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This page is part of the consultation structured around the main topics of the Interoperable Europe Agenda, and provides information on the third topic: "3. Synergies with other relevant Union and national programmes and initiatives". Each topic is introduced by a short description of the background and main developments in the field. 

The European digital landscape is rich with initiatives and programmes that address various aspects of digitalisation and data exchange. The Interoperable Europe Act does not exist in isolation but rather seeks to complement and strengthen existing efforts – acting as a connector ensuring seamless data exchange across sectors, borders, and government levels. Identifying and leveraging synergies between these initiatives is important for maximising impact, avoiding duplication of efforts and the creation of redundant infrastructure, even within EU, that in itself challenges interoperability.

Public administrations across Europe are simultaneously implementing digital transformation programmes, often facing similar challenges but working in parallel rather than in concert. This fragmentation can lead to inefficiencies, isolated solutions, and missed opportunities for cross-border collaboration. The Interoperable Europe Agenda aims to address this by identifying strategic linkages between initiatives at both Union and national levels, and priorities for collaboration.

To ensure interoperability efforts are aligned with border EU digital policies, the Interoperable Europe Act mandates cooperation with the Data Innovation Board (established with the Data Governance Act). This collaboration is essential to ensure interoperability of data spaces and promoting interoperability in data-sharing frameworks. Beyond this, other key governance structures include the Digital Decade Board that coordinates the implementation and monitoring of the Digital Decade targets, with key public services being one of the four pillars; and the AI Board that oversees the implementation of the AI Act, making it a strategic partner for AI adoption in public services, particularly for cross-border public sector use cases.

Member States are implementing various national digital strategies that contain interoperability components, such as:

These initiatives vary in maturity and approach but often address similar challenges. The Interoperable Europe Act offers an opportunity to share best practices, identify common standards, and support convergence across national efforts.

Numerous sector-specific initiatives contain important interoperability dimensions. Examples include:

• Health (European Health Data Space)

• Justice (e-Justice Portal and related systems)

• Education (European Student Card Initiative)

• Mobility (Intelligent Transport Systems)

• Environment (INSPIRE Directive implementation)

• Social security (Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information)

• Customs and taxation (EU Customs Data Model)

These sectoral initiatives often develop domain-specific interoperability solutions. However, better alignment with horizontal interoperability frameworks, enablers and standards would improve efficiency, scalability, and cross-sector data sharing.

Through this consultation, we aim to gather insights on how stakeholders perceive the current level of coordination between programmes, where they see untapped synergy potential, and what concrete actions could help realise these synergies.