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Interoperable Europe Act Proposal: Cross-border interoperability for public sector bodies?

Viviana Demonte — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:39:10 +0000

Interoperable Europe Act Proposal: Cross-border interoperability for public sector bodies? Viviana Demonte 22 March 2023

On 13 April 2023, the Living-in.EU legal subgroup is organising an online session to discuss the Interoperable Europe Act proposal and its (legal) implications for cities.

During this session, we will have the opportunity to discuss with a representative from the European Commission, who will guide us through the Interoperability Europe Act to help us understand its potential impact on cities and other public authorities. We will also look more in detail at the legislative proposal and its legal implications, by also discussing needs and challenges from the perspective of cities.

What is the Interoperable Europe Act Proposal?

Published in November 2022, the proposal for an Interoperable Europe Act regulation lays down measures to promote cross-border interoperability of network and information systems that are used to provide or manage public services in the EU.

The Interoperable Europe act proposes to establish a governance structure to enable public administrations from all levels and sectors to co-create and coordinate the exchange of information across network and information systems.

It does so by introducing several instruments, such as interoperability assessments, interoperability frameworks, training, regulatory sandboxes and peer reviews. The proposal also defines a multi-level governance framework involving national competent authorities and it introduces a “Interoperable Europe Board” and an “Interoperable Europe Community” to guide European interoperability work based on an annual strategic agenda.

What impact on public sector bodies?

The proposed regulation targets public sector bodies and public services delivered or managed electronically, and so explicitly considers local authorities and their services for its scope. However, the proposal is particularly focused on the cross-border aspects of such services, and it might be unclear for local administrations how ‘cross-border’ is defined, and when and where it applies.

Some of the instruments in the proposal have a potential impact on the resources of public sector bodies. Exercises such as Interoperability assessments and the implementation of (new) interoperability frameworks might have a beneficial effect on the interoperability of services, but also demand financial clout, skills, and expertise from local authorities. What will be expected of them in this regard, and what support can they expect?

The proposal also presents innovative measures such as regulatory sandboxes for cross-border collaborations between the public and the private sector. They offer the potential for the development of new, interoperable services. Nonetheless, their success depends on legal certainty and clarity for the parties involved, and support might be needed to navigate the complexities involved in such new approaches. How do these sandboxes work, and what role is foreseen for cities?

The planned establishment of an Interoperable Europe Community should offer a promising platform for interaction and collaboration between stakeholders, support the identification and re-use of standards and solutions and will be a gateway for public entities to interoperability expertise. But how will this platform work exactly, and when and where can cities be involved? These same questions may apply to the Interoperable Europe Board and the yearly Interoperable Europe Agenda that it develops.

Draft Agenda - 13 April, 12:00-13:30

12:00 - 12:05 Welcome (Living-in.eu Legal subgroup)

12:05 - 12:25 Presenting the Interoperable Europe Act (Isa Katharina von Kalben, Program Manager, DG DIGIT)

12:25 - 12:45 City perspective on the proposal for an Interoperable Europe Act (Helsinki, Eurocities)

12:45 - 13:00 Q&A (including legal expertise)

13:00 - 13:20 Legal concerns and conclusions (TBC)

13:20 - 13:30 Closing

Registration is open here

Signatory event on organisational and cultural interoperability

Viviana Demonte — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:26:35 +0000

Signatory event on organisational and cultural interoperability

Challenges that local administrations may face when implementing data spaces and local digital twins

Viviana Demonte 17 March 2023

On 9 March, Living-in.EU and Wavestone organised an interactive workshop on the organisational and cultural interoperability challenges that local administrations may face when implementing data spaces and local digital twins.

The workshop was part of a broader set of targeted consultations activities under the study on organisational and cultural interoperability issues arising in local administrations when establishing local, regional, or national data spaces or local digital twins drawing on examples from European public administrations which are carried out by Wavestone for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology (DG CNECT) within the National Interoperability Framework Observatory (NIFO) led by the Directorate General for Informatics (DIGIT).

The objective of the study

The study aims to provide an analysis of organisational and cultural interoperability issues, two components of the European Interoperability Framework for Smart Cities and Communities (EIF4SCC) interoperability model, identified in local or regional administrations when establishing data spaces or local digital twins. In addition, recommendations will be provided on how to support the roll-out of a European-wide smart communities data space and interconnected local digital twins.

