The European Union Approach to the Interoperability of e-Government Services

1. The European Union Approach to the Interoperability of e-Government Services Paulo Lopes Counsellor for Information Society and Media European Union Delegation in Brazil Global Meeting on Government Interoperability Frameworks 2010 - Rio de Janeiro, 4 May 2010 -

2. European ICT policy:a comprehensive framework “Europe 2020 is about what we need to do today and tomorrow to get the economy back on track. We need to build a new economy based on knowledge, low-carbon economy and high employment levels” The new European Digital Agenda José Manuel Barroso European Commission’s President eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015 Key enablers: Efficiency and effectiveness EU single market User empowerment

3. A new model of relationship between administrations, citizens and businesses The main challenges for eGovernment: • User-centric services Moving from ‘one size fits all' to 'tailor-made, open and customised public services' • Mobility in the EU Single Market Make mobility for businesses and citizens easier by closing the missing links for a European Union Digital Single Market (eProcurement, electronic identity, eServices) • A sustainable public sector, fit for the 21st Century. Delivering better and smarter public services with fewer resources Involving the younger generation in the political decision making process for the next generation governance

4. European Union added value: the instruments • Innovation:deployment of cross-border pilots achieving interoperability • EU Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme • Borderless eProcurement (PEPPOL) • Mutual recognition of Electronic Identity (STORK) • Support the implementation of the Services directive (SPOCS) • Research: support the development of next generation ICT solutions for governance and policy modelling through research within the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development • Policy supporting instruments: • Studies: Support for the eGovernment Action Plan • eGovernment Benchmarking • Best practices: Ensuring the exchange through the EU ePractices Website • eParticipation: using ICTs to produce better legislation by integrating citizens in the decision-making process • Coordination with the EU Member States • Implementation: Interoperability Solutions for European public Administrations (ISA) programme

5. The context • Increasingly European Public administrations are offering their services online to businesses and citizens • Risk that these services are developed as „stand alone“ solutions just for the regional/national level and can not interact with other services on European level • New eBarriers might emerge, impeding the proper functioning of the EU Internal Market • The ISA Programme adresses this problem by promoting and supporting interoperability at all levels of European Public Administration

6. Interoperability Solutions for European Public Administrations (ISA) To support cooperation between European public administrations • Enabling the delivery of electronic public services supporting the implementation of Community policies and activities • By facilitating efficient and effective cross-border and cross-sectoral interaction For that purpose, to provide common and shared solutions facilitating interoperability The ISA Programme will cover the period 2010-2015 • It follows the IDABC Programme, which ran between 2005 and 2009

7. Stakeholders • European Public Administrations at all levels • The ICT Community • Standardisation bodies • International organisations

8. ISA – key principles • Technological neutrality and adaptability • Openness • Reusability • Privacy and the protection of personal data • Security • A strategic framework: European Interoperability Strategy (EIS) • A blue-print: European Interoperability Framework (EIF)

9. European Interoperability Strategy (EIS) • Aim is to define a European coordinated Action Plan for cross-border interoperability of European Public Services by • combining top-down with bottom-up activities • projects supporting political priorities, combined with horizontal activities (learning, re-use) • elaborating joint vision on interoperability architecture (providing guidelines where needed) • organising and supporting re-use of services and building blocks

10. The European Interoperability Strategic Vision • In 2015, Interoperability will have significantly fostered European Public Services delivery through • Appropriate governance organisation and processes in line with the European Union policies and objectives • Trusted information exchange enabled by commonly agreed, cohesive and coordinated interoperability initiatives • including completion of the legal environment, elaboration of interoperability frameworks and agreements on interoperability standards and rules

11. Trusted information exchange • Semantic interoperability • Information availability and usage • Trust and privacy • Catalogue of services Accompanying measures Interoperability architecture • Interoperability architecture • Expertise support and methodologies Inter-operability Awareness Sharing best practices Using Collaboration platforms ICT implications of new legislation • National and cross-border sector-specific legislation sustainability Clusters of Activities: based on the European Interoperability Strategy (EIS)

12. European Interoperability Framework (EIF) • The purpose of the EIF is • To promote and support the delivery of European Public Services by fostering cross-border and cross-sectoral interoperability • To guide public administrations' efforts in providing European Public Services to businesses and citizens • To complement and tie together the various National Interoperability Frameworks (NIF's) in a European dimension • First issue of EIF published by European Commission in 2004; A revision (EIF 2.0) to be issued this year, tackling technological, standards and administrative developments

13. EIF scope

14. European Public Services scenarios

15. EIF: Underlying principles • The first group of principles sets the frame for EU action in the area of European Public Services • Subsidiarity and Proportionality • The next group reflect generic user needs and expectations • User Centricity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Security and Privacy, Multilingualism, Administrative Simplification, Transparency, Preservation of Information • The last group provides a foundation for collaboration between public administrations • Openness, Reusability, Technological Neutrality and Adaptability, Effectiveness and Efficiency

16. Openness and interoperability Within the context of the European Interoperability Framework, Interoperability is the ability of disparate and diverse organisations to interact towards mutually beneficial and agreed common goals, involving the sharing of information and knowledge between the organisations, through the business processes they support, by means of the exchange of data between their respective ICT systems Openness is the willingness of persons, organisations or other members of a community of interest • to freely share knowledge • to stimulate debate within that community of interest having as ultimate goal the advancement of knowledge and the use thereof to solve relevant problems Interoperability involves the sharing of information and knowledge between interacting organisations, hence implies openness

17. EIF: 4 Interoperability levels

18. EIF: Interoperability Agreements

19. Further information • Information Society in the EU http://ec.europa.eu/information_society http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/egovernment • ISA Programmehttp://ec.europa.eu/isa/ • ISA Decision http://ec.europa.eu/isa/programme • European Interoperability Strategy http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7772 • European Interoperability Frameworkhttp://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7728

20. Thank you Paulo.Lopes@ec.europa.eu