Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Interoperability for Pan-European eGovernment Services
Date: 2006-02-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, communications systems, cooperation policy, electronic government, interactive network, provision of services, public administration, trans-European network

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 13.2.2006 
COM(2006) 45 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL  
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Interoperability for Pan-European eGovernment Services 

EN 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL  
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Interoperability for Pan-European eGovernment Services 

Today eGovernment is at the heart of the EU’s drive for economic, social and environmental 
renewal. Its contribution to improving the development and implementation of public policies 
is well-established, and recently particular attention has been attached to the part it plays in 
improving the competitiveness and innovation of European economies.  

Much  progress  has  been  made  on  eGovernment  at  all  levels  of  public  administration  in 
Europe.  While  this  momentum  must  be  maintained, more attention now needs to be paid to 
developing  the  cross-border  dimension  of  eGovernment,  for  which  interoperability  assumes 
even  higher  priority.  Closer  collaboration  between  administrations  from  different  Member 
States will support the emergence of better services for European citizens and businesses and 
more efficient implementation of EU policies.  

Increased collaboration necessitates improved communication between a growing number of 
administrations in the public sector, a challenge that calls for a joint effort by Member States 
and  the  Community.  The  aim  of  this  communication  is,  therefore,  to  raise  the  attention  of 
Member  States  to  the  work  that  needs  to  be  undertaken  to  achieve  pan-European 
interoperability  of  eGovernment  services.  In  the  light  of  the  range  of  issues  that  need  to  be 
addressed,  it  proposes  priorities  and  a  first  set  of  actions.  This  communication  calls  on  the 
Council to address the requirements identified and to lend its support to the measures that will 
meet them. 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

1.1. 

Background 

Strengthening the competitiveness of European economies requires modernisation of 
the  public  sector  in  Europe  and  improved  interaction  between  the  associated 
organisations: 

–  The  single  market  relies  on  modern  and  efficient  public  administrations  which 

facilitate the mobility and seamless interaction of citizens and businesses. 

–  Modern public administration has to be built upon sophisticated ICT infrastructure 
and  streamlined  eGovernment  processes. Only  then will  it be able to  deliver  the 
cost-efficient, 
the 
transparent  and  convenient  services  needed 
opportunities offered by the information society. 

to  seize 

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The  benefits  of  eGovernment  and,  in  particular,  of  cross-border  eGovernment 
services  in  this  respect  are  undisputed1.  Accordingly,  the  proposed  Directive  on 
services  in  the  internal  market2  explicitly  highlights  the  interrelation  between 
eGovernment  infrastructure  and  the  mobility  of  businesses.  It  requires  the  Member 
States  to  set  up  the  interoperability  infrastructure  necessary  to  provide  mobile 
businesses with single points of contact for completing the administrative procedures 
related to mobility.  

Other  EU  policy  areas  too  need  to  be  supported  by  increased  information-sharing 
between  administrations.  Policy  objectives  cannot  be  attained  without  increased 
cooperation  between  administrations,  supported  by  information  technologies, 
whether in the area of justice and home affairs or of external relations and security 
policy. 

interoperability  of  eGovernment  services3,  based  on  standards,  open 
The 
specifications  and  open  interfaces,  has  become  a  crucial,  crosscutting  task.  In  the 
eEurope  Action  Plan4,  it  was  explicitly  recognised  as  a  precondition  for  the 
implementation of European eGovernment services, and Member States restated its 
importance at the Ministerial Conference held in Como in July 2003: “Cooperation 
required to develop pan-European services depends in part on the interoperability of 
information and communication systems used at all levels of government.” 

