COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Implementation plan Accompanying the document Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a single digital gateway to provide information, procedures, assistance and problem solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012
Date: 2017-05-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
Subjects: EU national, access to information, administrative cooperation, administrative formalities, cross-frontier data flow, exchange of information, information system, service, single market, type of business

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.5.2017  SWD(2017) 211 final   Compliance Package COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Implementation plan Accompanying the document Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a single digital gateway to provide information, procedures, assistance and problem solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 {COM(2017) 256 final} {SWD(2017) 212 final} {SWD(2017) 213 final} {SWD(2017) 214 final}  
 
 
This Implementation Plan is provided for information purposes only. It does not legally bind 
the Commission on whether the identified actions will be pursued or on the form in which they 
will be pursued.  

IMPLEMENTATION  PLAN  FOR  THE  PROPOSAL  FOR  A  REGULATION  OF  THE  EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT  AND  OF  THE  COUNCIL  ON  ESTABLISHING  A  SINGLE  DIGITAL  GATEWAY  TO 
PROVIDE  INFORMATION,  PROCEDURES,  ASSISTANCE  AND  PROBLEM  SOLVING  SERVICES  AND 
AMENDING REGULATION (EU) NO 1024/2012 

1.  

CONTACT POINT:  

European  Commission,  Directorate General  Internal  Market,  Industry,  Entrepreneurship  and 
SME 
Directorate E, Modernisation of the Single Market 
Unit E3, Digitalisation of the Single Market 
Email: GROW-SINGLE-DIGITAL-GATEWAY@ec.europa.eu 
Marian Grubben, Head of Unit: Marian.Grubben@ec.europa.eu 
Ute Wein: Ute.Wein@ec.europa.eu 

2.  

CONTEXT 

The single digital gateway aims to address the current fragmentation and information gaps by 
completing,  improving  and  linking  up  relevant  EU  and  national-level  online  information, 
assistance services and procedures in a user-friendly way. The vision is to provide businesses 
and citizens with high quality, comprehensive information, effective assistance and problem 
solving  services  and  efficient  compliance  procedures  regarding  EU  and  national  rules 
applicable to citizens and businesses when they want to do business and/or to travel to, buy 
from, work, study or reside in another Member State. 

3.   MAIN DELIVERABLES  

3.1 

Broad information coverage 

To  achieve  our  aim  of  providing  businesses  and  citizens  with  "all  they  need  to  know"  to 
benefit from their Single Market rights. We are focusing on 17 areas (9 for citizens and 8 for 
businesses).    Member  States  and  the  Commission  are  responsible  for  providing  information 
on their respective websites on national and EU rules and requirements, applicable to citizens 
and businesses, in these areas. 

3.2  Key procedures fully online 

Member States would have to make sure that for a defined list of key  procedures, the entire 
procedure can be completed online, also by non-residents and companies established in other 
Member  States.  Further  roll-out  of  online  procedures  would  be  based  on  an  annual  work 
programme. 

3.3  Quality requirements 

Clear,  operational  quality  criteria  for  information,  assistance  services  and  online  procedures 
will be defined.  Monitoring mechanisms would be set up to ensure that each website in the 
single 
clear 
information/procedures/assistance  services.  As  part  of  this  process,  a  quality  label  based  on 

user-friendly 

sufficient, 

provides 

gateway 

network 

digital 

and 

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precise  quality  criteria  would  be  developed,  and  users'  feedback  would  be  requested 
systemically. 

3.4 

Findability 

The  single digital  gateway  is  about  making  existing  information  and  assistance services  not 
only  much  better,  but  also  much  easier  for  citizens  and  businesses  to  find.  A  user  interface 
should allow the search for the best service package in response to any query a user may have.  

3.5  Governance 

The  effective  implementation  of  the  single  digital  gateway  requires  a  solid  governance 
structure with an annual work programme as a backbone for the implementation actions and 
future development of the single digital gateway. The Coordination Group will be a forum for 
co-operation between Member States and the Commission replacing several structures created 
for the specific service or tool. 

3.6 

Language 

A shared objective of the Commission and Member States is the need to  make the gateway 
and its functionalities as accessible as possible for the widest range of users. For this purpose 
the proposed Regulation foresees that information would be provided on national websites in 
at least one other official EU language in addition to the national language(s).  

3.7 

Single Market user feedback 

The proposed Regulation foresees the collection of feedback from users of the gateway on the 
problems  encountered  by  them  in  the  Single  Market.  This  feedback,  combined  with  input 
from  the  different  assistance  services  will  feed  into  a  regular  report  about  the  state  of  the 
Single Market. This report will provide a substantial input for the priority settings regarding 
infringement procedures and policy decisions on further development of Single Market rules. 

4.  

IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES  

4.1   Technical challenges 

The gateway will be based on a user interface that would search the best service package for 
any  query  a  user  may  have.  To  make  this  work,  substantial  effort  is  required  from  the 
Commission and Member States relating to the IT applications and technical functionalities: 

The Commission’s tasks: 

 

Investigate the technical solutions for the user interface and how to link with national 
portals; 

  Create or adjust existing tools which could serve as a repository for links that Member 

States will need to provide; 

  Devise  technical  functionality  which  could  be  used  by  the  users  of  the  gateway  to 
provide  evidence  in  electronic  format  to  authorities  requesting  such  evidence  in  an 
administrative procedure; 
Develop  a  specific  IT  tool  which  would  allow  citizens  and  businesses  to  signal  any 
difficulty or obstacle they meet in navigating the Single Market. 

