Making Europe easy for citizens Making Europe easy for citizens and businessesand businesses

Practical tools for local and regional authoritiesPractical tools for local and regional authorities

OPEN DAYS for Municipalities and RegionsOPEN DAYS for Municipalities and Regions Brussels, 6 October 2010Brussels, 6 October 2010

1. Introduction: 1. Introduction: Public authorities as service Public authorities as service providersproviders

2. The front office: 2. The front office: The Your Europe portalThe Your Europe portal

3. The back office: 3. The back office: The Internal MarketThe Internal MarketInformation System (IMI)Information System (IMI)

4. Panel discussion: 4. Panel discussion: Your feedback and ideasYour feedback and ideas

How can you make Europe easy for citizens and How can you make Europe easy for citizens and businesses?businesses?

• Give reliable answers to EU-related questionsGive reliable answers to EU-related questions

• Quickly get the information you need from Quickly get the information you need from another countryanother country

• Handle the language issueHandle the language issue

• Reduce waiting timeReduce waiting time

What is the Commission doing to support you?What is the Commission doing to support you?

Development of empowering toolsDevelopment of empowering tools

Your EuropeYour Europe - a multilingual information portal on EU single - a multilingual information portal on EU single market rights and single access point to a wide range of EU market rights and single access point to a wide range of EU assistance services.assistance services.

IMIIMI - - a secure online application that allows national, regional a secure online application that allows national, regional and local authorities to communicate quickly and easily with and local authorities to communicate quickly and easily with their counterparts abroad.their counterparts abroad.

User-centred – User-centred – no jargon, practical information.no jargon, practical information.

Accessible - Accessible - easy to navigate, multilingual and easy to navigate, multilingual and interactive (surveys, feedback, FAQs).interactive (surveys, feedback, FAQs).

Enabling -Enabling - with tips and warnings. with tips and warnings.

Single access point -Single access point - to all specialized EU help to all specialized EU help services (services (SOLVIT, YEA, ECCN, Enterprise Europe NetworkSOLVIT, YEA, ECCN, Enterprise Europe Network) and ) and nationalnational single points of contact. single points of contact.

Your Europe

8 user-centred topics

Real

life

example of

problem &

solution

Tailored

to your

personal

situation

No jargon

Tips and warnings

Interactive

OfferingEU

assistanceservices

How can Your Europe help YOU?How can Your Europe help YOU?

Source of reliable information on EU rightsSource of reliable information on EU rights

Refer people to Your Europe for detailed Refer people to Your Europe for detailed information about their EU rightsinformation about their EU rights

Use the assistance services when advising Use the assistance services when advising people about cross-border issuespeople about cross-border issues

How can YOU help Your Europe?How can YOU help Your Europe?

Give us your feedbackGive us your feedback

Spread the news about Your Europe Spread the news about Your Europe

Link to Your Europe from your websitesLink to Your Europe from your websites

IMI addresses the following problems:

Lack of clearly identified partners in other MSLack of clearly identified partners in other MS

Language barriers – 23 official EU languagesLanguage barriers – 23 official EU languages

Different administrative structures and culturesDifferent administrative structures and cultures

Lack of administrative procedures for crossborder Lack of administrative procedures for crossborder cooperationcooperation

IMI is a star…IMI is a star…

… because it is a strong network of more than 5600

authorities and it is growing bigger every day

1. How does IMI work?1. How does IMI work?

Access only withAccess only with usernameusername password andpassword and security codesecurity code

… … because itbecause it bridges bridges communication gapscommunication gaps. .

IMI contains IMI contains pre-pre-translatedtranslated

questions and questions and answers and, foranswers and, for

some language pairs, some language pairs, machine machine

translationtranslation..

IMI is a star…IMI is a star…

1. How does IMI work?1. How does IMI work?

Search for anSearch for anauthority in yourauthority in yourown languageown language

Select the questionSelect the questionyou want to ask inyou want to ask inyour own languageyour own language

The respondingThe respondingauthority sees theauthority sees thequestion in itsquestion in itslanguage andlanguage andreplies to itreplies to it

… … because itbecause it blends intoblends into anyanyexisting administrative structure. existing administrative structure.

IMI offers maximum flexibilityIMI offers maximum flexibilityto allow Member States to mirrorto allow Member States to mirror

their their internal structuresinternal structures..

IMI is a star…IMI is a star…

European Commission ( IMI Administration and Helpdesk)

Competent Authorities Competent Authorities

Member State 1 Member State 2

National IMI Coordinator

National IMI Coordinator

Delegated IMI Coordinators

… because it speeds up

procedures.

IMI allows authorities to agree

on deadlines for their requests.

It also allows them to monitor

the status of their request.

IMI is a star…IMI is a star…

Some statistics about IMI Number of authorities registered: Number of authorities registered: 5618

Number of information exchanges so farNumber of information exchanges so far Professional Qualifications: Professional Qualifications: 2638 Services Directive: Services Directive: 123

Requests replied to within 2 weeks: Requests replied to within 2 weeks: 60%

What users say

In the past, we sometimes had to wait for 3 months to receive an answer. With IMI, it is 2 days.

Sign up today! IMI is extremely simple to use and you won’t regret your decision.

I'm glad that we have moved on from the rather hit and miss approach of firing off letters to colleagues in other countries with no guarantee of a reply.

Secure and data Secure and data protection friendlyprotection friendly

No additional No additional hardware or softwarehardware or software

Multiple legislative Multiple legislative areas (currently: areas (currently: Professional Professional Qualifications and the Qualifications and the Services Directive)Services Directive)

BGBGCSCS

DADA

DEDE

ETET

ELEL

ENEN

ESES

FRFR

ITIT

LVLVLTLTGAGA

HUHU

MTMT

NLNL

PLPL

PTPT

RORO

SKSK

SLSL

FIFI

SVSVNONO

ISIS

LILI

The Internal Market Information System (IMI)The Internal Market Information System (IMI)

What can you do for the IMI network?

If you are not registered yet: Register!If you are not registered yet: Register!

Use IMI and give us feedbackUse IMI and give us feedback

Spread the news about IMISpread the news about IMI

Suggest further areas of applicationSuggest further areas of application

markt-imi@ec.europa.eu

http://ec.europa.eu/imi-net

For further information or any question:

ye@ec.europa.eu

http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope

3. The “incredible” IMI

3. The “incredible” IMI