Life events

This section outlines the findings and analysis of key insights from interviews with country representatives about their work with life events. The objective is to provide an in depth understanding of the the Nordic-Baltic work with life events, as a basis for the further focus on the three selected life events.

Condensed list of life events across all countries

Based on the identified life events in each country and the eight interviews with national representatives a condensed list of 13 life events across countries was developed. The list comprises a combination of personal and work-related life events, as outlined below:

Birth and Parenthood (pregnancy, birth, becoming a parent, raising children)
Illness and Health Care (personal illness, family member's illness, elder care)
Moving and Relocation (general, moving abroad, moving to a country)
Education and Studying (starting education, student life)
Employment and Job Market (starting a job, unemployment)
Starting a Business (entrepreneurship, business start-up)
Marriage and Relationships (marriage, divorce/separation)
Retirement and Pension (pension, early retirement)
Death and Inheritance (death of a loved one, inheritance, funeral)
Accommodation and Real Estate (buying, selling, building a home)
Legal and Civic Participation (military service, proxy for public services, driving license)
Cultural and Life Milestones (baptism, confirmation, family trees/genealogy)
Financial and Economic Stability (disability, economic hardship)

The 13 life events on the condensed list above are the most predominant throughout the interviews. A list of all identified life events across all 11 countries is found in appendix 2.

Identified best practices across countries in managing cross-border life events

This section highlights key best practices for improving cross-border life event services based on insights from various countries on the most predominant life events. The identified best practices focus on ensuring equal treatment of domestic and cross-border citizens, strategically prioritizing and coordinating cross-border services, and strengthening international collaboration through digital identity solutions and bilateral agreements. These approaches contribute to more seamless, user-friendly, and interoperable cross-border services.

Ensuring equal treatment of domestic and cross-border citizens

It is vital to ensure equal treatment of domestic and cross-border citizens once they are registered in the national system, providing them access to the same services. This approach reduces administrative barriers and ensures that cross-border users have the same access to public services as domestic citizens. All countries are working towards achieving this goal by developing their digital infrastructure and policies to support seamless cross-border services and smooth integration for all individuals, regardless of their origin.

Strategic prioritization and centralized coordination of cross-border life events

It is essential to prioritize the improvement of services for cross-border life events to enhance efficiency, reduce duplication of efforts, and ensure a more user-friendly experience for individuals navigating services in multiple countries. Clear strategies that define key life events and assign responsibilities to relevant agencies facilitate effective follow-up and implementation. Aligning approaches with EU regulations and best practices from neighboring regions, as well as developing digital infrastructure that supports cross-border compatibility, ensures seamless integration of new solutions with other countries.

Identified challenges across countries in managing cross-border life events

This section aims to uncover the countries’ main challenges in handling cross-border life events and identifying potential solutions. Challenges are categorized into legal, procedural and cultural barriers that complicate the management of life events.

Legal challenges

The legal challenges vary across countries and are influenced by each nation's unique legal and political landscape, which impacts their ability to streamline cross-border life event management. Another major difficulty lies in harmonizing legal frameworks across countries, a process that is often slowed down by complex political decision-making. Additionally, multiple laws often need to be amended before digital data exchange can be fully permitted, making the flow of information across borders more challenging.

Many countries also struggle with determining the legality of data sharing and addressing conflicts between EU regulations and national laws. Furthermore, inconsistencies in updating life event data arise due to frequent changes in legislation and varying implementation practices among authorities.

Procedural challenges

Procedural challenges highlight the difficulties posed by physical presence requirements, silo thinking, fragmented data systems, and the need for significant organizational and mindset changes. Managing temporary IDs for cross-border health services remains a challenge, as separate ID systems across countries limit the possibilities for identity matching.

Many administrative processes still require individuals to be physically present, such as obtaining a personal identity number, and IT systems across different authorities are often incompatible. Silo thinking within agencies and between countries further complicates the situation, with data being locked within various systems and complex data architecture making it difficult to access and utilize information effectively for cross-border digital services.

