Innovation is becoming essential to how public administrations across Europe modernise their services and respond to citizens’ needs. At the heart of this transformation sits the Interoperable Europe Act and the wider Interoperable Europe ecosystem, key initiatives led by the European Commission that help administrations design digital public services that work across borders, test new approaches, reuse solutions and scale successful ideas across countries.
By promoting interoperability (the ability of systems and services to connect and function together) we are laying the foundation for more efficient, accessible, and user-friendly public services throughout the European Union.
A structured approach to innovation – assess then innovate
Before innovating, administrations need a clear view of existing services. One important element is the introduction, by the Interoperable Europe Act, of interoperability assessments, which ensure that digital public services can work with existing systems across borders. These assessments help administrations understand how new or updated services interact with existing systems and identify potential barriers early.
Experiment and reuse
A major driver of innovation is the ability to test new ideas and build on what already works. The Act encourages administrations to experiment with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence or shared data and use them in interoperability regulatory sandboxes to test solutions in practice.
This innovation ecosystem is supported by the Interoperable Europe Portal, which provides a shared platform where administrations can discover, share and reuse solutions, standards and best practices. This approach accelerates innovation by allowing promising ideas to scale more quickly across the public sector.
Collaborate with innovators
Innovation in the public sector thrives through collaboration with innovators, researchers and technology providers. Initiatives like GovTech connect administrations with start-ups, researchers and technology providers to co-design innovative solutions for real public sector challenges.
A recent example of this collaborative approach is IMPACTS-EDIC, launched in December 2025. It provides Member States with a shared structure to jointly develop, deploy and operate digital solutions for interconnected public administrations. This helps move promising ideas beyond pilots towards implementation at European scale.
Artificial intelligence and interoperable public services
Public administrations are increasingly using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, decision-making and service delivery. As part of the Apply AI Strategy, an AI toolbox for administrations is being developed to provide a shared repository of open-source and reusable tools and solutions that support AI interoperability across the public sector.
The Commission will complement this toolbox with the Public Sector AI and Interoperability Readiness Pathway. This pathway breaks down complexity into actionable steps, guiding administrations through step-by-step examples to help them design and implement AI-enabled services tailored to their needs.
Showcase and scale innovation
The Public Sector Tech Watch (PSTW) tracks how emerging technologies are used across European administrations. By identifying trends and highlighting best practices, it helps administrations learn from each other and promotes the reuse of innovative solutions. The PSTW Best Cases Award builds on this by spotlighting projects that deliver real impact. It recognises successful approaches and encourages their reuse across borders, creating a virtuous cycle where proven solutions gain visibility, adoption increases, and innovation scales more quickly across the public sector.
Support Europe’s digital ambitions
By connecting systems and enabling seamless data exchange, Interoperable Europe helps reduce fragmentation and creates the conditions for innovation to scale across Member States.
Interoperable Europe contributes to the EU’s broader ambition to build a fully functioning Digital Single Market and to scale innovation across Member States. It also supports wider EU priorities, from boosting competitiveness to accelerating innovation.
Interoperability underpins key initiatives such as the proposed EU Inc. and reflections on Europe’s future economic model highlighted in the Mario Draghi report. It drives progress towards the European Commission’s Digital Decade targets, including the goal of achieving 100% digital public services by 2030.
Through the Interoperable Europe Act and related initiatives, the EU is creating the conditions for innovation across public administrations. By enabling collaboration, encouraging experimentation and promoting the reuse of solutions, the Act supports Member States in developing interoperable public services that work across borders and benefit all EU citizens. This results in a more connected, resilient and innovative European public sector that better serves citizens, businesses and administrations.
Have your say
How is your organisation using interoperability to drive innovation in public services? Are there existing solutions that could be reused or adapted in your context, or new ideas that could be further developed through the Interoperable Europe solutions call? Share your proposal via the Interoperable Europe Portal and help shape solutions that can be reused across Europe.