Ukraine and the EU have agreed on a joint plan to implement the Interoperable Europe Act by 2027

The European Commission and the Ministry of Digital Transformation have agreed on a joint work plan for the implementation of the Interoperable Europe Act – an EU regulation that sets out approaches to the interaction of public digital systems and the development of cross-border digital services. 

The document sets out the key steps for Ukraine’s digital European integration by 2027 and provides for the active participation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the European Commission and the e-Governance Academy within the DT4UA project. 

These are concrete steps towards harmonising Ukrainian legislation with European approaches in the field of interoperability, developing the regulatory framework, training civil servants, and Ukraine’s participation in joint digital initiatives of the European Union. 

Key areas include:

• drafting and adopting the Law of Ukraine ‘On Interoperability’;
• the creation of a National Interoperability Framework;
• the development of an interoperability assessment methodology;
• the participation of Ukrainian authorities in joint European projects and training programmes;
• the promotion of Ukrainian digital solutions within the European digital ecosystem.

“Thanks to interoperability, European institutions will be able to interact quickly with Ukrainian registers and data. When European and Ukrainian systems ‘understand’ each other, this will make it easier for Ukrainians to stay in the EU and for Europeans to stay in Ukraine. That is why we view this plan as an important step towards Ukraine’s integration into Europe’s single digital space. It sets out specific actions that will help implement European approaches to interoperability and develop digital services compatible with the EU’s digital ecosystem,” commented Oleksandr Zakusylo, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. 

A separate area of cooperation involves supporting the development of cross-border digital services and the integration of Ukrainian digital solutions into the European ecosystem. In particular, the parties will consider the possibility of including Ukrainian solutions in the European Open Source Catalogue on the Interoperable Europe portal. 

The e-Government Academy will be involved in drafting legislation, developing the National Interoperability Framework, an interoperability assessment methodology, training programmes, and so on. 

“We view this plan as an important step towards Ukraine’s integration into Europe’s single digital space. It sets out specific actions that will help to implement European approaches to interoperability and develop digital services compatible with the EU’s digital ecosystem,” said Oleg Burba, Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy. 

The joint work plan represents a further step towards Ukraine’s integration into the European Union’s single digital space and the development of digital services that operate in accordance with common European rules.