Single digital gateway

Briefing 10-10-2017

This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the above proposal, submitted on 2 May 2017 and referred to Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection. The initiative seeks to reduce as much as possible the additional administrative burden that EU citizens and businesses face when they expand their activities to other Member States. To achieve this, the IA explains that the single digital gateway should provide access to the national rules, requirements and procedures that citizens and businesses from other Member States need to know about and comply with. To assist the user with this journey, the gateway should cover three layers, namely information, procedures and assistance services. The REFIT Platform Government Group confirmed the significance of a 'user journey approach' (IA, p. 5). The proposal on the single digital gateway is one of the initiatives falling under the Commission's 2015 single market strategy. The proposal also forms part of the 'compliance package', which, alongside the single digital gateway, sets out a single market information tool and the SOLVIT action plan. In addition, the REFIT Platform (consisting of business stakeholders and Member State representatives) published an opinion in June 2016 recommending the establishment of a single entry point with clear information and coordinated services for businesses in each Member State to assist companies operating in the single market, and the definition of minimum common quality criteria for content.