Nordic digital agencies working together to find concrete digital solutions to make everyday life easier for citizens across borders

The Nordic digital agencies have started cooperating to make life easier for citizens in all walks of life. The aim is to streamline everyday life through common digital services and cross-border information exchange.

“Finding and using public services can be a challenge for citizens if they don’t know which authorities to deal with and how. It’s particularly difficult if your case or that of one of your family members involves authorities in several countries,” says Mikko Mattinen Director of Digital Engagement & Customer Experience at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The agencies are working together in the Nordic DigiGov Lab project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project involves the digitalisation authorities of Sweden, Norway and Finland, in cooperation with those in Denmark, Iceland and the Baltic countries.

“This is the first time that the Nordic digital agencies have been working together to pilot common services,” says Mikko Mattinen.

New cross-border solutions

The aim of this cooperation is to ensure that citizens can seamlessly deal with major life events with authorities across the Nordic borders. The aim is also to explore the potential for using artificial intelligence and automating the exchange of information between countries.

“We want to ensure the smooth handling of Nordic life events by also digitalising the necessary processes at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and by promoting a higher degree of automation as part of information exchange. We're experimenting with innovative solutions to help citizens at different points in their lives. We’re focusing especially on dealing with the death of a loved one, but the experience we gain can later be applied to other events in life,” says Mikko Mattinen.

Common recommendations to promote people-centred working 

As part of the cooperation, recommendations will also be developed for digital authorities on how to develop people-centred working as part of governance, regulations and requirements. The recommendations are based on the experiences of the Nordic and Baltic countries The aim is to identify and harmonise practices between countries.

The Nordic DigiGov Lab project, led by Digg, the Swedish Agency for Digital Government, involves Digdir, the Norwegian Digital Agency, and the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, will run from 2024 until 2026.

More information:
Mikko Mattinen, Director of Digital Engagement & Customer Experience, [email protected]