| Abstract [eng] |
The research problem analyzed in this research paper is how to evaluate the interoperability of cross-border electronic government services. The goal is to identify, what underlying conditions and what criteria should be assessed when evaluating the interoperability of cross-border eServices. The research consists of three main parts: the analysis of scientific literature, the methodology of the research, the research and its’ results. The scientific literature research was completed by performing a systematic analysis of scientific literature regarding the process of evaluating interoperability while creating eGovernment service and analyzing existing methods on evaluating interoperability of electronic services. In addition, a strategic document analysis and expert interviews with 16 experts were conducted. The strategic document analysis revealed the underlying conditions for cross-border electronic government services interoperability. Additionally, the underlying conditions were supplemented after the expert interviews, with eSignature, eGovernment gateway, eDelivery, automatic form pre-filling, data exchange, automatic translations, and ePayments identified as key underlying conditions. Research revealed that when evaluating cross-border electronic government services interoperability, the evaluation should be completed in four levels of interoperability: legal interoperability, technical interoperability, semantic interoperability, and organizational interoperability. When evaluating the legal interoperability, the compliance to European interoperability framework, ensuring access to cross-border electronic government services, compliance to data exchange regulations (namely Regulation 2016/679 and Regulation 2018/1807), and periodic interoperability checks to identify existing legal barriers should be analyzed. When evaluating the technical interoperability, the main attention should be focused on the technological preparation for the provision of cross-border eGovernment services, open specification prioritization, compatibility between existing technical implementation tools and technical ecosystem, as well as interoperability and accessibility testing procedures for cross-border electronic government services should be analyzed. The main criteria for semantic interoperability was identified as data portability and interoperability standard compliance. Furthermore, when analyzing organizational interoperability, the main criteria were identified as strategic decisions on interoperability and re-usage, process management, existence of central organization responsible for the development of electronic government services interoperability. In the next stages of the research, it is recommended to evaluate the priority criteria for each of the four interoperability layers: legal, technical, semantical, and organizational. Additionally, the research can be further completed by using identified criteria to evaluate interoperability of a specific cross-border electronic government service. |
