COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 15 May 1984 on the computerization of administrative procedures in intra-Community trade (84/C 137/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,

Having regard in particular to the proposals submitted to it by the Commission regarding the strengthening of the internal market and to the undertaking given at the Council meeting on 25 November 1983 to take action to orientate the coordinated development of computerized administrative procedures in the Community so as to facilitate intra-Community trade,

Aware of the need to strengthen the internal market;

Noting that efforts to harmonize taxation and other rules have not yet made it possible to abolish all administrative formalities in trade between Member States;

Whereas the steamlining of these formalities could make an effective contribution to strengthening the internal market ; whereas computerization of administrative procedures could facilitate such streamlining, as long as the maintenance of formalities continues to be justified in intra-Community trade;

Whereas most Member States have already begun computerizing administrative procedures ; whereas such action should be encouraged, as the use of modern data-processing techniques makes it possible to reduce considerably the length and cost of the procedures for undertakings and authorities ; whereas, however, the systems concerned are at disparate stages of development and are not at present mutually compatible;

Whereas in order to give full effect to the development of computerization, national computer systems must be linked, so that exchanges of data can be organized, and administrative systems must be linked with undertakings' private systems ; whereas a coordinated development of national procedures should be organized to that end ; whereas such linking is in effect likely to speed up formalities and the related checks;

Whereas the coordinated development of computerized procedures and their linking should constitute an important element of the Community infrastructure aimed at facilitating intra-Community trade and combating fraud ; whereas this operation will have a beneficial effect on the Community computer industry;

Whereas such an operation is a medium-term objective ; whereas the technical work to enable substantial progress to be made in a sufficiently near future should therefore begin without delay;

Whereas the establishment of the maximum list of data which may be requested by the Member States in intra-Community trade constitutes a fundamental step in the process of computerization;

Aware that, even with the development of dataprocessing, some documents will still be necessary in trade between Member States ; whereas efforts must be made, without waiting for computerization, to simplify such documents on the basis of the Commission proposals for the introduction of a "single document";

calls upon the Member States to expand as soon as possible the computerization of the administrative procedures applicable in trade, in close collaboration with one another and with the Commission;

agrees to effect the computerization of exchanges of data and the gradual linking of the computers used in the aforementioned procedures;

asks the Commission to continue the work under way and to submit to it, before 1 October 1984 and taking into account the characteristics of the Member States, the proposals necessary for the creation of a Community data-processing framework together with a work programme and precise timetable.