Brussels, 25/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is to co-fund a pilot project by Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland to help public authorities improve online services for the service sector. Half of the project's funding of €14 million over three years will come from the EU's Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, commented: "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 the EU's GDP. In recent years the service sector has been the source of 95% of all new jobs but legal and administrative barriers are still making it difficult for service providers to establish themselves in other countries or to trade across borders.
The pilot project is expected to develop new technical solutions for enhancing the quality of electronic cross-border services provided by public administrations. One-stop shops or 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. 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. Under the Services Directive, the member states have until the end of this year to establish single websites through which service providers can easily obtain all relevant information and complete all necessary procedures electronically. Large-scale pilot projects are driven by participating countries and focus on enabling technology-based solutions for cross-border services at national, regional and local level. (I.L./transl.fl)