This means that, although Member States are responsible for the interoperability of 
their  own  systems,  interoperability  at  European  level,  which  is  needed  in  order  to 
implement common EU policies and priorities, requires cooperation and coordination 
at European level. The issue of such interoperability should therefore remain high on 
the EU agenda on electronic services of public interest (in the area of eGovernment 
but  also  others  like  health  or  education),  notably  as  part  of  the  new  strategic 
framework “i20105 - A European Information Society for growth and employment” 
and  the  various  related  initiatives  and  programmes.  i2010  explicitly  addresses 
interoperability  as  one  of  the  four  main  challenges  for  the  creation  of  a  single 
European information space and essential for ICT-enabled public services. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

See  inter  alia  COM(2003)  567  final  of  26  September  2003  “The  role  of  eGovernment  for  Europe’s 
future” and SEC(2004) 346 of 18 March 2004 “Commission staff working paper on the interoperability 
of digital interactive television services”. 
Proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  services  in  the  internal 
market COM(2004) 2, submitted by the Commission). 
For  the  purpose  of  this  communication,  interoperability  is  defined  as  “the  ability  of  information  and 
communication technology (ICT) systems and of the business processes they support to exchange data 
and to enable information and knowledge to be shared”, see "European Interoperability Framework for 
2004, 
version 
pan-European 
 http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/3473/5585. 
“eEurope 2005: An information society for all. An Action Plan to be presented in view of the Sevilla 
European  Council,  21/22 
final  of  28  May  2002, 
June  2002”,  COM(2002)  263 
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/action_plan/index_en.htm. 
2005 “i2010 – A European Information Society for growth and employment”, COM(2005) 229 final of 
1 June, http://europa.eu.int/i2010. 

in  November 

eGovernment 

Services", 

published 

1.0, 

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1.2. 

Challenges: Pan-European services for citizens and businesses 

The  achievement  of  interoperability  for  eGovernment  services  is  a  continuous 
process  in  which  new  partners  and  new  technologies  need  to  be  integrated 
constantly: 

–  eGovernment  services  are  delivered  at  all  levels  of  government.  Interoperability 
must be ensured between local, regional, national and European administrations to 
provide seamless service.  

–  The integration of the new Member States is a major task which is already under 

way. 

–  More  and  more  citizens  going  online  will  expect  and  demand  efficient  and 

simplified electronic access to information and services. 

–  Technologies  and  market  products  are  evolving.  While  new  ways  of  ensuring 
interoperability  are  emerging,  the  increasing  potential  to  enrich  eGovernment 
services means that interoperability is becoming an issue where previously it was 
not. 

–  Advances  made  by  Member  States  in  establishing  their  own  eGovernment 
programmes and policies mean that many choices have been made with regard to 
implementation. Integration of heterogeneous elements and processes is becoming 
a major task. 

–  Pan-European specifications are sparse, and no systematic exchange of know-how 

and best practice yet exists. 

The growing number of players, the growing complexity of the relationships, and the 
related  IT  systems  necessitate  consistent  architectures,  common  policies  and 
standards  as  well  as  continuous  and  extensive  coordination  efforts  between  EU 
institutions  and  Member  States.  With  the  rollout  of  pan-European  services  this 
complexity will increase. 

1.3. 

Scope of the communication 

A  basic  approach  to  European  interoperability  has  been  drawn  up,  and  the 
foundations are in place: 

–  A  first  version  of  the  European  Interoperability  Framework  (EIF)  for  pan-
European  eGovernment  Services6  and  its  associated  Architecture  Guidelines  has 
proposed  policies,  standards  and  specifications  to  support  partners  of  European 
eGovernment doing business with each other.  

6 

The  "European  Interoperability  Framework  for  pan_European  eGovernment  Services"  is  a  working 
document  of  the  IDA  programme,  http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/3473/5585.  It  has  been 
subject  to  extensive  stakeholder  review  and  discussion,  but  it  does  not  constitute  official  European 
Commission policy,. 

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–  eGovernment-related  research  and  development  programmes  have  completed 

related studies and initiated pilot projects.  

–  In  the  context  of  advisory  consultations  on  national  eGovernment  initiatives  for 

eEurope 2005, approaches to interoperability have been recommended7. 