Structure of the workshop

A presentation of the preliminary findings from the study was followed by an interactive session facilitated by Wavestone.

Participants shared their insights on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders to tackle a series of organisational interoperability challenges, namely:

common rules and processes;
technical interoperability issues & common standards; and
definition of common objectives.

Key findings - Roles and responsibilities

According to stakeholder’s views, political leaders play a key role in setting up cross-departmental and cross-sectorial collaboration, steering the vision of the desired outcomes, defining the timeline and scope of the smart city initiative, and adopting regulations enabling the implementation of local digital twins and data spaces. Public administrations are responsible for the implementation of the smart city strategy and the setup of a user-centric process to foster the public sector’s digital capacity.

They are supported in these tasks by technical experts (e.g., Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital Officer). Within the public administration, several departments (e.g., the IT department, the R&I department) can promote the digital transformation internally, monitor data governance initiatives, and develop citizen-oriented information systems. Additional experts such as procurement experts and legal experts can be mobilised for procurement procedures, GDPR assessments, and to exchange with stakeholders (e.g., businesses, academia).

Key findings - Adressing cultural interoperability challenges

Participants also provided additional perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders to address a series of cultural interoperability challenges, namely:

the need for a paradigm shift regarding data sharing;
the lack of trust due to cultural differences regarding data; and
awareness on the benefits of smart city initiatives.

By steering the definition of the objectives of local digital twins and data space initiatives, political leaders ensure transparency of data sharing and raise awareness on the benefits of smart city initiatives. They are supported by public administrations which need to foster their understanding of the life cycle of data and build trust with external stakeholders. Participants highlighted the key role of HR departments in the recruitment process to strengthen the public sector’s digital skills. Technical, procurement, and legal experts also may contribute to mitigating cultural challenges by leveraging their domain of expertise and contributing to the development of a collaboration environment enabling the exchange of open data.

Next events

If you missed the session, another workshop open to the general public is planned to take place online on 29th March 2023, from 10:00am to 12:00pm CEST. This workshop will be an opportunity to:

gain an overview of the main findings with regard to organisational and cultural interoperability challenges;
discuss and share feedback on the identified roles and responsibilities of stakeholders when dealing with such challenges;
identify potential gaps; and
be informed about the next steps of the study.

In order to register for this upcoming workshop, please follow this link. Additional information about the workshop is available here.

Join the Living-in.EU movement!

Any city, region, metropolitan area is welcome to join the Living-in.EU movement. By becoming part of the movement, you will be connected to fellow cities, regions, supporters and many initiatives around digital transformation. You will get guidance on your local challenges on digital issues. Last but not least, you will become an active member of the European movement to strive digital transformation in Europe by 2030.

Sign the declaration here

TAKE PART: UserCentriCities Dashboard Is Now Open

Gabriela Ruseva — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 15:51:15 +0000

TAKE PART: UserCentriCities Dashboard Is Now Open

The UserCentriCities consortium is delighted to invite all European local and regional municipalities to assess their performance in user-centric digital government and take part in the seminal Benchmarking Dashboard.

Gabriela Ruseva 15 March 2023

This is a unique opportunity for every city and region interested in learning more about the level of performance in designing and delivering digital services that focus on their citizens and their needs.

Based on three pillars, enablers, user-centricity performance, and outcome, the UserCentriCities Dashboard is an innovative interactive tool created to facilitate the evaluation of local administrations’ service delivery and in-house processes across various departments.

Visit the Dashboard: https://www.usercentricities.eu/ucdashboard

Interested cities and regions can add their data in two simple steps:

Create a profile on https://www.usercentricities.eu/user/register

Answer to a list of curated indicators co-created and developed by the UserCentriCities Consortium at https://www.usercentricities.eu/add-citymetrics

For more details on specific indicators and what type of evidence is expected, users can consult the UserCentriCities Dashboard Guidelines manual.

Any municipality in Europe is welcomed to input their data. The municipalities participating in the Dashboard will be featured in The 2023 State of UserCentriCities, the final report planned to be launched in Spring 2023, showcasing and analysing in-depth the level of user-centricity implementation across Europe at the local and regional level.

