The European Parliament's plenary has adopted the Interoperable Europe Act, securing overwhelming support, with 524 out of 639 Members voting in favour during the first reading. The legislation, aimed at bolstering cross-border interoperability in digital public services, received broad backing from major political factions.
Expected to become European law after a single reading, the Act targets improved data exchange between EU Member States, addressing challenges in the current landscape. Ivars Ijabs, the designated rapporteur on the Act, highlighted the necessity for swift cross-border access to public services.
If you missed the details of this legislation and the potential it offers for the open source community, you can review the European Commission's presentation at FOSDEM in February 2024. Isa Von Kalben, program manager in the Interoperability unit, provides insights into what the act signifies for the open source community. This was followed by a workshop that was moderated by Lina Ceballos from the Free Software Foundation Europe. Additionally, recordings of the EC Open Source Programme Office presentation on the future of its open source strategy are available alongside a Q&A.
A key component of the Act, starting in 2025, mandates interoperability assessments for digital public services involving cross-border data exchange. This requirement applies to EU institutions, Member States, and regional and local public administrations. The assessments aim to discover efficient ways to achieve cross-border interoperability, test digital implementation feasibility, and reduce administrative burdens, ultimately saving time for citizens.
Public administrations across the EU have a unique opportunity to shape the guidelines for these assessments. Interoperable Europe has initiated a pilot phase where public administrations can contribute to the development of efficient assessment tools. Interested parties are encouraged to indicate their participation through an EU survey, with a deadline set for 20th March 2024.
The pilot phase is slated to commence in early April 2024, with results and feedback expected to be shared by the end of May 2024. The insights gathered during this phase will play a crucial role in defining assessment guidelines for adoption by the Interoperable Europe board, anticipated to be established later this year. We really recommend the OSOR community to participate in these assessment guidelines to help shape the future of European interoperability.