The report on the state-of-play of digital public administration and interoperability across Europe aims at providing an overview of the main developments and achievements of European countries with regards to the digitalisation of the public sector in the period 2017-2020 and the measures implemented by the European Commission to enable these countries to achieve their goals. Additionally, the results of the EIF implementation by the 36 European countries included in the sample of the study are presented in the report and then further analysed so as to provide an overview of the current state-of-play of interoperability across Europe. A proposal for future progression in this policy domain is also put forward. The results of the EIF implementation highlight that the digitalisation of public administrations strongly depends on Member States' capacity to tackle interoperability challenges. This report sheds light on the various national initiatives that have been put in place by the 36 European countries analysed and by the European Commission to foster digital public administration and interoperability in the last three years. For many years, the European Commission has encouraged progression in this policy domain through various non-binding digital strategies and action plans as well as legislative frameworks, among others. In addition, funding programmes have been made available to European public administrations in order to boost their implementation of digital public administration and interoperability, such as the Connecting Europe Facility and the upcoming Digital Europe Programme1. Furthermore, the ISA2 Programme2 is entirely focussed on the funding of interoperability projects and thus aims at bettering the life of European citizens and businesses through the provision of interoperable solutions. The need for better and faster delivery of digital public services will take on greater urgency in the post COVID-19 era. Indeed, on 21 July 2020, EU leaders agreed on a comprehensive package of €1,824.3 billion which combines the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and an extraordinary recovery effort, Next Generation EU (NGEU). The package will help the EU to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic and will support investment in the green and digital transitions. In addition, the upcoming Digital Europe Programme under the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework is committed to reinforcing Europe's digital capacities in various cutting-edge domains such as high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, interoperability, cybersecurity and digital skills. One of the key actions of the Digital Europe Programme is the Shaping Europe's Digital Future strategy3, which will continue to guide the transformation of the European Union and ensure the effective implementation of digital and interoperable public services among the Member States.

The state-of-play report on digital public administration and interoperability will provide the readers with an overview of the main developments and initiatives put forward by the European countries to digitalise and make their public administrations more interoperable, from 2020 through 2021. Indeed, the report sheds light on the national initiatives, both binding and non-binding, that have been put in place, or modified, by the 35 European countries under the scope of this study. The readers will also be provided with an overview of the current state-of-play of interoperability across Europe thanks to a high-level overview of the level of implementation of the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) in the same 35 European countries in 2020. The dedicated chapter will also provide comparisons with the countries' performance in 2019, so as to find correlations and commonalities but also potential areas of improvements to help the European countries in better and further implementing the EIF. The report demonstrates that while most European countries had already started to digitalise their public sectors, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the pace of this digital transformation, rendering digital technologies and digital services an imperative for all. In this context, the European Commission has demonstrated a strong commitment in fostering the uptake by its Member States of digital solutions and on how to render them sustainable in the long term. Hence, the report aims at providing an overview of the state-of-play of digital public administration and interoperability in the EU by examining the vast array of political and legislative initiatives put forward by the European Commission in this field in the period 2021-2021 but also by giving an account of the many EU funding programmes aimed at fuelling the digital transformation of the public sector across Europe. Lastly, this year's edition of the report also aims at providing readers with insights on the most recent global initiatives developed since 2019 by various international organisations to support governments and public administrations around the globe on their road towards digital transformation.

