Commission report shows that Europe has made good progress in ensuring interoperability in digital public services

The European Commission has published the first Annual Report on Interoperability in the Union, taking stock of progress made since the entry into force of the Interoperable Europe Act in April 2024. The report shows that the EU is making steady advances towards more connected, efficient and citizen-centred digital public services across borders.

Key findings of the report

Over the first year of implementation, the Interoperable Europe Act has moved from legislation to practice. The report highlights in particular:

• A governance structure now in place. The Interoperable Europe Board and its permanent working group were established, bringing together representatives from Member States and the Commission to steer implementation and agree on a common interoperability agenda.
• A central portal for interoperability. The Interoperable Europe Portal has become the EU's one-stop shop for interoperability, hosting solutions, guidelines, assessment tools and training materials, and supporting the reuse of digital public sector solutions across borders and levels of government.
• New support for innovation. The Commission adopted the implementing act on interoperability regulatory sandboxes, setting detailed rules for how Member States can test innovative digital solutions in real-life conditions while generating regulatory learning.
• The Interoperable Europe Academy further expanded its offer on interoperability and digital-ready policymaking, with over 12,000 new enrolments.
• Interoperability assessments became mandatory in January 2025 for new or significantly upgraded trans-European digital public services. Member States and Union institutions are applying the interoperability assessment guidelines, available in all EU languages, to ensure that new legislation and projects take cross-border data exchange and reuse into account from the outset.
• The report also describes the launch of the Interoperable Europe Community and close cooperation with GovTech actors, local and regional administrations, academia and civil society, who are working together on shared interoperability solutions.

Examples of successful interoperability in practice

The report presents concrete use cases showing the added value of interoperability for citizens and administrations. One example is EMREX , a system that enables the secure cross-border exchange of student data and facilitates student mobility across Europe. The report also highlights ongoing EU investments in open-source digital solutions, GovTech innovation and shared digital assets, which help administrations reduce costs, foster reuse, and accelerate the deployment of trusted digital public services.

Next steps

In 2026, the Commission and the Member States will intensify their cooperation to build on the progress achieved so far. Following the adoption of the first Interoperable Europe Agenda by the Interoperable Europe Board, work will begin on its implementation, identifying and addressing priority actions for the year. The first Interoperable Europe labelled solutions were also approved, providing concrete, reusable tools to support public administrations. Support services for administrations will continue to expand, and further efforts will be made to streamline and simplify interoperability assessments, ensuring that they remain practical and proportionate. These steps will help modernise public administrations, reduce the administrative burden, and strengthen the EU's competitiveness and digital resilience.

Background

Interoperability in the public sector means that different organisations' information systems, data and business processes can work together seamlessly. It allows administrations to share and reuse data securely across borders and sectors. The Interoperable Europe Act lays down a common EU framework for public-sector interoperability. It establishes a multi-level cooperation mechanism between Member States, EU institutions and stakeholders, empowered by the Interoperable Europe Board, the Interoperable Europe Portal and the Interoperable Europe Community. By reducing duplication of IT investments and cutting administrative burden, the measures in the Act are expected to save up to €5 billion every year, according to the Commission's Impact Assessment, and to help achieve the EU's Digital Decade goal that 100% of key public services should be available online by 2030.

For more information:

Annual Report on Interoperability in the Union

Interoperable Europe Act

Impact Assessment

Interoperable Europe Portal