–  The Information Society Technologies Research, Technological Development and 
Demonstration Programme (IST RTD), Trans-European Networks Programme for 
e-Services  (eTEN)  and  the  programme  for  Interoperable  Delivery  of  European 
eGovernment  Services  to  Public  Administrations,  Businesses  and  Citizens 
(IDABC)  jointly  contribute  to  identifying,  validating  and  implementing  pan-
European services8. IDABC has finalised a survey on pan-European services with 
the relevant stakeholders9. 

However,  in  view  of  the  limited  resources,  efforts  to  develop  cross-border 
eGovernment services have to be prioritised. Secondly, the long-term  sustainability 
of  the  measures  to  support  interoperability  required  by  these  services  needs  to  be 
ensured. 

This communication therefore: 

–  sets out the basic requirements for implementing pan-European interoperability of 

eGovernment services; 

–  outlines  priorities  in  a  structured  set  of  policies  and  measures  for  achieving 

interoperability of eGovernment services in the pan-European context; 

–  proposes further action as first steps to fill in this framework. 

2. 

IMPLEMENTING 
SERVICES 

PAN-EUROPEAN 

INTEROPERABILITY 

FOR  EGOVERNMENT 

2.1. 

Benefits of eGovernment interoperability 

Interoperability  is  a  prerequisite  for  the  delivery  of  eGovernment  services  across 
national  and  organisational  boundaries.  Interoperability  facilitates  communication, 
interaction  and  transaction  between  different  entities  or  partners.  It  enables 
information  and 
organisations 
transactions to pass across their boundaries. 

independence  while  allowing 

to  retain 

their 

2.2. 

Dimensions and requirements of eGovernment interoperability 

Three  key  areas  of  interoperability  will  have  to  be  considered  when  implementing 
eGovernment services - the organisational, semantic and technical: 

7 

8 

9 

See CoBrA recommendations of 25 October 2004: 
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/egovernment_research/doc/cobra_recommendations_
for_eGovernment_beyond2005.pdf. 
Decision 2004/387/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperable delivery of 
pan-European eGovernment services to public administrations, businesses and citizens (IDABC). 
Forthcoming: Survey of stakeholder requirements for pan-European eGovernment services. 

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–  Organisational  interoperability  is  about  being  able  to  identify  the  players  and 
organisational  processes  involved  in  the  delivery  of  a  specific  eGovernment 
service  and  achieving  agreement  among  them  on  how  to  structure  their 
interactions, i.e. defining their “business interfaces”10. 

–  Technical  interoperability  is  about  knitting  together  IT  systems  and  software, 
defining  and  using  open  interfaces,  standards  and  protocols  in  order  to  build 
reliable, effective and efficient information systems. 

–  Semantic  interoperability  is  about  ensuring  that  the  meaning  of  the  information 
exchanged  is  not  lost  in  the  process,  that  it  is  retained  and  understood  by  the 
people, applications and institutions involved. 

Coordination efforts are needed in and across all three areas. 

2.3. 

The governance of eGovernment interoperability 

The  approaches  and  solutions  for  interoperability  will  differ,  depending  on  the 
eGovernment  services  concerned  and  on  the  environment  in  which  the  services  are 
implemented. Achieving interoperability for given areas at European level has to be 
seen as a step-by-step process and needs to be supported as such. 

The  related  coordination  efforts  will  have  to  be  supported  by  administrations  at  all 
levels. Policy and technological considerations determine where responsibilities lie. 

The  principle  of  subsidiarity  requires  public  intervention  at  the  most  efficient  level 
considering  the  objectives  pursued:  this  will  often  be  at  Member  State  level. 
However,  considering  the  scale  and  scope  of  the  services  and  the  coordination  of 
measures supporting pan-European interoperability, a number of measures need to be 
taken at EU level. 

