The latest Report on the State of Regions and Cities, published annually by the European Committee of the Regions, highlights a call from regions and cities for stronger support for cross-border public services and public sector interoperability. The report was presented in October during the EU Regions Week and it provides a snapshot of the most pressing challenges facing regions and cities across Europe, along with local solutions to inform EU policy decisions.
The chapter on "Social Protection and Public Services" (pages 25-26) emphasises that future challenges will require continuous innovation and adaptation of public services, including investing in digital services and digital government to improve efficiency and accessibility.
The report highlights that digital transformation is a priority for regional and local public administrations, aimed at enhancing service quality and improving the efficiency. In support of that, other recent studies cited in the report show that over 50% of the EU regions and cities are actively pursuing digital transformation strategies to better public services.
In the report, regions and cities call for several improvements to meet the needs of citizens regarding social protection and public services. For some of these needs, the Interoperable Europe Act plays a role.
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Ensuring accessibility to public services for all, through digital means, regardless of physical location. The Act prioritises cross-border digital public services by promoting interoperability across all levels of government. It aims to ensure that digital services are accessible to everyone, by setting common standards and providing legal frameworks to remove barriers to seamless service delivery across borders.
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Supporting cross-border public services in areas such as interoperability, electronic document services, and other foundational elements of digital government, while promoting interregional cooperation and data exchange. The Act supports cross-border public services by facilitating the exchange of data and services between Member States. It emphasises legal, technical, and semantic interoperability to make it easier for different regions to work together, share data, and implement joint solutions for digital government.
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Facilitating public sector innovation to generate public savings, economic growth, and more responsive services for citizens. The Act encourages public sector innovation through initiatives like GovTech collaborations and interoperability regulatory sandboxes, which provide controlled environments for testing new digital solutions. These measures aim to reduce costs, improve service delivery, and foster a culture of innovation in the public sector.
If you want to read the full report, visit the page of the European Committee of the Regions.
Read more about digital transformation of public services here.