EU Pushes Interoperability in GovTech
The European Commission's recent SEMIC 2025 conference highlighted interoperability as a key driver for public sector innovation. The event focused on creating frameworks for cross-border data exchange and integrating AI into service delivery. These standards are critical for creating seamless digital journeys for users interacting with multiple government agencies.
- The push for interoperability is legally backed by the Interoperable Europe Act, which came into force in April 2024 to ensure public services function seamlessly across borders. This regulation establishes a governance framework, including an "Interoperable Europe Board," to guide the development of common solutions and facilitate cross-border data flows. - A core component of this strategy is the "Once-Only Technical System" (OOTS), which allows citizens and businesses to provide their data just once for cross-border administrative procedures. This system, live since December 2023, connects public authorities to exchange official documents at the user's request, simplifying processes like applying to universities or registering a car in another EU country. - The European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet is a key initiative that will allow citizens to link national digital identities with other personal attributes like driving licenses and diplomas. A central design principle for the wallet is interoperability, ensuring it works seamlessly and securely across all member states for both public and private sector services. - The EU's "Apply AI" strategy, launched in October 2025, encourages a-first" approach for public sector organizations to improve efficiency and service delivery. Case studies from member states like Estonia, Spain, and Denmark already show AI being used for applications such as predictive healthcare, tax fraud detection, and citizen-facing chatbots. - To foster innovation, the European Commission supports a "GovTech" ecosystem, encouraging collaboration between the public sector and innovative startups and SMEs. Initiatives like the EU GovTech incubator and the GovTech4All program aim to accelerate public sector digital transformation by funding pilots and scaling up existing digital solutions. - This focus on interoperability builds on previous multi-year programs like ISA (2010-2015) and ISA² (2016-2020), which supported the development of digital solutions for cross-border public services. The current "Interoperable Europe" initiative, supported by the Digital Europe Programme, continues this work. - At the SEMIC 2025 conference in Copenhagen, discussions highlighted the need to move beyond technical standards to also align legal frameworks and build political trust to enable the transfer of proven digital solutions between countries. The event drew over 500 on-site participants and 3,500 online viewers, underscoring the topic's importance. - More than one-third of EU public administrations reported using AI in 2024, but adoption is uneven, with Northern and Western Europe at 45% compared to 25% in parts of Southern and Eastern Europe. This gap is attributed to disparities in funding, digital skills, and infrastructure.
