Digital-ready policies: How interoperability in sharing open data
supports digital transformation
In the dynamic landscape of digital transformation, European
policymakers are making a shift in drafting legislation with
digital-ready policymaking in mind. During the SEMIC conference
[https://semic2024.eu/] that took place on 27 June, there was a focus
on making policies and legislative acts future-proof and
interoperable. Digital-ready means that policies and legislative acts
facilitate seamless, digital-by-default implementation through optimal
use of technology and data
[https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/better-legislation-smoother-implementation/digital-ready-policies].  

There are six different components that describe digital-ready
policies, of which one is the ‘Once-only principle and reuse of data
[https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/better-legislation-smoother-implementation/digital-ready-policies]’.
This component describes how people should only have to supply
information once to public administrations in Europe, to which EU
policies can contribute, minimising redundant requests for
information. Here’s where open data can provide support, as by
leveraging publicly available datasets, a smooth exchange of
information between administrative systems can take place. With open
data standards, cross-interoperability between Member States is
promoted with over 1.7 million publicly available datasets on
data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en].  

Another component to highlight is the ‘Digital-ready drafting
[https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/better-legislation-smoother-implementation/digital-ready-policies]’,
which describes the steps to consider when drafting future-proof
legislations. Instead of approaching it as an afterthought, policies
and legislation should consider interoperability from the start to
ensure alignment between policy domains. Interoperability, namely,
covers every aspect (e.g., organisational, semantic, legal, and
technical) that influences the delivery of digital public services in
the EU.  

With a mindset that starts with interoperability and sharing open
data, a transformation in the way policies and legislation are
developed can be realised. Public administrations can then work
together to provide better public services that benefit citizens and
businesses in Europe. 

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Publication Date/Time
2024-08-05T08:00:00+00:00
Alignment in the policy sector leads to better legislation and
smoother implementation