Interoperability is one of the original design principles underpinning the internet, and largely responsible for its scale and unique properties. In recent years, it has also been increasingly seen as a policy measure that can introduce greater market competition and user choice. Important and contentious interoperability proposals are included in key European digital regulations, including the Digital Markets Act and the Data Act.
In this context, we propose to treat interoperability not just as a competition measure, but also as a policy principle that supports the creation of new ecosystems, with a stronger role of public and civic actors.
This report builds on our earlier work on a ‘Shared Digital Europe’, a new frame for digital policymaking in the EU. It has been designed in order to support a more equitable and democratic digital environment, functioning beyond the market logic.
It is based on an investigation of the role that interoperability can play in a transformation of the digital environment so that public and civic spaces are more prominent online. The research led to finding a new conceptualization of the principle: generative interoperability as a positive norm that is the foundation for an open online ecosystem, and part of a larger approach to building more democratic digital spaces.