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E-Government

EU to pilot cross border technology

By Xinghui Guo | 14 June 2011

Come 1 July 2011, the European Union (EU) will run a 12-month pilot Simple Procedures Online for Cross-Border Services (SPOCS) that will make it easier for businesses to transact electronically across Europe. Instead of introducing a brand new system, SPOCS will build cross-border online portals based on each country’s existing solutions and services.

The online portals will come in the form of Points of Single Contact (PSCs) which will let service providers communicate with national public administrations. PSCs will act as one-stop shops that disseminate information and conduct case management where all administrative procedures can be carried out online through just one portal. According to the SPOCS website, PSCs are to become “real e-government centres”.

Since the first SPOCS pilot launched in May 2o009, 22 out of the 27 EU member states have put up first generation SPCs that provide information but do not allow for full electronic completion of administrative procedures.

This new pilot will focus on:

Providing for further technical solutions to improve the cross-border use of e-procedures (eDocuments, eID for legal persons);

Helping administrations to keep their PSCs up to date and to organise them efficiently (work on content syndication; e-directories);

Testing the e-solutions foreseen in practice on the PCSs via piloting with concrete professions;

And increasing the awareness of businesses of PSCs (in addition to national and EU level activities).

The entire SPOCS project costs €24 million (US$34.6 million) and when fully complete in 2012, will create common specifications, open modules and organisational solutions based on open standards that are both portable and reusable by all member states.

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