The project highlighted the importance of ensuring that digital public services are interoperable across different countries in the EU, to facilitate seamless access for citizens moving between countries. Therefore, for digitally based government programs to succeed, political power must be used to establish and enforce standards and rules for cross-border services across countries. Breaking down silos and ensuring that all government agencies follow the same rules and procedures across all departments and institutional levels is the most challenging component of implementation. 

To tackle this challenge, policymakers should encompass standardised techniques and procedures including interfaces, data governance, interoperability, and open standards for technology in addition to the technical standards established by bodies like the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO). This value can be accomplished by establishing required procedures and compliance monitoring, as well as by tying public financing to the achievement of standards like the European Interoperability Framework (EIF).

Gaps #3, #4, #6, #9, #10, #11, and #12 pertain to this issue. Adopting ACROSS could play a pivotal role in mitigating these gaps and hastening the collaboration between EU Member States and organizations engaged in cross-border services. Furthermore, the adoption of ACROSS could help narrow the digital divide between more technologically advanced organizations and their less developed counterparts. It would also ease the integration of eID, digital wallets, and other digital innovations, potentially reducing administrative burdens and fostering trust between public organizations and users engaged in administrative processes.

As seen in the piloted countries – a unified platform, where different building blocks from different projects can be used - is necessary to improve the cross-border scenario in each country, for different reasons. To build such a platform that offers cross-border services in the EU, collaboration and coordination between different government agencies and EU member states are essential. Harmonising regulations and standards across the EU can help ensure that the platform is compatible and accessible to all member states. Adopting common technical solutions and infrastructure can help reduce costs and increase interoperability and encouraging private sector participation and partnerships can help bring in expertise and resources. Ensuring data protection and privacy compliance with EU regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is crucial, as well as regularly reviewing and updating the platform to ensure it meets the changing needs and demands of users. 

Providing training and support to users and government officials to ensure the platform is being used effectively and building a central governance structure to oversee the platform's development, operation and maintenance are also important considerations. Establishing clear and transparent communication and feedback mechanisms is important to ensure the platform is meeting the needs of the users, and to identify potential issues that need to be addressed. Continuously monitoring the performance and usage of the platform and using data to inform and improve the platform's design and functionality is also crucial for the success of the central platform.

Gaps #1, #2, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, and #17 are associated with this challenge. The implementation of the ACROSS Platform in Pilot cases has showcased its potential to facilitate cross-border services efficiently and effectively. Following the ACROSS Toolbox requirements, this platform would be designed to be in compliance with GDPR and aligned with cutting-edge digital innovations.

The project demonstrated the value of adopting a user-centred design approach when developing digital public services, to ensure that they meet the needs of the people who will use them. Then, as policymakers, it is vital to involve citizens in the early stages of policy development for cross-border service design. Doing so will ensure that the needs of citizens are met at the local level and that cross-border initiatives are tailored to the unique needs of communities. The citizens are the final users of such services and their participation in the policy development process is essential for creating truly effective cross-border services. To ensure that citizens are efficiently integrated into the policy development process, a minimum standard of co-creation with public authorities should be established for all European, national and regional initiatives on digital government that are funded by European funding. By working closely with citizens and involving them in the policy development process, we can ensure that digital government initiatives are more effective. Additionally, local authorities can act as a conduit for the adoption of cross-border solutions and compliance with standards developed in these initiatives.

Improving transparency and communication with citizens and businesses about the development and implementation of cross-border services can help build trust and ensure that services meet the needs of users.

Gaps #5, #7, #8, #11, #13, #14, #9, #15, and #16 are linked to this issue. The experimental phase of the Project, conducted through three Pilot cases, has demonstrated how well the ACROSS Platform is received by both users and providers of cross-border services. Features such as the Virtual Assistant (VA), the use of simple language that includes both English and local languages, attractive visual navigation, easy access to online services, and a strong sense of security in personal data sharing have all contributed to reducing the time and cost associated with using cross-border services. These features also enhance the opportunities for users to work or study abroad. 

The project emphasised the importance of ensuring that data protection and privacy are built into the design of digital public services from the start, to protect citizens' personal data and build trust in the services. To make cross-border services more compliant with data protection regulations is to adopt a risk-based approach to data protection. This approach involves assessing the potential risks to personal data associated with a particular service and then implementing appropriate measures to mitigate those risks. To implement a risk-based approach, public authorities need to conduct a thorough data protection impact assessment (DPIA) of all cross-border services. A DPIA is a systematic examination of a proposed service or project that helps identify the potential risks to personal data and suggests measures to mitigate those risks. 

Ensuring data protection and privacy compliance is crucial for building trust among citizens and businesses and protecting personal data, this can be achieved through regular audits, training and awareness-raising activities, and through the creation of dedicated data protection and privacy units within member state governments.

It is also necessary to implement technical and organisational measures to mitigate the identified risks, such as encryption, pseudonymization, and access controls. They should also establish clear and transparent procedures for data processing and ensure that these procedures are in line with EU data protection regulations. Policymakers should also establish mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing compliance with EU data protection regulations. This includes regular audits of data controllers, as well as sanctions for non-compliance. 

Gaps #5, #7, #8, #9 and #11 are linked to this issue. The Pilot texts of ACROSS Platform provide evidence of the positive perception of users about the data management solution adopted and the capability of the Platform use to increase the trust between governments in charge for cross-border services and the users.

Gaps #1, #2, #3, #6, and #7 also relate to this challenge. Insights from the Pilot cases highlight the ACROSS Platform's significant role in fostering trust between public organizations. 

Policymakers can take several actions to achieve a high level of mutual trust between different member states and create excellent cross-border services, using EU policies and directives. One of the key actions is to foster mutual understanding and cooperation between different EU member states and government agencies. This fostering can be achieved through regular meetings and consultations between representatives of different member states, as well as through the creation of working groups and task forces focused on specific cross-border issues. EU policies such as the European Semester and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) can help facilitate this cooperation. 

Another important action is to harmonise regulations and standards across the EU, which can help ensure that cross-border services are compatible and accessible to all member states. EU directives such as the e-Commerce Directive, the Services Directive, and the Digital Single Market Strategy can help member states harmonise regulations and standards. 

Encouraging private sector participation and partnerships can bring expertise and resources to the development and implementation of cross-border services, and public-private partnerships can help ensure that services meet the needs of users. EU policies such as the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and the Single Market Act can help encourage private sector participation and partnerships. Encouraging the use of open standards and open data can help increase interoperability and make it easier for businesses and citizens to access cross-border services, fostering mutual trust and cooperation. Finally, creating an independent body to oversee the cross-border services can help ensure that they are being developed and implemented in a transparent and accountable manner, building mutual trust among member states.