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…

The Lisbon Council, as part of the UserCentriCities consortium, has released a policy brief titled "The Interoperability Imperative: A Tale of Four Cities". This document provides detailed insights into successful interoperability implementations in Ghent, Milan, Kyiv, and Tallinn. The significance of the proposal for an Interoperable Europe Act in enhancing digital services across Europe, improving user experience, and promoting inclusivity in the digital society is also a focal point of the document. Kyiv – digital services in crisis The report highlights the exceptional resilience and…

On the 25th of May, the GovTech4all GovTech Incubator was launched at the 2023 Digital Government Summit. Next to the participants of the GovTech4all, the ceremony was attended by two special guests: Ukranian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and European Commissioner for Budget and Administrations Johannes Hahn. The Incubator, for which Interoperable Europe made a call for proposals previous year, is co-financed by the DIGITAL Europe programme, and will start with a 4-year period in which new common digital future solutions will be developed to innovate the way governments deliver services…

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…