In this regard, the coordination of eGovernment interoperability agreements within a 
specific  policy  area  falls  within  the  responsibility  of  that  area,  whereas  commonly 
applicable  rules  and  elements  must  be  defined  across  policy  areas.  Consequently, 
semantic schemes for the exchange of taxation data or health statistics will have to be 
defined by taxation and health administrations. However, commonly used elements, 
such as descriptions of goods, institutions or natural persons in general, or technical 
rules,  such  as  the  use  of  secure  transport  protocols  and  interfaces,  will  have  to  be 
organised horizontally across all areas and, where relevant, synchronised with work 
addressing similar interoperability challenges in business. 

2.4. 

Legislation 

National  eGovernment  programmes  have  encountered  legal  hurdles  when  trying  to 
restructure and simplify processes for more efficient interaction with their customers. 
These problems are likely to be multiplied at pan-European level. 

Changes  to  national  legislation  may  be  required  in  order  to  achieve  organisational 
interoperability  for  pan-European  eGovernment  services.  Impact  assessments  for 

10 

As defined in the EIF. 

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legislative proposals – including from the EU - might have to address constraints for 
electronic services. 

The Commission has launched a study (under the Modinis programme in the context 
of eEurope 2005) into legal and organisational barriers to eGovernment. 

3. 

ADDRESSING INTEROPERABILITY REQUIREMENTS 

3.1. 

Achievements 

3.1.1.  Policies and standards for pan-European interoperability 

A  first  version  of  the  European  Interoperability  Framework  for  pan-European 
eGoverment  Services  was  published,  as  an  IDA  (Interchange  of  Data  between 
Administrations)  working  document,  in  November  2004,  suggesting  general 
guidelines  for  the  delivery  of  pan-European  eGovernment  services.  Based  on  the 
premise  that  each  Member  State  has,  or  is  in  the  process  of  developing,  its  own 
national  Government  Interoperability  Framework  (GIF),  the  EIF  focuses  on 
supplementing,  rather 
interoperability 
frameworks by adding a pan-European dimension. The EIF makes recommendations, 
defines generic standardisation requirements with regard to organisational, semantic 
und  technical  aspects  of  such  interoperability  and  offers  a  comprehensive  set  of 
principles for European cooperation in eGovernment. 

than  replacing,  national  eGovernment 

3.1.2.  Projects and studies 

The R&D programmes on eGovernment, IDA, eTEN as well as the individual policy 
areas have implemented a substantial number of projects harnessing and promoting 
eGovernment  interoperability.  Among  others,  the  IDA  programme  has  produced 
European specifications for eProcurement, and eLink, the middleware for secure data 
exchange  between  administrations  and  their  communication  partners.  eTEN  has  set 
up a pan-European pilot system for processing standardised registration data for use 
by  businesses.  Tax  administrations,  customs,  health,  social  security  and  statistics 
have  already  gone  a  long  way  towards  interoperability  and  standardisation  in  their 
sectors  –  partly  with  the  support  of  the  Commission.  The  R&D  programme  is 
exploring interoperability in emerging areas such as mobile eGovernment services. 

3.2. 

Action required 

3.2.1. 

Setting priorities 

Efforts  to  address  interoperability  requirements  for  eGovernment  services  must 
concentrate  on  policy  areas  of  priority.  Against  the  background  of  the  economic 
climate  in  the  EU  and  the  importance  of  bringing  real  benefits  to  citizens,  the 
expected effects on competitiveness and employment, innovation and contributing to 
European  citizenship  must  be  among  the  selection  criteria.  Cross-border  company 
registrations  and  the  interoperability  of  European  eProcurement  are  examples  of 
high-priority  areas.  The  need  to  reduce  the  administrative  burden  on  enterprises  in 
the EU is also taking on new urgency. Seamless collection of pan-European statistics 
is  a  step  into  the  future.  In  the  field  of  social  security  and  job  offers,  cross-border 
services will facilitate the mobility of citizens. 