For more information, contact Chrysoula Mitta, associate director and project coordinator, the Lisbon Council, chrysoula.mitta@lisboncouncil.net.

Save the Date: OASC General Assembly — Brussels, 14 June 2023

Saara Valtasaari — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 12:26:30 +0000

Save the Date: OASC General Assembly — Brussels, 14 June 2023 Saara Valtasaari 8 March 2023

We are pleased to announce that OASC’s general assembly meeting will take place on Wednesday 14 June 2023 in Brussels, alongside the Brussels Urban Summit.

It will feature engaging panel discussions & workshops on our Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) and other smart city projects. We foresee networking opportunities, our official statutory meeting for the OASC members and a presentation on OASC’s achievements and plans for the future.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

UserCentriCities Award

Gabriela Ruseva — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:53:02 +0000

UserCentriCities Award

The submissions for the 2023 UserCentriCities Award for the best user-centric service in European cities and regions is now open!

Gabriela Ruseva 1 March 2023

Cities and regions are at the forefront of delivering digital government in Europe, however, their role in implementing user-centricity principles, design thinking, and co-creation is not sufficiently recognised. To raise awareness and recognise the outstanding achievements made by European cities and regions in developing user-centric services for their citizens, the UserCentriCities project has created the annual UserCentriCities Award.

The high-level jury will evaluate the submitted services based on the user-centricity principles for the design and delivery of digital public services as outlined in the Tallinn Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment. More information on the jury will follow shortly.

Who can enter?

The call for submissions is open to local authorities (cities and regions) from all EU Member States and European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) and the United Kingdom.
Applicants must be local public authorities that have legal competence in developing and implementing user-centric services in their territory.
Submitted services must have already been implemented in order to qualify for the award.

Online Submission

Applications must be submitted through the UserCentriCities services repository.
Applicants must complete the online application form. (in you don't have an account yet, you need to register here).
The application should be submitted in English.
Applicants are encouraged to upload a selection of documents and images to illustrate their activities.
Each applicant is encouraged to submit one or more services.
The deadline for applications is 21 April 24:00 CET.

To learn more on how to apply, download the call for submissions.

For more information, please contact mayra.garcia-blasquez@eurocities.eu

The 2022 UserCentriCities Award was given to Helsinki for the pre-primary education allocation service developed by the city and delivered proactively to parents by sms. For more information, please visit: https://www.usercentricities.eu/news/2022-usercentricities-award-helsinki-wins-best-user-centric-service-europe

Digital divide must be addressed to support regions and cities in ongoing transitions, local leaders say

Theresa Sostmann — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 09:28:11 +0000

Digital divide must be addressed to support regions and cities in ongoing transitions, local leaders say Theresa Sostmann 21 February 2023

Delivering an inclusive digital transition in urban and rural areas will need increased investment in network infrastructure, updated digital resilience strategies and a better cooperation with national governments and between Members States. These were the conclusions of the debate with Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, held during the 8 February plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).

In the discussion with Margrethe Vestager, regional and local leaders stressed that the preparedness of local and regional authorities for the Digital Age is a key factor for the sustainability of public services in the era of growing dependence on digital technologies, cloud computing, data and interoperable information systems. Making sure that citizens have access to the information and the tools they need is a vital part of the development of the digital society of tomorrow.

The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro (PT/PES), said: "The digital transition is the big challenge of our time, but putting people at its centre remains crucial to avoid creating new territorial divides and social inequalities. For the Committee of the Regions, the EU Digital Agenda must be built together with cities and regions, to achieve better public services, create new jobs, and support education, and it must go hand in hand with the realisation of the Green Deal."

Executive Vice-President Vestager underlined that local and regional authorities play a key role in making digital technologies available to all citizens and that digital public services have to be improved to ensure safe and accessible tools. CoR members highlighted the need for leaders in the public and private sector to work together to support digitalisation and innovation, contributing to ongoing efforts in energy security and green technology to strengthen the EU's strategic autonomy. An inclusive digital and green transition in urban and rural areas will only be achieved if everyone has access to the necessary digital infrastructure and every region has effective and innovative digital tools.

