Guidelines for interoperability assessments
Discover the guidelines for implementing the interoperability assessments developed and adopted by the Interoperable Europe Board.
Why the assessment guidelines?
The Interoperable Europe Act guides the seamless delivery of digital public services across the European Union. This act underscores the essentiality of interoperability - the ability of organisations and systems to interact effectively, exchanging data and ensuring that public services are technologically advanced, accessible and user-centric.
Depending on the scope, public organisations are either legally required to carry out interoperability assessments, or they conduct an assessment on a voluntary basis.
Any interoperability assessment, as provided by Article 3 of the Interoperable Europe Act, aims to ensure that binding requirements for trans-European digital public services have adequately considered cross-border interoperability issues before being decided on.
The Interoperable Europe Act provides only minimum requirements for carrying out an interoperability assessment. In December 2024, the Interoperable Europe Board developed guidelines aiming to:
🔎 Provide clarity on how public bodies can evaluate the legal, semantic, technical, and organisational dimensions of interoperability.
🔎 Standardise the implementation of the interoperability assessments.
🔎 Set a starting point for a journey towards more interoperability of digital public services.
Who are the assessment guidelines for?
Different groups have different stakes in the interoperability assessment process. These guidelines aim to target those different audiences that:
- Decide if assessment is necessary in a particular case
- Lead the assessment
- Participate in the assessment
- Document the outcome of the assessment
- Publish the report
- Decide on binding requirements based on the assessment reports
- Decide on the governance of interoperability assessments
- Implement the binding requirements with help of the assessment report
Explore the assessment guidelines
Chapter 1: What are interoperability assessments and why are they relevant?
Interoperability assessments are evaluations required by Article 3 of the Interoperable Europe Act. They ensure that binding requirements for trans-European digital public services consider cross-border interoperability issues before implementation. This way, they help to facilitate seamless digital interactions among public organisations, which is essential for the mobility of citizens and businesses across the EU.
Chapter 2: When is an interoperability assessment legally required?
This chapter clarifies when interoperability assessments are mandatory under the Interoperable Europe Act. It defines key concepts like trans-European digital public services and binding requirements. A decision tree is provided to help determine whether an assessment is required. Examples illustrate scenarios where assessments are or are not required, such as adapting national solutions for EU data exchange or procuring digital services that do not involve cross-border interactions.
Chapter 3: How to carry out an interoperability assessment?
This chapter provides a step-by-step guide to conducting an interoperability assessment. It includes several phases of the process such as preparation, initial analysis and the core assessment. These will help you determine the impact of binding requirements on cross-border interoperability. Best practices and examples, such as using the European Interoperability Framework and specialised tools like interoperability maturity assessments, are provided as well.
Chapter 4: How to document an assessment in a comprehensive report?
The assessment report is a critical deliverable, summarising binding requirements, affected services, and identified effects on interoperability. The chapter outlines the minimum content required, provides recommendations for machine readability and advises on handling sensitive information. The report must published on an official website but should also be shared electronically with the Interoperable Europe Board to aid in decision-making and monitoring.
Chapter 5: How to establish a sound governance of the interoperability assessment process in your organisation?
Effective governance is essential for the success of interoperability assessments. This chapter discusses the importance of a variety of factors such as context dependency, organisational setup and sustainability. It highlights first steps to take as well as the need for continuous improvement through reflection and sharing of best practices. This helps in formulating digital-ready policies, i.e. policies that are future-proof and interoperable by considering digital aspects from the start.
Chapter 6: Further resources and further development of these guidelines
This chapter outlines existing and future resources for conducting interoperability assessments. The Interoperable Europe portal serves as a central hub for knowledge exchange and resources, including information on the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) and its toolbox, as well as links to the Interoperable Europe Academy. The guidelines themselves will continue to evolve as they are expected to be frequently revised to reflect current practices and user experiences.
Download the assessment guidelines
Guidelines for interoperability assessments are available in all EU languages! Check them out: