innovators and visionaries who have…

The European Council and the European Parliament have reached a common position on the Interoperable Act.  This means the Interoperable Europe Act proposal can be finally transformed into EU law by both institutions.  The Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, gladly welcomed the provisional agreement, stating: "With the swift conclusion of the negotiations on the Interoperable Europe Act, in less than one year after the Commission proposal, the Council and European Parliament demonstrate their eagerness to boost the digital transformation of public services. This brings…

SEMIC 2023, the Semantic Interoperability Conference, organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, achieved an all-time high with 458 on site visitors and 803 followers online. Compared to SEMIC 2022, SEMIC 2023 experienced a substantial rise of 23% of participants who attended the conference in person, while the online viewership grew by 3%. Insights from leading figures In addition, the event benefitted from the attention of multiple eminent speakers who took the opportunity to make newsworthy announcements. EU…

The Directorate-General for Informatics (DG DIGIT) of the European Commission has published its annual State-Of-Play Report on Digital Public Administration and Interoperability, a key publication within the National Interoperability Framework Observatory (NIFO). The 2023 edition shows that European countries have adopted a wide range of initiatives to facilitate their journey towards a more digitised public sector. Main Findings Significant advancements have been made in the field of cross-border interoperability, the formulation of digital-ready policies, and the adaptation of solutions at…

EU Member States have given their green light for a position on the Interoperable Europe Act, the EU Commission proposal for a reinforced interoperability for more efficient digital public services across the EU. The agreement of the EU Council on its position is an important legislative milestone in making the Interoperable Europe act happen. With its move, the Council prepares the ground for the final stage in the EU legislative process, before the Interoperable Europe Act proposal can be transformed into EU law. As the EU Parliament already made its own position on the Act clear in July…

Are you ready for one more unforgettable experience at SEMIC? This year, the annual Semantic Interoperability Conference is heading to Madrid. Expect enlightening speeches, inspiring interactions, and unmatched networking opportunities! Only a few seats remain available, so secure yours now at semic2023.eu! Agenda: Public Sector AI Pioneers, High-level Representatives, and more We're excited to announce our keynote speaker: Siim Sikkut! As the former Government Chief Information Officer of Estonia, Siim Sikkut will offer a practical strategic perspective on why, in the age of AI, Europe needs…

The National Interoperability Framework Observatory (NIFO) has published the latest series of its popular factsheets on Digital Public administrations. Thirty one European countries from within and outside the EU have reported on their status of digitally transforming their public administrations. The factsheets provide an overview of the main developments and advances in terms of digitalization and interoperability in a specific respective country. They are of special interest to members in public administrations in the EU and academics who work on digital transformation, digitalization and…

The European Commission's Open Source Observatory (OSOR) opens the applications for the EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Awards. The awards will honour exceptional open source solutions and initiatives developed for European public administrations. Award Categories EU Public Sector Open Source Achievement Award: Selected by the Jury based on dedicated criteria. OSOR Community Award: Voted for on the Joinup platform by OSOR users and platform members. So, are you ready to take your achievements to the next level? Applying for the EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Awards is…

Georgios Lampropoulos is Head of Software Department of the Hellenic Organisation of Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity (OPEKA), Greece, in which he and his team are responsible for applications on social benefits and interoperability with other public organisations. He holds B.Sc, M.Sc and Ph.D degrees in Informatics and Telecommunications and before joining OPEKA he had participated in numerous EU R&D Projects and Initiatives mainly focusing on ‘Interworking architectures in next generation networks’. Dr. Lampropoulos believes that interoperability is a key feature for promoting useful…

A memorable step has been made in the legislative process of the European Commission proposal for an Interoperable Act. With a very large majority, the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy voted on its position on the Interoperable Europe Act proposal. With 63 MEPs in favour, 4 against, and 5 abstentions, the Parliament has given its approval to proceed with interinstitutional negotiations (trilogues) involving the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. In the explanatory statement of its rapporteur Ivars Ijabs (Renew Europe), the Parliament…

The European Commission has published the second progress report on the Berlin Declaration on Digital Society and Value-Based Digital Government. This second report, prepared under the Swedish Presidency of the Council for the European Union, provides an overview of the progress made by the Member States in implementing the Policy Actions of the Berlin Declaration. As digitalisation is one of the most important tools available to meet the challenges of today, the Declaration sets out 22 policy actions distributed over seven policy areas to safeguard the alignment of the digital transition of…

Today, on the 26th of June, the Commission’s Open Source Observatory is revealing a new layout that reflects OSOR as a fundamental pillar of Interoperable Europe, the initiative of the European Commission for a reinforced public sector interoperability policy. The revamped graphic design also celebrates OSOR’s 15-year anniversary, the spirit of open collaboration, and the shared commitment of our European community to digital advancement. Since its creation in 2008, OSOR’s existence has always been intertwined with interoperability. It was established by the European Commission under the…