EU project helps governments design citizen-centric digital services
European governments have tested new ways to deliver user-centric digital public services under an EU-funded project designed to make services more inclusive, efficient and trusted.
The inGOV project, backed by €3.3m (US$3.9m) in EU funding, developed a framework and formal “co-creation agreements” that set clear roles and responsibilities for authorities and stakeholders.
“Public administrations, eager to embrace digital innovation, are often left navigating complex processes without clear direction. This results in difficulties in data sharing, delayed processes and inefficiencies that significantly hinder effective governance and service delivery,” said project coordinator Antonios Cassano, business development and innovation director at Uni Systems in Greece.
The inGOV consortium developed an integrated public services (IPS) holistic framework to help address challenges such as fragmented systems and a lack of interoperability. Project partners describe it as a “practical roadmap for developing services that reflect people’s real needs”.
The framework was tested through pilot cases in four countries. In Malta, a prototype for a ‘Digital Common Household Unit Public Service’ integrated household data from different government departments into a single system. The aim was to overcome siloed records, improve accuracy, reduce administrative burden and reduce delays in service delivery.
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Pilots cover tourism and public services
Austria’s pilot focused on modernising tourism tax collection using geospatial data, aiming to reduce administrative burden and improve service speed.
In Croatia, the City of Bjelovar implemented a virtual assistant as a single access point for a variety of public services. Meanwhile, Greece’s Region of Thessaly digitised the process for obtaining and renewing public transport discount cards for low-income citizens with disabilities.
Other participating countries included Belgium, Cyprus, Italy and Luxembourg.
A key innovation was the development of co-creation agreements, which formalise stakeholder collaboration and ensure clear roles and responsibilities for digitalisation.
“This improves transparency and enables public administrations to design services with rather than for citizens – especially those from disadvantaged groups,” a news release from the project partners said.
Emerging technology
Technology was central to the initiative, according to the consortium. “Technologies like virtual assistants and mobile apps enhance accessibility and streamline service delivery, reflecting inGOV’s commitment to leveraging innovation for the benefit of citizens,” Cassano said.
InGOV also built on and enhanced existing EU interoperability assets, such as the European Interoperability Framework and Reference Architecture, which encourage alignment and reuse of best practices to avoid fragmentation and incompatible solutions across the EU.
The project concluded in 2024 and the consortium said it will now focus on sharing the outputs.
“We’re committed to actively sharing the project’s outputs, the valuable lessons we’ve learned and the tangible benefits that have resulted from our work,” said Cassano.
About Sarah Wray
Sarah has over 15 years’ experience as a journalist with a specialism in the public sector and topics such as digitalisation and climate action. Sarah was formerly the editor of Cities Today and Smart Cities World, as well as a specialist video-based publication in the aerospace sector. She has also written for publications including Smart Cities Dive, Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live and Computer Weekly.
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