Written by Riitta Alkula, The Digital and Population Data Services Agency

Non-interoperability issues are by no means new: we have been solving them for years, if not decades. Data flows between information systems requires that common principles are agreed upon.

I have been doing this work for a long time, and the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) has been a useful tool because it aptly describes the dimensions and challenges of interoperability, including technical, semantic, organisational and legal dimensions.

In a way, technical interoperability problems are the easiest, because they are so visible: data does not flow at all, or the data is unusable. But problems of semantic interoperability are discovered only after a delay. We think we are talking about the same thing, but eventually we find ourselves talking past each other.  

Organisational or process interoperability is perceived as a friction when it takes time and effort to reach consensus between the different parties exchanging information. And finally: civil servants' actions are based on law and regulations: if they are not there, the action will not have the necessary legal guidance.

The Interoperability Act has given us the legal support we have missed in the past, when we have implemented principles of the EIF. The Interoperable Europe Act entered into force on 11 April 2024 and starting from 12 January 2025, public administrations across the European Union must conduct interoperability assessments. Their objective is to prevent us from reinventing the wheel and instead use solutions that someone else has already come up with.

It would be great if interoperability were built on a voluntary basis - many have done so. But voluntary issues are often not at the top of the priority list. Laws define us what is important and forces us to direct our resources accordingly. Taxpayers of course will be happy, when the Act reduces administrative costs in the long run. There are practical benefits, too, when information flows smoothly across borders, like:  

• digital driving licenses and exchanges of vehicle data for road safety
• exchange of evidence, like education certificates and diplomas or professional qualifications
• access to social security and health data, like medical prescriptions.

To support the implementation of the Interoperability Act, the European Commission launched a one-year INVEST project at the beginning of the year 2025.

We have started the INVEST project by, among other things, holding workshops to ask stakeholders about their needs and wishes for future public services. We will also identify technical solutions and national projects from different Member States to build on for wider cooperation. Regulatory sandboxes will be established for controlled testing of new technologies.

We try to engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders to ensure collaborative work and public services that support people in their everyday life events. At INVEST, we are excited about the opportunity to support the creation of a more connected, efficient, and innovative European digital ecosystem and making the daily lives of EU citizens easier.