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3.2.2.  Policy documents and guidelines 

Reactions  after  the  publication  of  the  first  version  of  the  European  Interoperability 
Frramework for pan-European eGovernment Services (EIF) demonstrate that a more 
profound  understanding  of  eGovernment  interoperability  and  its  impact  is  needed. 
The  EIF  will  have  to  evolve  in  line  with  policy  requirements  and  technological 
changes.  It  needs  to  be  supplemented  with  recommendations  on  specific  standards 
and  applications,  which  can  be  provided  by  the  Architecture  Guidelines  and 
equivalent  documents,  to  be  produced  by  the  IDABC  programme.  Future,  more 
refined  versions  of  the  EIF,  will  be  formalised  in  the  light  of  policy  guidance 
obtained  from  consultations  and  studies  in  the  various  EU  programmes  concerned, 
including  the  i2010  initiative.  In  the  longer  term,  a  stable  governance  organisation 
may need to be established. 

The EIF needs to be supplemented by a revised edition of the well-established IDA 
Architecture Guidelines which approach eGovernment interoperability from a more 
technical and pragmatic viewpoint. Based on the concept of a well-built architecture, 
together  they  will  offer  guidance  on  how  to  implement  and  integrate  available 
generic eGovernment components and network infrastructure. 

3.2.3.  Encouraging collaboration between administrations 

In  some  policy  areas  such  as  customs  and  taxation,  trans-European  information 
exchanges  have  become  common-place  and  have  lead  to  the  emergence  of  sector-
specific  agreements  on  interoperability.  However,  an  effort  is  required  to  achieve 
interoperability  at  all  layers  of  government.  The  Commission  proposes  to  bring 
together  stakeholders  and  carry  out  validation  and  deployment  projects  for  the 
implementation  of  interoperable  service  solutions  with  the  support  of  the  eTEN 
programme.  R&D  projects  and  Modinis  studies  are  expected  to  provide  inputs.  In 
addition, IDABC will continue to promote and facilitate collaboration by European 
public administrations in support of EU policies. 

The  stakeholders  for  the  identified  areas  need  to  be  brought  together  at  European 
level - across Member States and different administrative levels – in order to: 

–  take  stock  of  the  existing  services  and  service  components  in  the  different 

Member States, 

–  define service- or sector-specific action plans on how to achieve and benchmark 

interoperability, 

–  identify the horizontal interoperability layer to be addressed at European level, 

–  agree  on  the  level  of  eGovernment  interoperability  to  be  achieved  and  the 

approach to be taken, 

–  agree on reusable or scalable model solutions to be implemented jointly. 

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To support implementation of this coordination policy, the initial guidance provided 
by  the  European  Interoperability  Framework  (EIF)  needs  to  be  complemented  by 
related fora and institutionalised coordination processes at European level.  

3.2.4.  Management of generic elements 

Experience with national interoperability programmes and standardisation processes 
shows  that  the  identification  and  definition  of  common  elements  and  core 
components  is  crucial  for  the  efficiency  of  information  and  transaction.  The 
worldwide  acknowledged  standard  of  the  postal  address  is  one  evident  example: 
thanks  to  this  standard  alone  letters  are  sure  to  reach  their  destination  regardless 
which country the recipients live in.  

While the administrations involved in information exchanges specific to their sector 
should  agree  on  the  aspects  that  concern  them  exclusively,  recurring  aspects  and 
cross-border  interoperability  issues  need  to  be  decided  at  EU  level.  Appropriate 
coordination processes with Member States have to be put in place and may need to 
be backed up by a responsible management entity. This task may be delegated to one 
or more Member States, but it could also be handled by an institutionalised process at 
European level. 

3.2.5. 

