Commission calls for interoperability among national and regional administrations
The European Commission has adopted a new communication calling for interoperability among national and regional authorities in the EU, designed to promote the free movement of citizens and businesses in the internal market. According to the Commission, the lack of interoperability between different layers of government in Europe is a key obstacle to EU-wide eGovernment services. The communication is designed to encourage Member States and industry to work together to ensure that this obstacle can be overcome. 'Interoperability is the basis for working together in the internal market. It will contribute to making Europe an attractive place to live, work and invest,' said Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen. Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, added: 'Our overall aim must be eGovernment that delivers tangible benefits for citizens and businesses, everywhere in the EU, leaving no one behind.' The communication identifies a need for interoperability at three different levels: interoperability of administrative processes for 'life-time events' (such as births and marriages) and 'business-events' (setting up a company or paying taxes); semantic interoperability, whereby documents such as birth certificates are standardised so that different levels of government can 'understand' each other's information; and technical interoperability, where standardisation allows computer systems to talk to each other. The communication sets out the Commission's willingness to work with Member States to set priorities, produce policy guidelines and technical recommendations, and to encourage standardisation. More concrete initiatives for increasing interoperability will also be included in the Commission's forthcoming eGovernment action plan. Interoperability is addressed in Commissioner Reding's i2010 initiative as being one of the four main challenges to the creation of a single European information space, and essential for public services enabled by information and communications technology (ICT). The Commissioner has pledged to keep the interoperability of electronic public services high on the EU agenda.