World’s smoothest cross-border mobility and daily life through digitalisation

Promoting cross-border data exchanges between authorities

Finland will hold the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. During this year, Finland will launch three presidency projects, of which the project conducted by the Finnish Ministry of Finance will create an operating model and practices for enhancing and improving the efficiency of cross-border data exchanges. The purpose of the operating model developed in the project will be to promote smoother cross-border mobility and daily lives for people and companies by improving data exchanges between authorities. This project will run for three years, or from 2021 till 2023.

Prime Minister Marin's Government Programme notes that the Nordic countries must become the world’s best integrated area and that Finland will aim to further facilitate the movement of citizens between the Nordic countries. According to a shared vision adopted by the Nordic Prime Ministers in 2019 (Our Vision 2030), the Nordic countries will be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world in 2030. This objective is served by cooperation within the Nordic Council of Ministers. 

In the presidency project, a data exchange model will be developed through service and data packages for situations and events associated with the cross-border mobility of people. The project will look at data exchanges and data mobility from the perspective of people leading a cross-border daily life, in particular through the following three themes:

  • Studying in another Nordic country or the Baltic region
  • Using healthcare services in another Nordic country or the Baltic region
  • A search engine for statutes covering the Nordic and Baltic countries’ legislation.

The first stage of the project will be a current state report, which will identify the key actors, data warehouses, services, requirements applicable to data exchanges and potential administrative and legislative bottlenecks from the perspective of people’s cross-border daily lives. The purpose of this report is to produce a situational picture that will enable targeted and effective actions during the project period.

The main outcome of the project will be a common operating model and practices for enhancing and improving the efficiency of cross-border data exchanges. The operating model refers to comprehensive documentation of and operative recommendations for the preconditions of enhanced cross-border data exchanges regarding its technical implementation, information management solutions and legislation, among other things. A Proof of Concept (PoC) exercise will also be completed for a selected life event. The PoC will draw on the understanding of best practices obtained through the situational picture created in the project. By testing the operating model developed in the project, it strives to create effective and permanent solutions for cross-border data exchanges and cooperation between authorities.

The world’s smoothest cross-border mobility and daily life through digitalisation project will cross the boundaries between sectors and administrative branches. It will be implemented in cooperation between the administrative branches of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Justice. The project will be carried out under the umbrella of the Cross-Border Digital Services (CBDS) programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Digitalisation (MR-Digital). 

The areas of healthcare service use (e-prescriptions) and data exchanges that support the services (patient care summaries) will be promoted in cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs and a further project on healthcare and care at distance launched in Sweden at the same time (VOPD, or vård och omsorg på distans). 

The countries participating in the World’s smoothest cross-border mobility and daily life through digitalisation project are Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A project organisation has been appointed in the Ministry of Finance. A Project Manager was appointed at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Nordic Council of Ministers                                                                                                      

Official Twitter account of Finland's Presidency

Baseline study of crossborder data exhange in the Nordic and Baltic countries                                                                                                                                                             

Further information:

Project Manager Anne Kari, tel. + 358 50 303 9838, anne.kari(at)dvv.fi
Senior Specialist Katja Väänänen, tel. +358 295 530 245, katja.vaananen(at)gov.fi