"Investment in the latest information technologies is the right tool to help cooperation between public administrations and make it easier for businesses to access markets in other Member States," said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "Providing services online and without red tape will allow European businesses to expand to new markets, boosting trade within the EU. The result will contribute to more growth and more jobs in the single market."
Services are the main driver of growth and jobs in Europe, representing 70% of EU's GDP. In recent years they have been the source of 95% of all new jobs created. While goods are already freely traded in the EU, the Internal Market for services has not yet reached its full potential. Legal and administrative barriers are still making it difficult for service providers to establish themselves in other countries or trade across borders.
The pilot project launched by the European Commission working with Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, and Poland will develop new technical solutions for enhancing the quality of electronic cross-border services provided by public administrations. Contact points, where companies can complete all procedures and formalities in one place, will be set up in each Member State by the end of 2009. Building on those, the pilot project is designed to make the different approaches used in EU countries compatible. It will foster the use of electronic services and the development of common requirements, set common standards for secure transactions across the EU, and build upon best practices, open specifications and user-friendly solutions.