The 2022 edition of the State-of-Play report on Digital Public Administration and Interoperability provides the reader with a run-through of the latest digital initiatives put in place between 2020 and 2022 in 35 European countries , as well as undertaken at European and global level, with the goal to further digitalise public administrations and services and ensure their interoperability. In addition, an overview of the current state-of-play of interoperability across Europe is provided by the reader, based on an overview of the level of implementation of the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) in 36 European countries in 2021. This dedicated chapter on interoperability will also provide the readers with comparisons between the countries' performances in 2020 and 2021, so as to find correlations and commonalities but also potential areas of improvement to help European countries in further implementing the EIF. The report demonstrates that European countries continue their path towards an increasingly digitalised public administration, a trend already perceived in the last few years and further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a clear shift of mindset is observed regarding the use of digital tools by public administrations and the conception of digital public services, where user-centricity, usability and interoperability have emerged as key priorities when (re-)designing new or existing services. In this context, the European Commission has demonstrated a strong dedication to promote the uptake of digital solutions by its Member States, supporting the development of cross-border digital services in the EU and acting as an innovative driving force for digital transformation. To illustrate it, the report provides an overview of the state-ofplay of the main initiatives around digital public administration and interoperability at the EU level, including EU funding programmes and digital-related political and legislative initiatives put forward by the European Commission in the period 2020-2022 to fuel the digital transformation of the public sector across Europe. Lastly, this year's edition of the report provides insights on the most recent global initiatives developed since 2020 by various international organisations, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, to support public administrations around the globe on their path towards interoperability and digitalisation.

During the last decade, interoperability has emerged as a vivid research area in electronic business and electronic governance, promising a significant increase in productivity and efficiency of information systems, enterprises and administrations. Interoperability in Digital Public Services and Administration: Bridging E-Government and E-Business provides the latest research findings such as theoretical foundations, principles, methodologies, architectures, technical frameworks, international policy, standardization and case studies for the achievement of interoperability within the provision of digital services, from administration and businesses toward the user citizens and enterprises.

This edited volume analyses the digital development of the European Union, presenting an interdisciplinary perspective from the disciplines of political science, international relations, economics, and law. The contributions address the main areas where the EU can, and should act, for creating an efficient and protective digital space in Europe. The book highlights the responsibility of the European Union to work on the future of its digital development, looking for prosperity and defending the European conception of society. It explains how European values must be incorporated into the digital revolution and shows how the digital revolution of the EU will defend the Europeans from new threats. The book's comprehensive approach allows the reader to understand this process without in-depth knowledge of the specific discipline. Therefore, it is a must-read for everybody interested in a better understanding of digital development, European Union policy, and the future of Europe.

The report on Public Administrations' Digital Response to COVID-19 in the EU assesses the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis on EU public administrations. Indeed, it aims at showcasing EU Member States' good practices with regard to the development and/or implementation of digital solutions to avoid the disruption of public services during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis, from March to June 2020. Additionally, it highlights the internal factors that enabled public administrations to adapt and ensure business continuity. When most of the EU Member States implemented lockdowns or stay-at-home orders, countries with highly digitalised public administrations showed more resilience to ensure the continuous delivery of public services. This report sheds light on the digital solutions put forward by EU Member States to guarantee access to public services, ensure the continuity of education and support businesses facing dire economic circumstances. Such digital solutions encompass, among others, mobile applications, online portals, online platforms, informative chatbots and repositories. Met with great user demand, the implementation and maintenance of these digital solutions highlighted the crucial role of agile and secure IT infrastructures. Furthermore, it emphasised the need for interoperability among systems and administrations. While the better and faster delivery of digital public services has proven necessary in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many EU public administrations have demonstrated their resilience and ability to adapt in times of crisis. Supported by political and hierarchical leadership, the public sector leveraged in-house digital and coding skills, crossadministration collaboration, as well as partnerships with the private sector to implement digital solutions in short timespans. This report calls for the further sharing and reuse of solutions between public administrations, as already initiated by the European Commission through the Digital Response to COVID-19 collection. Indeed, the European Commission's Recovery Plan for Europe, presented on 27 May 2020, recognised the importance of the digital transformation of the public sector for job creation and economic growth of the European Union. This is reflected in the upcoming Digital Europe Programme, which acknowledges the importance of the further development of eSkills within public administrations, as well as of interoperable digital public services across the EU.

The European Conference on e-Government has been running now for 18 years. This event has been held in Italy, Ireland, Belgium, UK, Slovenia, to mention a few of the countries who have hosted it. This year we are refocusing the conference to look more broadly at the area of Digital Government. The conference is generally attended by participants from more than 40 countries and attracts an interesting combination of academic scholars, public sector workers and individuals who are engaged in various aspects of Digital Government research and application.