Standardisation 

Due  to  its  characteristics  of  openness  and  inclusiveness  ICT  standardisation  can 
provide a major support to the achievement of interoperability at the network, service 
and  application  levels.  A  greater  effort  is  therefore  required  to  carry  the  public 
sector's  eGovernment  standardisation  requirements  into  the  European  (CEN, 
CENELEC and ETSI) and international standardisation bodies11. 

in  particular  CEN  and  ETSI, 

Under  the  eEurope  standardisation  Action  plan,  the  European  standardisation 
organisations, 
in  co-operation  with  relevant 
stakeholders and public administrations, have initiated a standardisation programme 
aiming  at  the  identification  and  implementation  of  eGovernment  standardisation 
priorities  with  the  view  to  increase  interoperability.  The  European  standardisation 
organisations  are  invited  to  continue  the  effort  and  to  carry  them  further  under  the 
i2010 initiative. 

3.2.6.  An architecture for cross-border delivery of eGovernment services  

To be economic and effective, implementation of the infrastructure required for the 
delivery of pan-European eGovernment services will have to be guided by an overall 
conceptual  architecture,  based  on  standards.  Such  architecture  will  leave  it  to  the 
players  responsible  to  define  individually  the  components  they  want  to  implement 

11 

This is supported at the policy level by COBRA recommendations, the resolutions of the 43rd meeting 
of  the  Directors-General  for  Public  Administration  of  the  European  Union  on  22  and  23  November 
2004  (http://www.eipa.nl/)  and  a  strategy paper  on  “Rethinking  the  European  ITC Agenda:  Ten  ICT-
breakthroughs  for  reaching  Lisbon  goals”,  The  Hague  2004,  initiated  by  the  Dutch  presidency, 
http://www.pwc.com/Extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/EC6DE73A846581CE80256EFD002E41FB/$
file/pwc_rethinking_european_ict_agenda.pdf. 

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and,  at  the  same  time,  will  ensure  the  coherence  of  the  whole  scheme.  The 
Commission  will  establish  common  concepts,  principles  and  guidelines  for  the 
delivery of pan-European eGovernment services through the IDABC programme, in 
cooperation with the RTD and eTEN programmes. 

3.2.7.  Common infrastructure to support eGovernment interoperability 

Online information platforms, registries and repositories will facilitate organisational 
and semantic interoperability of eGovernment services, providing pointers to where 
information  can  be  accessed,  under  which  conditions  and  how  to  interpret  it.  The 
purpose  of  this  infrastructure  will  be  to  bridge  the  differences  between  national 
approaches.  The  Commission  will  encourage  exploration  through  the  RTD 
programme, and the validation and implementation of this infrastructure through the 
eTEN  and  IDABC  programmes.  Organisation  and  financing  for  the  long-term 
operation of this infrastructure will need to be assessed. 

3.2.8.  Common elements 

Common  elements  and  core  components  which  can  and  should  be  used  by 
interoperability partners at European level will have to be identified. Agreements on 
their  specifications  should  be  coordinated,  published  and  maintained  between  the 
competent  authorities  and,  where  appropriate,  with  the  involvement  of  recognised 
standardisation bodies. A contribution is expected to be made by learning from good 
practice across the EU and internationally. 

3.2.9.  Establishing coordination and maintenance 

The  implications  of  the  coordination  and  maintenance  tasks  required  for  the 
implementation  of  pan-European  interoperability  need  to  be  assessed12.  Such  tasks 
would include: 

–  coordinate the pan-European agreements about common specifications, standards 

and rules across policy areas; 

–  support the coordination of agreements within policy areas; 

–  safeguard  the  sustainability  of  these  agreements  by  delivering  technical  and 
organisational support for the accessibility, maintenance and further development 
of these specifications and rules. 

IDABC  will  assess 
implementation options by mid-200613. 

the  possible  organisational  models  and  present 

the 

12 

13 

See also EPAN, “Key Principles of Interoperability Architecture”, prepared under the Irish Presidency 
2004, http://www.reach.ie/publications/downloads/PrinciplesofInteroperability.pdf. 
See Article 10.8 of Decision 2004/387/CE adopting the IDABC programme, OJEU L 144, 30.4.2004 (s. 
Corrigendum in OJEU L 181, 18.5.2004, p. 25). 