Bureaucratic hurdles result in limited user-driven digital services, and the decentralized nature of services makes it harder for agencies to share data across borders. Limitations in digital processes continue to require users to be physically present for various procedures, while different authorities operate with varying organizational structures, creating additional complications.

Furthermore, the duplication of information and differing perceptions among competent authorities about new national policies on digital service management contribute to inefficiencies in cross-border service delivery.

Cultural challenges

Cultural challenges add another layer of complexity, particularly in relation to trust, accessibility, attitudes toward data protection, and the need for responsive services that accommodate diverse population groups and accounts for various cultural as well as linguistic considerations. Interviews with country representatives from Iceland, Sweden and Latvia point to reluctance to share data both within national agencies and across borders due to internal attitudes towards data protection as a significant cultural issue.

Additionally, digital accessibility remains a problem, particularly for certain population groups such as older adults and those in rural areas, who tend to favor paper-based processes over digital solutions and may lack trust in national digital systems.

The Nordic and Baltic countries are generally more advanced in their digital service offerings and customer-focused approaches, but this level of development has created a gap between them and other EU countries, which may take time to bridge. Even within the Nordics and Baltics, minor cultural differences can affect cross-border interactions and sometimes lead to misunderstandings.

Another major barrier is the lack of trust in foreign data, which results in a strong reliance on personal identification number verification and hesitancy in accepting information from other countries.

Lastly, insufficient English-language information creates accessibility issues for cross-border users, making it harder for them to navigate and utilize digital services effectively.

Future outlook and opportunities for digitalization

This section explores the potential for improving and simplifying cross-border life event management through digital tools and collaboration. Findings indicate that each country recognizes the importance of digital services in simplifying cross-border life events but approaches the integration and implementation of these services differently based on their unique challenges, capabilities and strategic priorities.

Identity matching as a foundation

It is essential to prioritize identity matching, which refers to the process of verifying and linking an individual's identity across different databases or systems, ensuring consistent recognition and authentication despite variations in identity information across records. Emphasizing identity matching facilitates effective population registry data exchange, simplifies access to health and social insurance, and addresses complications through bilateral agreements and collaboration. Developing national digital infrastructures to support cross-border identification and creating scalable trust models across countries and sectors are vital steps toward smoother data sharing and seamless access to services abroad.

Data sharing and legal and administrative harmonization

Harmonizing legal and administrative standards is essential for simplifying cross-border life events and enabling effective data exchange. Standardizing administrative processes across borders and utilizing international digital solutions increase digital cross-border mobility. Legal barriers must be addressed through legislative changes to enable digital collaboration, and establishing legal frameworks that build trust in data sharing is crucial. Aligning commonly used digital services for cross-border users simplifies administrative processes despite differing frameworks, while mapping and evaluating life events and services consistently, inspired by EU benchmarks, promote cooperation among countries.

Cross-border mobility and simplification

It is important to focus on the development and implementation of e-ID systems and collaboration to enhance cross-border mobility. Simplifying mobility for health, tax purposes, businesses, and individuals through e-ID systems can be prioritized. Increased cross-border mobility within regions highlights the need to harmonize administrative procedures for broader collaboration. Practical measures, efficient digitalization, and focusing on the needs of cross-border users, rather than aligning life events, streamline services across countries. Practical cooperation and consistent evaluation criteria for services related to life events are essential for effective cross-border service enhancement.

Selected life events

The three life events identified as being the most relevant to cross-border work are: 1) Moving to another country for work, 2) Working abroad while staying in home country and, 3) Starting a business abroad while staying in home country. These life events have been selected as they are life events which have a prominent and central position to deliver on the vision to become a more integrated, sustainable and competitive region. Below each life event will be described with emphasis on key challenges and potentials ahead. It is thus also in connection with these life events that there will be significant development potentials in relation to realizing the vision of an integrated region.

