The Faroe Islands have signed a partnership agreement with the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) and the parties aim to deepen their cooperation.

The Faroe Islands have implemented X-Road data exchange layer version 5 back in 2016 and are aiming to migrate to version 6, which is nowadays under development by NIIS. The X-Road data exchange layer enables secure data exchange within a country, but also as an X-Road federation between the countries which have implemented their own X-Road environments.

"We look forward to cooperate with the Faroe Islands in the development of X-Road core software. The Faroe Islands have valuable user experience as the software has already been implemented there, and their forthcoming migration to X-Road version 6 will bring new opportunities. The start of cooperation with the Faroe Islands marks a milestone in building cross-border interoperability in the Nordic region", explains Ville Sirviö, the CEO of NIIS.

“Secure data transportation is vital for trust in our digital solutions. Therefore, since 2016, the X-Road has been a crucial component of the Faroe Islands’ digital infrastructure. Together with our eID, it allows us to develop digital solutions that rely on our basic data. All data is transferred in a standardized and secure way. Today, all public institutions use X-Road for their data exchange while maintaining autonomy over their IT-solutions. To be able to use the same technology and security in cross-border data exchange is a remarkable step for the digital cooperation in the Nordic and Baltic region”, says Kristina Háfoss, Minister of Finance and Digitalization in the Faroe Islands.

X-Road is an open source data exchange layer solution that enables organizations to exchange information over the Internet. X-Road ensures confidentiality, integrity and interoperability between data exchange parties. The X-Road technology is used nationwide in Estonia, Finland, Iceland and several other countries around the world.