This section provides an overview of key information about interoperability for smart cities, which aim at capturing the most recent developments and trends in the field of digital public...
Smart citieseGovernment
Last update: 17/01/2024
Digital Policy Hub
The Digital Policy Hub is the main entry point to find useful information and resources on the state of play of digital public administration and related policies, including interoperability-related...
Smart citieseGovernment
Last update: 10/04/2024
Assessing smart cities and communities' digital maturity
Conceptualising smart citiesWhile cities are universally recognised, the notion of a smart city remains unknown to many. The European Commission has shown an increasing interest in this idea and worked on a definition of what makes a city smart: it is “a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital solutions for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses”[1]. Following the launch of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities, the Commission followed up with several strategies and actions that have proven to be key for...
Smart citieseGovernment
Last update: 06/03/2024
Smart Cities Coffee Talk Highlights
A coffee talk on the new Guidance document on organisational and cultural interoperability, was held on Tuesday March 27th, 2024, with participants from different EU Member States and beyond. The Guidance document was published in the framework of the ‘Study on organisational and cultural interoperability issues arising in local administrations when establishing local, regional or national data spaces or local digital twins’ conducted by the Directorate General DIGIT and the Directorate General CONNECT of the European Commission. The coffee talk took the form of an informal exchange on the…
European PoliciesObservatories+2 topics
Last update: 13/02/2024
NIFO coffee talk on smart cities
We are happy to announce that the NIFO coffee talks are back! The aim of these coffee talks is to highlight recent developments and good practices related to interoperability and digital transformation of public administrations, as one of the main missions of the National Interoperability Framework Observatory. This 2024 edition of the NIFO coffee talks will take a closer look at interoperability from a local and regional perspective, in particular in the frame of local digital twins and data space projects. The discussion will be centered around a recently released Guidance document…
Digital-ready policymakingSmart citieseGovernment
Last update: 30/01/2024
Interoperable Europe Act proposal and NIFO
The legislative journey of the Interoperable Europe Act proposalOn 18 November 2023, the European Parliament and the presidency of the Council, held by Spain until December 2023, have reached a provisional agreement on the proposed legislation regarding measures on a high level of public sector interoperability across the EU, commonly known as the Interoperable Europe Act. The deal has come almost one year after the adoption of the proposal by the European Commission. The proposal follows Member States’ call to strengthen European interoperability cooperation and digital transformation more…
The establishment of data spaces and local digital twins appears to be particularly promising. This stems from the fact that, in the last decade, the number of smart city initiatives has increased significantly in Europe, with the main objective of enabling local, regional, and national public administrations to leverage data and innovative technologies to improve decision-making and citizens’ well-being. While on one hand, developing these projects could bring many benefits; on the other hand, public administrations can also face various challenges.Under the leadership of DG DIGIT and DG…
Smart cities
Last update: 11/10/2022
The United Nations E-Government Survey is out
The United Nations E-Government Survey 2022 is the 12th edition of the United Nations’ assessment of the digital government landscape across all 193 Member States. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. This edition of the Survey includes data analysis in global and regional contexts, a study of local…
ICTEuropean Policies+6 topics
Last update: 17/02/2021
The European Semester report 2020
As part of the National Interoperability Framework Observatory project, we are happy to announce the publication of this year's edition of the European Semester report, which examines the level of modernisation and digitalisation in Europe’s public administrations and analyses the role played by digital government in the European Semester process. The COVID-19 pandemic also had its repercussions on the 2020 European Semester process and the publication of its associated documents. Indeed, the recommendations emanating from the European Union's Country Specific Recommendations particularly…
Open Source SoftwareLegal+5 topics
29/03/2023
Virtual event
New NIFO workshop - Smart cities - Organisational and cultural interoperability challenges in the implementation of local, regional or national data spaces and local digital twins
We are happy to announce that NIFO is organising a new workshop! Wavestone is conducting a study on organisational and cultural interoperability issues arising in local administrations when establishing local, regional or national data spaces or local digital twins drawing on examples from European public administrations for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology (DG CNECT) within the National Interoperability Framework Observatory (NIFO)...
Smart cities
Last update: 29/03/2023
Proposal for a European Interoperability Framework for Smart Cities and Communities (EIF4SCC)
The European Commission actively supports local administrations and other actors with challenges related with interoperability services to citizens and businesses. In recognition of the importance of...