Oresunddirekt is a cross-border information service for citizens and businesses in the Oresund region of Denmark and Sweden. It provides translated and personalized public service information through its website. It aims to make cross-border information easy to access and promote mobility across the border. Some challenges include keeping large amounts of content updated, gaining ownership from collaborators, and keeping costs low. Oresunddirekt addresses these by collaborating with civil servants to validate content, showing results and savings, and innovating with new services like income tax return videos. It also ensures information remains relevant to users by personalizing content and monitoring changing needs.

1. Oresunddirekt – practical challenges
and solutions in cross-border
collaboration
The Malmö Declaration: Collaboration as
an implementation driver
Eva Eilstrup
Oresunddirekt, Denmark/Sweden
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2. Agenda
• Oresunddirekt is…
• Cross-border information
made easy
• Oresunddirekt promotes
mobility
Challenges and solutions:
• Making it work
• Making it cheap
• Making it matter
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3. Oresunddirekt is…
• A cross-border information service for the citizens
and businesses of the Oresund region –
www.oresunddirekt.com
• A semi-autonomous public actor, funded by local
and regional government from both countries
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4. Cross-border information made easy
• Complex public service information translated and
personalised
• Literal v. conceptual translation
• Two perspectives – two portals, plus additional
services
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5. Step-by-step guides
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6. Oresunddirekt promotes mobility
• Cross-border mobility is about simple, everyday
issues and questions
• Growing number of cross-border commuters –
growing number of Oresunddirekt users
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7. Making it work
• Large amount of content
that needs constant
updating
• Collaborative content
validation through
networks of civil servants
• ”What’s in it for me?”
• Ownership
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8. Making it cheap
• Both public administrations and e-government
services are facing the challenge of less funding
• The pressure is on to show tangible results and
savings
• In cross-border collaboration, a small and flexible
third party organisation like Oresunddirekt can
help cut administrative costs
• Innovation! Example: income tax return video
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9. Making it matter
• Public service information
is worthless unless the
users can relate to it
• The user is the source, not
just the target
• Personalisation and
constant surveillance of
changing user needs
• Relatablity is just as
important as reliability
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