European Interoperability Framework
Encyclopedia
The European Interoperability Framework (EIF) is a set of recommendations which specify how Administrations
, Business
es and Citizens communicate with each other within the EU
and across Member States
borders.
The EIF 1.0 was issued under the Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment Services to public Administrations, Businesses and Citizens programme (IDABC). The EIF continues under the new ISA programme, which replaced the IDABC programme on 31 December 2009.
EIF in effect is an Enterprise architecture
framework targeted at the largest possible scale, designed to promote integration spanning multiple sovereign Nation States, specifically EU Member States.
For further examples of Enterprise Architecture frameworks designed operate at different levels of scale, see also Alternative Enterprise Architecture Frameworks
Further non-technology obstacles that stand in the way of greater EIF adoption include the facts that EU
Member States
currently differ widely in terms of:
EIF 2 was adopted by the European Commission as the Annex II - EIF (European Interoperability Framework) of the Communication “Towards interoperability for European public services” on the 16th of December 2010.
Administration (government)
The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "Barack Obama administration." It can also mean an executive branch agency...
, Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es and Citizens communicate with each other within the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and across Member States
Member State of the European Union
A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
borders.
The EIF 1.0 was issued under the Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment Services to public Administrations, Businesses and Citizens programme (IDABC). The EIF continues under the new ISA programme, which replaced the IDABC programme on 31 December 2009.
EIF in effect is an Enterprise architecture
Enterprise architecture
An enterprise architecture is a rigorous description of the structure of an enterprise, which comprises enterprise components , the externally visible properties of those components, and the relationships between them...
framework targeted at the largest possible scale, designed to promote integration spanning multiple sovereign Nation States, specifically EU Member States.
For further examples of Enterprise Architecture frameworks designed operate at different levels of scale, see also Alternative Enterprise Architecture Frameworks
EIF Version 1.0
EIF Version 1.0 was published in November 2004.Further non-technology obstacles that stand in the way of greater EIF adoption include the facts that EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Member States
Member State of the European Union
A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
currently differ widely in terms of:
- Scope of government - services provided, degree of state ownership of businesses, scale of armed forces, police and border control operations
- Structure of government - central/local government balance, what departments exist, how departments interact
- Citizen/state interaction models - processes related to key life events (births, marriages, deaths), document issue procedures, support for foreign languages
EIF Version 2
Draft Version 2 of the EIF was the subject of a political debate, where the main technology/commercial issues relate to the role of lobbying for proprietary software.EIF 2 was adopted by the European Commission as the Annex II - EIF (European Interoperability Framework) of the Communication “Towards interoperability for European public services” on the 16th of December 2010.