Ref. Ares(2020)3653682 - 10/07/2020
Ref. Ares(2020)5485366 - 14/10/2020
ACTION FICHE FOR THE DECISION OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE
Legal Basis
Council Regulation (EU) 2016/3691 as amended by Council
Regulation (EU) 2020/5212
Title of action
Support for the interoperability of digital tracing apps
Description of the
Tracing apps aim at warning people who have been in contact with
action
confirmed infected persons and help prevent the wider spread of
the virus.
Member States, with the support of the Commission, have recently
agreed on a set of technical specifications to ensure a safe
exchange of information between contact tracing apps based on a
decentralised architecture.
This is one of the important step towards interoperability of tracing
apps, supporting the safe re-opening of the EU for travel and
tourism. The agreement builds on the recently adopted guidelines
for interoperability, as well as on the EU toolbox for contact
tracing apps and the Commission Guidance on data protection.
So far eight MS have already deployed apps (AT, DE, CZ, FR, IT,
HU, LV, PL), twelve MS have publicly announced to do so (BE,
CY, DK, EE, ES, FI, HR, IE, LT, MT, NL, PT). Only three MS
have announced they do not plan to use tracing apps (SE, LU, SI).
The aim of this action is to exploit the full potential of tracing apps
and ensure the interoperability of the contact tracing apps at the
benefit of citizens and businesses facilitating travel across EU
whilst controlling the spread of the virus.
ESI investment are needed to ensure two key actions:
(i)
the development, deployment and operation at EU level of
a technical solution (European federation gateway services)
hosted
by
the
Commission
(joint
effort
SANTE/CNECT/DIGIT) which would support
the
exchange of data between national apps with similar
architectural
approaches
and
based
on
technical
specifications agreed by participating Member States.
Solutions will help citizens traveling abroad (in countries
participating in the scheme) to be alerted if they have been
exposed to a user who tested positive for COVID-19 in a
country they visited. This solution will also help citizens
that may have been exposed to a citizen using a different
app (e.g. visiting citizen) who has tested positive for
1
OJ L 70, 16.3.2016, p.1.
2
Council Regulation (EU) 2020/521 of 14 April 2020 activating the emergency support under Regulation
(EU) 2016/369, and amending its provisions taking into account the COVID‐19 outbreak, OJ L 117, 15.4.2020, p.
3.
1
COVID-19.
(ii)
Facilitate, where needed, the adaptation of national contact
tracing app solutions to join the federation gateway service
described in point (i).
Objectives pursued
Ensure interoperability between digital contact tracing apps
developed and deployed by Member States, thus contributing to
tracing and alerting people travelling in Europe.
Expected results
A platform run by the European Commission to be used by
Member States for the interoperability across borders of their
contact tracing apps.
This solution would also assist health authorities in slowing the
spread of the virus, and limit the impact of a potential second
wave.
EU Added value
Member States take the lead in developing tracing apps for their
citizens, but given free movement across borders, the EU has an
essential role to play in facilitating a common approach to ensure
that tracing apps can communicate with each other as citizens
exercise their free movement.
ESI is the only instrument under the present MFF that allows the
Coherence and
Commission to support MS to ensure interoperability of their
complementarity – is
solutions, in the time frame needed by the urgency of delivering
there no other EU
the interoperability solution.
instrument?
Total amount
10 million euros, corresponding to the total amount for the action
in the first year of operation. This covers:
the development, deployment and operation of the Federation
Gateway (set up and running costs),
the adaptation of national apps of Member States as needed.
Budget line
18 07 01
Implementing DG
DG CNECT and DG SANTE, who will cross sub-delegate the
necessary amounts to DG DIGIT (including for managing
contracts), based on a written agreement.
Method of
Procurement for the development, deployment and operation of
implementation
the federation gateway and
grants for the adaptation of the
national backend servers and the cross-border interoperability
between Member States.
2
3
ANNEX TO THE FINANCING DECISION
1.
PROCUREMENT
1.1.
Federation gateway server for interoperability of tracing apps
Amount
EUR 7.000.000 from budget line 18 07 01
General description of the contracts envisaged
Ensure the development, deployment and operation of a technical solution at EU level to
facilitate the exchange of data between countries, enabling national apps to notify users that
have been exposed to a user using a different national app and who tested positive for
COVID-19.
Implementation
DG SANTE will act as business owner of the solution provided by external contractors and
DG DIGIT on the basis of technical specifications for interoperabilty agreed by Member
States (eHealth Network). DG SANTE will cross sub-delegate the necessary amounts to DG
DIGIT (including for managing contracts), based on a written agreement.
4
2. GRANTS
1.1.
Support for the connection of Member States to the federation gateway server
for interoperability of tracing apps
Amount
EUR 3.000.000 from budget line 18 07 01
Type of applicants targeted
Member States, national authorities and other authorized bodies responsible for:
(1) Backend servers and federation gateway
(2) National contact tracing app
Description of the activities to be funded by the grant(s) awarded
Facilitate, when needed, the adaptation of national solutions for cross-border interoperability
and support the back office operations necessary to follow up on the alerting mechanism by
the national health authorities.
Implementation
DG CNECT
5
Document Outline