At a time when digital sovereignty is climbing to the top of Europe's strategic agenda, GovTech4All Policy Roundtable Two brought together public innovators and institutional leaders to explore how startup thinking can help shape the next generation of citizen-centric digital services. Hosted at the Rzeszów University of Technology, the session unfolded in the form of a high-level panel discussion—spotlighting transformative initiatives and practical approaches to public sector modernisation.
Titled “A GovTech Eurovision: Strategies to Bridge the Startup-Government Culture Gap”, the session also marked the official launch of GovTech4All 2.0—an €8 million, 21-partner consortium co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme. The initiative aims to foster interoperability, experimentation, and delivery-focused public service design across the EU and beyond.
A Critical Moment for Europe’s Digital Future
Moderated by Kamila Gasińska, GovTech expert at the Lisbon Council, the roundtable opened with a clear message: governments must build not only digital services, but also institutional resilience and public trust. With war ongoing in Ukraine
“We are just kilometres from Ukraine, where the meaning of sovereignty, trust, and readiness is deeply felt. This is not only symbolic—it is a physical reminder of why Europe must build its digital muscle,” Gasińska said in her opening remarks.
Showcasing Europe’s Leading Digital Initiatives
The session featured three keynote presentations from pioneering public sector leaders.
Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, appeared via video message to present Diia, Ukraine’s flagship digital platform. More than a service, Diia has become a symbol of resilience and innovation in wartime, offering citizens secure access to dozens of services under the most difficult conditions.
Joanna Koczorowska, Product Owner of mObywatel, showcased how her team at Poland’s Central Informatics Centre developed a modular platform that responds rapidly to evolving citizen needs. She noted that empowering teams and creating “safe spaces to deliver” were key to success, especially in times of crisis such as floods.
Matti Schneider, Executive Director of OpenFisca in France, presented a rules-as-code approach that allows governments to model policy impacts before implementation. “It is not just about coding law,” Schneider said, “but about transforming how legislation is conceived, tested, and understood”.
From Innovation to Implementation: Key Themes from the Panel
Following the keynote segment, the discussion turned to culture change, leadership, and scale. The panel featured Koczorowska, Schneider, and Krystian Olchowik, Director of GovTech Polska at the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
Key themes included:
- Digital culture needs structural change. Olchowik noted that innovation must be backed by institutional alignment. “We must always start with the core objective—what are we trying to achieve, for whom, and why?”
- Autonomy enables delivery. Koczorowska described how trusting delivery teams and clearing operational barriers helped accelerate service deployment. “Once the path is cleared, the only imperative is to show that it works,” she said.
- Shared digital infrastructure is critical. Schneider advocated for an European digital commons: open-source, modular infrastructure with democratic governance, enabling countries to adapt and scale solutions while retaining sovereignty.
The conversation also explored bridging the culture gap between public administration and startup ecosystems, rethinking performance metrics, and identifying public sector champions who can drive internal reform.
Closing Reflections: A Shared European Mission
In the final segment, two European Commission representatives offered their reflections.
Stefanos Kotoglou, Programme Officer at the Directorate-General for Digital Services (DG DIGIT), emphasised that European collaboration is essential if the continent is to unlock the full potential of GovTech solutions. He spoke about the need for shared frameworks and cross-border alignment—not only for interoperability, but as a cornerstone of broader digital transformation.
Maximilian Strotman, Deputy Head of the Interoperability Unit at DG DIGIT, echoed the call for deeper integration, while highlighting the human dimension of innovation. “The most important drivers of public sector reform are not the tools or the code,” he said, “but the people—the GovTech champions—who work each day to make transformation possible”.
The Path Forward: Embedding Innovation in Government DNA
The roundtable marked not only the beginning of GovTech4All 2.0, but a broader commitment to scaling the best of Europe’s digital innovation culture. As the session made clear, Europe does not lack success stories—but it must now focus on institutionalising these approaches across all levels of government.
By doing so, Europe can build digital public services that are not only technologically advanced, but also inclusive, responsive, and deeply rooted in public trust.