Get to know NIFO, the observer of digital government and interoperability in Europe

Miguel Alvarez Rodriguez, Programme Manager, ISA² Programme, European Commission

Among ISA² actions, the National Interoperability Framework Observatory (NIFO) is a bit unusual. Its goal is not to develop software or a data specification. NIFO is providing policy makers, researchers and practitioners with the latest developments on digital government and interoperability across Europe.

In fact, NIFO has three interlinked roles. It acts as an observatory, offers assistance and support to EU countries, and builds a community of practice.

NIFO as an observer

The main task for the NIFO team under the observatory chapter is to publish yearly Digital Government factsheets. The factsheets serve as a source of country intelligence on all digital government-related matters in Europe, capturing useful information on the main trends and developments in this field. We previously called them eGovernment factsheets but to follow the shift from the concept of eGovernment to the broader one of Digital Government, we have changed the title as of this year. With that, we have adapted the scope of the documents, covering now also back-office processes and new digital policies, domains and technologies. The 11^th edition of the factsheets for 2019 will cover 35 European countries and we will publish it in June.

Earlier this year, we have also released the eGovernment factsheets 10-year anniversary report. This document commemorates the 10th anniversary of the publication of the country factsheets and provides an overview over the last ten years of Digital Government development in Europe. I would also point out our yearly study The role of Digital Government in the European Semester process. It assesses key priorities and trends in the field of digital government in all EU countries.

Next to these publications, our team is working on monitoring the implementation of the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) in Europe. Over last months, we have developed a new monitoring mechanism and now we are working on a scoreboard that will be available at the beginning of next year showing the first EIF monitoring results. Thanks to the scoreboard, it will be easier to understand how far different EU countries are with the EIF implementation, in what areas they are doing well and where the space for improvement is.

NIFO supporting EU countries

Hand in hand with this work, NIFO offers to EU Member States trainings, guidelines and a EIF toolbox to facilitate the EIF implementation. We have been lately occupied with creating new materials that will be available in following months.

It is also important to mention that you can ask for ISA² experts' advice when designing and updating your national interoperability frameworks, or national policies, strategies and guidelines promoting interoperability.

NIFO as a community

Last but not least, I would like to invite you to join the NIFO community hosted on Joinup. Here we are publishing news, interviews, studies and events linked to NIFO. You can also share your own content on digital government with the community and connect with professionals involved in digital government and interoperability initiatives.

Yes, we are excited as many things are coming in next months! So stay tuned for news and if you have any questions, contact us at: ISA2@ec.europa.eu.