The Interoperable Europe Academy is the platform of the European commission dedicated to the enhancement of your skills and knowledge in public sector interoperability. The available courses are for free and successful students obtain certificates of the European Commission that are ready for professional use. Interoperability is a critical aspect of digital transformation. The ability of different systems to work together seamlessly is essential to achieving efficient and effective communication between organizations and governments. The Interoperable Europe Academy, hosted on the EU Academy…

On 25 April, European Commissioner Johannes Hahn presented the European Commission proposal for an Interoperable Europe Act at the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research & Energy (ITRE). During the meeting, a strong support from MEPs for the act was noticeable.“The cross-border activities of people, not to say companies, have increased. And what we try to achieve with the Interoperability Act is to support these activities.”While negotiations between the Council and European Parliament about the Interoperability Act are at full speed, European Commissioner for Budget and…

The European Commission has taken a step forward in advancing the GovTech agenda with its pilot project "Fostering digitisation of public sector and green transition in Europe through the use of an innovative European GovTech platform". This project marks a noteworthy milestone in supporting public administrations in the adoption of cost-effective and flexible digital solutions by introducing the GovTech ecosystem to the European public sector. GovTech refers to the process where the public sector engages with start-ups and SMEs to procure innovative technology solutions for the provision of…

"Every time I went to a new unit in the European Commission, I always tried to dig out the relevance for the digital transformation of the public sector. So, when I joined this unit, I really felt that it is like coming home.” (Laughs) At the end of 2022, Andrea Halmos became the new deputy Head of Unit of the Interoperable Europe Unit of DG Informatics. As a cheerful and seasoned European Commission official, she very much likes to work in the European context, as it brings her the most joy regarding sense of purpose and impact on people’s lives. In addition, her affiliation with…

"Interoperability is key to unlocking the full potential of the European Single Market in the digital age," said Veronica Gaffey, Director-General of DIGIT, European Commission, during her speech at the ENDORSE conference, which she opened together with Hilde Hardeman, Director-General of the Publications Office of the European Union. "That's why we are proud to announce the Interoperable Europe Act, a new proposal for a regulation that will promote the development of digital public services that are interoperable-by-design." The Act aims to reinforce public sector interoperability in the EU…

The Semantic Interoperability Community (SEMIC) organises several workshops and webinars on various topics impacted by interoperability challenges. Are you curious about the planning for the coming month? The upcoming events are listed in the SEMIC Support Centre, keep an eye on it! Webinars On 2 February 2023, the webinar dedicated to the review of the Data Catalogue Application Profile (DCAT-AP) will be held. Among others, a discussion regarding proposed dataset series requirements, and an update on the adoption of W3C DCAT 3.0 will be given. Eager to know more? On 7 February 2023, the…

The Semantic Interoperability Community (SEMIC) organises several workshops and webinars on various topics impacted by interoperability challenges. Are you curious about the planning for the coming month? The upcoming events are listed in the SEMIC Support Centre, keep an eye on it! On 12 January 2023, we kick off with the first workshop on Personal Data Spaces. During this physical day, an exciting team of experts from both the MyData and SOLID communities will discuss and frame the interoperability challenges between various Personal Data Space implementations. More information can be found…

SEMIC, the annual semantic interoperability conference, attracted 373 participants in Brussels and 779 online viewers from 60 countries inside and outside the European Union. The event took place on 6 December 2022 and gathered policymakers, IT practitioners, and academia to participate in discussions on semantic interoperability for public administrations with a focus on Data Spaces in an Interoperable Europe. The highlights In the opening speech, the advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalisation of the Czech Republic, Ondrej Profant, emphasised that interoperability is the key to…

The first video recordings of the SEMIC2022-conference, accompanied by a number of high-quality pictures, have been put online. With a public of 373 participants in Brussels and 779 online viewers from 60 countries inside and outside the European Union, the first in person event of SEMIC in three years has been a large success. We would like to thank those involved in the organisation and those in the participation of SEMIC. You have made our last major event of the year unforgettable. While a more detailed report on SEMIC2022 will be published later, you can already revisit several…

On the 22nd of November, the Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn delivered an insightful speech on interoperability and eGovernment during the “Smooth navigation through the world of public administration 2022” conference in Prague.The event was organised by the European Commission and the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.The main topic was the adoption of the Interoperable Europe Act proposal and its value to public administrations, citizens and businesses. “Public administrations are often described as very big ships that need time to move. My vision...

For years, the Commission has worked in close cooperation with Member States and other stakeholders on a new initiative to reinforce the interoperability of the public sector in the EU. Now, the European Commission has deemed the time ready to adopt the Interoperable Europe Act. Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Administration: “Improving public sector interoperability is fundamental for building our common digital European House. It translates the core European idea of finding together better solutions into the digital age.” Interoperability in the public sector is the ability of…

Sander van Dooren has been a solutions architect at DG DIGIT. When he joined the Commission in 2015, he expected his stay to be barely three or four months. Eventually, he ended up for a period of seven years, in which his work as a talented solution manager took a major part. Now, he considers the time right to begin a new professional chapter at Digitaal Vlaanderen. But he doesn’t say goodbye before giving a final interview, reflecting on his work for Joinup, the Semantic Interoperability Community (SEMIC) and the musical nature of interoperability. Q: After you worked on the performance of…