Life event 1: Moving to another country for work

In 2020, approximately 458,000 Nordic residents lived in a different Nordic country than the one in which they were born, making up 1.7% of the region’s population of 27.2 million. Each year, around 40,000 people move across Nordic borders for work, highlighting the significance of this life event in the region.

The Nordic Council of Ministers (2022). State of the Nordic Region 2022. https://pub.nordregio.org/snr22/ (Accessed on May 1st, 2025)

Moving to another country for work is a significant life event that involves relocating to a new nation due to employment. This process includes not only starting a new job but also adapting to a different cultural and administrative environment, possibly also relocating the family of the employee. A key aspect of this transition is the interaction with public authorities regarding work and residence permits, taxes, and other necessary documentation. The ease of these processes varies across countries, depending on their level of digitalization and administrative integration.

Interviews with country representatives confirm that moving for work is among the most important life events, with some nations offering seamless digital services while others are still developing their infrastructure to support cross-border mobility. Regardless of digital capabilities, adjusting to a new workplace and society remains a central challenge, but also an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Life event 2: Working abroad while staying in home country

Working abroad while staying in one’s home country is an increasingly common life event, driven by the rise of remote work: Nordic labor mobility includes commuting across borders, with approximately 49,000 people working in another Nordic country between 2015 and 2018 – 0.5% of the working-age population.

The Nordic Council of Ministers (2022). Re-start competence mobility on the Nordic Region. https://www.norden.org/da/node/78182 (Accessed on May 1st, 2025)

There is currently no updated data available on the frequency of this life event which would be beneficial to effectively address the life event specific needs. There are some data from commuting between Denmark and Sweden from 2022. The latest available data shows that approximately 1,650 people commute from Denmark to Sweden. Of these 1,650 commuters, the majority – around 1,000 – travel to either Malmö or Lund. About 62% of the commuters are men.

The Nordic Council of Ministers (2022). Re-start competence mobility on the Nordic Region. https://www.norden.org/da/node/78182 (Accessed on May 1st, 2025)

However, significantly more people commute from Sweden to Denmark. According to the latest 2022 data, around 18,500 people commute from Sweden to Denmark.

Statistics Denmark (2023). Hvem pendler fra Sverige til Danmark? https://www.dst.dk/da/Statistik/nyheder-analyser-publ/Analyser/51280-hvem-pendler-fra-sverige-til-danmark (Accessed on May 1st, 2025)

According to Øresunddirekt, this is mainly due to better salary conditions in Denmark and more affordable living costs in Sweden.

Commuting for work offers broader job opportunities, potential for higher earnings, and professional growth without requiring relocation. However, it also comes with challenges, particularly in navigating tax obligations, labor laws, and administrative requirements across borders.

Interviews with national representatives highlight the need for improved digital integration and cross-border cooperation to simplify these processes. Despite the complexities, this work model enables flexibility and global collaboration.

Life event 3: Starting a business while staying in home country

Starting a business abroad while staying in one's home country is a significant life event that encompasses entrepreneurship and starting a business in a foreign country without relocating. This arrangement has become increasingly feasible with advancements in digital technology and global connectivity, allowing entrepreneurs to tap into international markets while managing operations from their home country. There is currently no updated data available on the frequency of this life event which would be beneficial to effectively address the life event specific needs.

This life event is important for the individuals as it opens new business opportunities, potential for market expansion, and the ability to leverage different economic environments for growth. However, it also brings various experiences and challenges.

A significant aspect of this process involves navigating different administrative requirements and regulations, which include registering the business, obtaining necessary permits, understanding tax obligations in both jurisdictions, and compliance with local labor laws. Entrepreneurs will often face inefficiencies and complexities due to the dual nature of operating across borders, necessitating robust digital solutions and cross-border services.

The interviews with national representatives and the prioritization workshop suggested that this life event is essential as it affects a growing segment of the business community, enabling entrepreneurs to contribute to and benefit from the global economy. It also emphasizes the need for enhanced digital integration and international cooperation to streamline services, ensuring that cross-border entrepreneurs can efficiently manage their business operations and regulatory requirements.