The digital divide between urban and rural areas will continue to grow without the necessary access to the internet and to digital services in key areas such as healthcare, education, public services and social inclusion. This in turn needs stronger and more effective cooperation between and within the public administrations of the Member States.

The digital transition – improving access to and use of digital technologies and taking advantage of the significant opportunities they can bring – will have a huge impact on cohesion in the EU and is vital for the achievement of the 2030 digital decade goals. With this in mind, the CoR is seeking to add the digital dimension to the definition of economic, social and territorial cohesion recognised by the EU Treaties, in order to streamline investment in 'inclusive' digitalisation In an era of ever-increasing connectivity, many urban and rural areas still lack the advanced networks they need, while citizens often have insufficient digital skills. Bridging this digital divide needs a varied approach, with digital transformation strategies adapted to the needs of each region to ensure that no-one is left behind.

Background:

A forthcoming study from the CoR will investigate the state of play of digital resilience across local and regional authorities in the EU and examine the solutions and funds being used at the subnational level to strengthen this resilience. More information here.

Join us at the next signatory meeting on 09 March

Gabriela Ruseva — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:03:29 +0000

Join us at the next signatory meeting on 09 March

We will discuss organisational and cultural interoperability challenges

Gabriela Ruseva 17 February 2023

The next Living-in.EU signatories meeting will take place on 09 March 2023 at 14h00-16h30 online via Microsoft Teams. It is titled "Workshop on organisational and cultural interoperability issues arising in local administrations when establishing local, regional or national data spaces or local digital twins" and is hosted by Wavestone. Wavestone are conducting a study for DG CNECT of the European Commission on the same topic.

The workshop is organised in the context of this study and is part of a broader set of consultation activities collecting the views of relevant stakeholders on the matter. Following a first phase of stakeholders’ consultations focused on specific use cases of Valencia, Helsinki, Amsterdam and Florence, this workshop will be an opportunity to:

provide you with an overview of the main findings on organisational and cultural interoperability challenges;
discuss and gather your feedback on the identified challenges;
learn from the experiences and achievements of others in the field of organisational and cultural interoperability; and
be informed about the next steps of the study.

The workshop will be highly interactive and will be held via Microsoft Teams in English.

For more info, check out the event here.

For any questions, contact us at gabriela.ruseva@eurocities.eu.

We are looking forward to seeing many signatories at the event!

Info Day on the second CEF Digital call for the 5G for Smart Communities

Gabriela Ruseva — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:43:38 +0000

Info Day on the second CEF Digital call for the 5G for Smart Communities Gabriela Ruseva 14 February 2023

Tomorrow, 15 February 2023, the European Commission (DG Connect) and the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) organise an Info Day on the second CEF Digital call for the 5G for Smart Communities action (deadline extended until 21 March).

This second Info Day aims to support and guide call applicants for their upcoming projects submissions as well as invite new potential stakeholders to submit project proposals with the new extended call 2 deadline of 21 March.

The session will be introduced by Franco Accordino (Head of Unit, Investment in High-Capacity Networks - Unit B5) and Eric Gaudillat (Head of Sector, DG Connect Unit B5) who will give an overview of the expectations from 5G for Smart Communities Call 2.

The Info Day will give the opportunity to participants to get an overview of the successful project applications from Call 1, as well as useful tips for the submission for Call 2 from HaDEA.

During the Info Day, the 5G for Smart Communities Support Platform (5GSC) will be presented. The 5GSC is an EU project dedicated to supporting stakeholders of the European Commission’s funding programme, ‘Connecting Europe Facility – Digital’, under the calls for project proposals for ‘5G for Smart Communities’.

A Q&A session will follow, together with an interactive voting session to gather feedback.

