Sweden, Finland and Norway collaborate on improving digital government services

The Nordic region has some of the most digitalised governments and societies in the world. 

Interestingly, instead of pursuing their national strategies in isolation, the digital government agencies from Sweden (Digg), Finland (DVV) and Norway (Digdir) have come together through the Nordic DigiGov Lab to drive more seamless and safer digital services for their citizens.  

The Trust Model for AI is currently one of the three proofs of concept (POCs) that have emerged from a cross-border collaboration.

Speaking to GovInsider, Nordic DigiGov Lab’s Project Manager, Emma Bohman, highlights that the model is an example of how “cross-border AI governance can be achieved in a way that respects national regulations while promoting harmonised ethical AI practices across the region.” 

Bohman is also a Business Developer with Sweden’s Digg. 

The model allows public agencies to self-assess their AI systems using common ethical, safety and transparency criteria. Successful evaluations earn a “trust mark”, signalling reliability of these services to citizens. 

It also includes a public register that allows citizens to access information about AI services used by public agencies.  

Everyone wins 

Funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic DigiGov Lab project runs from 2024 to 2026, and aims to enhance the capacity of Nordic and Baltic countries to develop human-centric digital governances. 

During the two-year period, Sweden, Norway and Finland plan to jointly deliver on three POCs, according to Finland’s DVV’s Mikko Mattinen’s LinkedIn post. 

Sweden’s Digg will lead the Trust Model while Finland’s DVV will lead on automated information exchange within the life event of death and inheritance, and Norway’s Digdir will lead on an AI-guidance solution to assist citizens in understanding their rights and benefits in the same life event. 

The three POCs are expected to finalise by next March, with the respective teams looking to report the progress this May, says Bohman. 

Bohman notes that Nordic governments are increasingly moving towards needs-based methologies such as agile development, and new governance models that move away from traditional silo structures to effectively serve citizens.  

“The Nordic countries, in particular, share common values, strong welfare systems, and benefit from their geographical closeness, which further strengthens collaboration and knowledge exchange,” she adds. 

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Nordic and Baltic synergies 

Beyond the three countries, Bohman says that the lab is actively working with other Nordic and Baltic countries.  

Given the similarities in technological advancements and rising citizen expectations, the Nordic collaboration emerges as the logical path to develop common frameworks and governance models supporting cohesive digital government ecosystem, she explains. 

Through interviews conducted by the lab with public officers from Nordic and Baltic countries, they reveal a stronger need for knowledge exchange. 

“We see the [lab] as the first step towards establishing larger, long-term networks for knowledge-sharing and collaboration,” she says, highlighting her team’s hopes to lay the foundation that continues beyond the project’s lifespan of two years. 

Beyond simply testing and developing new digital solutions, the collaboration allows digitalisation authorities, policymakers and public administrators across these countries to learn from one another and strengthen collaborations between agencies, she says.  

She highlighted the AI opportunity in developing no-touch services, which was mentioned by the Finnish digital agency in another GovInsider story.  

“AI agents can automate administrative tasks on behalf of citizens - eliminating the need for individuals to actively engage with government websites or manually submit requests.  

“However, trust and transparency will be critical in ensuring that citizens feel confident in these AI-driven services. If trust is not maintained, there is a real risk of losing public confidence in digital government solutions,” she adds. 

Balancing national flexibility with regional standardisation 

Bohman believes that Nordic DigiGov Lab will set a precedent for “harmonised, ethical AI use across borders”. 

She explains that collaboration with multiple countries and public sector environments refine the Trust Model for “faster progress” and “more effective implementation”, compared to a situation where each country was to develop its own AI governance model. 

The model is also highly adaptable, allowing each country to incorporate their national guidelines and legal requirements while maintaining a common Nordic-Baltic foundation. 

“As an open-source tool, it is accessible to all countries, enabling customisation and implementation based on specific national needs. The Trust Model is currently being tested in the development of the AI assistant [for life events],” she adds.  

Challenge of scaling pilots 

A key challenge for public sector innovation is scaling successful pilots.  

To ensure scalability across different countries, the lab has made it a point to adopt open standards, APIs and open source solutions to ensure technical interoperability and flexible integration across different national systems.  

“We will also adopt cross-border testing from the start, where solutions are tested in multiple countries early in the process to prevent country-specific customisations that could limit scalability,” she says. 

Although the current POCs focus on the life event of death and inheritance, Bohman shares that the developed insights and methods are scalable to improve public services across other life events. 

Another policy challenge is aligning standards across countries, she says. 

To tackle this challenge in information exchange, the lab prioritises a gradual and structured collaboration approach to align policies, use cases and technology. 

“The first phase focuses on defining the user story and identifying the needs for a future automated information exchange... which allows [the three countries] to establish a shared vision, clarify requirements, and ensure the necessary conditions are in place before moving forward with technical implementation,” she explains. 

The Nordic DigiGov Lab is a cross-border collaboration between the digital government agencies of Sweden, Finland and Norway. You can check out GovInsider's global digital government directory here for the individual government stories.