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3.2.10.  Knowledge, good practice and compliance 

Adherence  to  the  common  guidelines  and  recommendations  will  be  crucial  for  the 
achievement  of  eGovernment  interoperability.  Conformity  is  strongly  coupled  to 
knowledge,  and  an  effort  is  required  to  raise  awareness  of  the  guidelines  and 
standards that have been agreed upon. eTEN, IDABC and the eGovernment-related 
activities in the IST programme and in the eEurope Modinis programme are already 
promoting the spread of knowledge and good practice. These efforts will be stepped 
up. 

3.2.11.  Encouraging the development and spread of interoperable eGovernment solutions 

The  public  sector  relies  to  a  great  extent  on  the  development  of  eGovernment 
solutions in the private sector. The eTEN and IST programmes provide opportunities 
for encouraging the development of such solutions. A wealth of open source software 
components is available, and sharing of these solutions between administrations will 
be encouraged through the IST, eTEN and IDABC programmes. 

3.2.12.  Research 

In  the  IST  RTD  programme,  interoperability  in  eGovernment  is  being  explored  in 
innovative  service  delivery  settings  (such  as  mobile  or  multi-channel  services)  that 
are  applicable  at  any  level  (local,  regional,  national,  European),  as  well  as  for 
emerging future pan-European services. Particular attention is being given to issues 
connected with back-office integration, semantics, essential facilities, such as cross-
border  electronic  identity  management  and  authentication,  as  well  as  to  secure 
environments  for  eGovernment.  Exchange  of  insights  gained  from  these  RTD 
projects  is  facilitated  through  an  Interoperability  Observatory14.  Accompanying 
studies and actions have been put in place or are planned to address issues such as 
electronic  identification  and  authentication  in  eGovernment,  local  and  regional 
interoperability, and linkage to the exchange of good practices. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS 

This  communication  builds  on  the  understanding  that  Europe  needs  cross-border 
government services in order to increase the competitiveness of its economy and the 
mobility of its citizens and businesses. It argues that: 

–  interoperability, meaning the capability to connect information processing systems 
and workflows and to understand and reuse information from other organisations, 
is  a  prerequisite  for  improving  the  conditions  for  a  competitive  and  innovative 
Europe; 

–  the  implementation  of  eGovernment  services  interoperability  at  pan-European 
level requires common strategies and substantial investments in collaboration and 

14 

http://www.egovinterop.net/ 

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operational infrastructure by all parties concerned, based on a long-term vision of 
sustainable pan-European eGovernment services; 

–  eGovernment  interoperability  is  therefore  a  European  challenge  that  needs  to  be 
addressed by the European institutions in close cooperation with Member States. 
The  issue  of  governance  needs  to  be  addressed  not  only  in  the  pan-European 
context but also in policy areas and across sectors; 

–  priorities  for  the  implementation  of  eGovernment  interoperability  have  to  be 
determined on the basis of anticipated benefits for the Union’s economy and for 
social cohesion in Europe; 

–  resources  for  initial  investments  and  long-term  sustainability  of  the  measures 
required for the delivery of cross-border services have to be assessed and secured. 

On  the  basis  of  this  communication,  the  Commission  will  formulate  proposals  to 
create  favourable  conditions  for  the  establishment  of  interoperable  pan-European 
services.  This  will  be  done  within  the  context  of  the  i2010  initiative  where  an 
"eGovernment action plan" is being prepared, and of the IDABC programme, where 
mechanisms  to  ensure  the  financial  and  operational  sustainability  of  the  IDABC 
infrastructure services need to be defined before 31 December 200615. 

15 

See article 10(8) of decision 2004/387/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 
2004  on  interoperable  delivery  of  pan-European  eGovernment  services  to  public  administrations, 
businesses and citizens (IDABC) 

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