Agenda

Info Day - 5G for Smart Communities CEF Digital Matchmaking

10:00-10:10

Welcome and introduction to the session

Jan Dröge, Team Lead, 5G for Smart Communities Support Platform (5GSC SP)

10:10-10:20

Introduction

Franco Accordino, Head of Unit, DG CNECT B.5, European Commission

10:20-10:40

Expectations from 5G for Smart Communities Call 2

Eric Gaudillat, Head of Sector, DG CNECT B.5, European Commission

10:40-11:30

Call 1 success stories

Chrysoula Lentzou, Caroline Bijnens, Project Adviser, European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)

Useful tips to applicants for Call 2

Chrysoula Lentzou, Project Adviser, European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)

11:30-11:55

Presentation of the 5GSC SP

Frederic Pujol, Project Manager, 5GSC Support Platform

11:55-12:20

Q&A

Moderation: 5GSC Support Platform & DG CNECT

12:20-12:30

Conclusions

5GSC Support Facility & DG CNECT

Participants

The session is open to:

Telecommunication and technology companies
Socio-economic drivers proposing 5G use cases (particularly in the areas of health, education, mobility, security, rural development, agriculture and government
European associations and networks relating to the above use case areas as well as to 5G telecommunications and technology
Municipalities
Academia and research institutions
European Broadband Competence Offices

Registration

Please register by email.

Please note that this event will be recorded and streamed for information sharing purposes of the European Commission.

The European Commission encourages attendance by local authorities who could be interested to the future CEF Digital calls, as well as any other relevant stakeholders.

Timing

15 February, 10:00 - 12:30 CET

More information about the event on the event's page.

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Shape the future Data Space for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities

Gabriela Ruseva — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 08:53:01 +0000

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Shape the future Data Space for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities

Take part in the survey on the Data Space for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities

Gabriela Ruseva 24 January 2023

The Data Space for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities (DS4SSCC) initiative invites you to take part in a survey, launched as part of the ongoing work of the data space for smart and sustainable cities and communities led by OASC with Eurocities, ENoLL, the Fiware Foundation, AIT, and CCIS. The gathered input will provide the DS4SSCC team with an overview of the current landscape of data-sharing mechanisms and initiatives across Europe.

The findings will directly feed into creating the governance and technical building blocks of the data space. They will be accompanied by a Roadmap to establish the data space that will provide input for the governance, technical building blocks, and actual establishment of the data space.

The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Please provide your answers here by 15 February. All living-in.eu signatories and supporters are welcome to have their say.

The AI transparency standard is out

Gabriela Ruseva — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 15:20:57 +0000

The AI transparency standard is out

Nine cities set standards for the transparent use of Artificial Intelligence through a common Algorithmic Transparency Standard

Gabriela Ruseva 19 January 2023

Nine cities, cooperating through the Eurocities network, have developed a free-to-use open-source ‘data schema’ for algorithm registers in cities. The data schema sets common guidelines on the information to be collected on algorithms and their use by a city. It supports the responsible use of AI and puts people at the heart of future developments in digital transformation.

While most cities primarily use only simple algorithms (as opposed to advanced AI such as facial recognition), the joint work by the cities of Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, Eindhoven, Mannheim, Rotterdam, and Sofia based on the example set by Amsterdam and Helsinki, aims to pre-empt any future data misuse and create an interoperable model that can be shared and copied by other cities.

“Artificial Intelligence can be an important enabler to improve public services and support policy making. However, its use also brings ethical concerns,” said André Sobczak, Secretary General, Eurocities. “The efforts undertaken by these cities aim to set a standard for the transparent and ethical use of algorithms while their use is still in its relative infancy across city administrations in Europe. In this way, they seek to offer both a safeguard for people whose data may be used by algorithms and a validated model that other cities can use straight away, without having to invest further resources themselves.”

To develop the data schema, Eurocities, through its Digital Forum lab, built on the existing example of Amsterdam and Helsinki. Eurocities also involved an expert in data, who worked alongside experts from the cities to test and validate the content and functionality of the schema, to ensure ethical, transparent and fair use of algorithms.

Further information, including the full transparency standard with the data schema, can be viewed and downloaded here: https://www.algorithmregister.org/

The cities of Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Mannheim, Bologna, Brussels, Barcelona, and Sofia cooperated through Eurocities Digital Forum Lab, basing their work on the previous initiative of Amsterdam and Helsinki. Read more about their work and the feedback of the city experts on the Eurocities website.

The examples from Amsterdam and Helsinki can be found here:

In line with the commitments of the living-in.eu movement, Eurocities wants to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, is able to move around safely, access quality and inclusive public services and benefit from a healthy environment.