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Member States’ tasks: 

  Depending on the functionalities of the interface, Member States will need to structure 
or tag the information published on their websites so that the search facility can easily 
find and present the information or service the user is looking for; 

  Adjust their online procedures to make sure that users can effectively use the technical 

functionality for the re-use of evidence; 

  Make 20 procedures available for users fully online and make necessary adjustments 
in other procedures so that they can be fully accessible for users from other Member 
States. 

4.2   Compliance and timing challenges 

The  compliance  and  timing  challenges  are  very  much  linked  to  the  technical  challenges 
described above. Their significance will depend on the Commission’s ability to come up with 
the technical solutions in time, the ability and readiness of Member States to make necessary 
adjustments  and  on  the  level  of  Member  States’  advancement  in  the  uptake  of  online 
solutions. These challenges will be overcome: 

  Comprehensive  and  well-planned  support  from  the  Commission,  including  financial 

support; 

  Annual work programme with detailed actions per Member State ensuring the gradual 

rolling out of all requirements; 

  Strong co-operation between Member States and between them and the Commission 

through a clear governance structure. 

Member  States  may  need  to  devote  appropriate human  and  financial  resources  in  the  initial 
phase of the establishment of the gateway. These efforts will be compensated by savings in 
the  long  term.  The  Commission  will  need  additional  resources  in  order  to  be  able  to 
appropriately manage and monitor the compliance with the quality requirements. 

5.  

SUPPORT ACTIONS  

The support actions aim at ensuring that the Regulation can apply from the date established in 
the legal act and that any delays are avoided. The timetable below shows the different steps in 
the development of the single digital gateway. 

Foreseen timeline: 
Adoption of the Commission Proposal:  
Adoption of Regulation:  
Regulation applies from:  

April 2017 
Q3 2018 
Q3 2020 

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Timing 

Commission actions 

Member States’ actions 

Pre-adoption stage 

Q1/2018  Work with Member States on further 

convergence of information and 
assistance services towards the 
objectives of the single digital gateway 

Q1/2018   Analyses different options related to the 

Work with the Commission on further 
convergence of information and 
assistance services towards the 
objectives of the single digital 
gateway 
Analyse the needs and efforts which 
have to be done to ensure full 
compliance with the Regulation  

IT tools and applications listed in the 
Commission proposal. Incorporate IT 
security risk assessment and IT security 
plans. 
Establish a network of stakeholders 
(chambers of commerce, etc.) to discuss 
with them ideas related to the practical 
implementation of the single digital 
gateway 
Prepares the draft annual work 
programme (e.g. to clarify detailed 
implementation steps per Member 
State)  

Convenes the first meeting of the single 
digital gateway coordination group to 
discuss the first annual work 
programme 
Sets up internal governance structure to 
manage and coordinate all EU level 
services and portals that are part of the 
single digital gateway 
Submits the first annual work 
programme to the gateway coordination 
group  

Q2/2018 

Q2/2018 

Q3/2018 

Q3/2018 

Q3/2018 

Q1/2019 

Q1/2019  Adopts implementing acts 

Q1/2019 

Start developing the IT tools required 
for supporting the single digital gateway  

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Adoption of the Regulation 

Appoint national co-ordinators and 
notify their names to the Commission 

Ensure that sufficient resources are 
made available at national level. 
Put in place the internal structure of 
co-ordination and monitoring  
Discuss the first annual work 
programme 

Discuss the draft implementing acts  
in the single digital gateway 
committee 
Start working on: 
- filling the online information 

coverage gaps 

- getting the missing procedures 

online 

- ensuring that existing online 

procedures are accessible for foreign 
users 

 
 
 
Timing 

Commission actions 

Member States’ actions 

Q2/2019  Organises training, workshops, visits in 

Member States to discuss/advise 
Member States as regard the use of the 
ESF, ERDF and other sources of 
financing, managed by the Commission 
Issues interpretative/guidance 
documents or recommendations, if 
needed 
Prepares promotion campaigns and 
discussion within the gateway 
coordination group 
Finalises work on the IT tools, 
including a review of IT security plan 
and measures to cover risks. 
Beta-version of the single digital 
gateway to be put online and tested 

Q2/2019 

Q3/2019 

Q3/2019 

Q4/2019 

Q3/2020  All agreed information is offered online 

User feedback tools deployed on all 
single digital gateway related webpages 

Q3/2020 

IT solutions for exchange of evidence 
(once-only) are ready for use 

Re-structuring, tagging of information 
on their websites 

Notification of links to the national 
services to the repository of links 

Testing together with the Commission 
the tools and applications to ensure 
that they are ready to use as from Q3 
2020 
-  All agreed information is offered 

online 

-  Member States provide agreed 

procedures online 

-  User feedback tools deployed on all 

single digital gateway related 
webpages 

Competent authorities integrate IT 
solutions for exchange of evidence  
(once-only) into relevant national 
procedures 

Q3 2020 

Q4/2022 

Q4/2022 

Q1/2024 

Q3/2024 

Launch of the Single Digital Gateway 

First report on obstacles in the Single 
Market based on data gathered through 
all services within the single digital 
gateway and the user feedback tool 
First report on the functioning of the 
single digital gateway  
Second report on obstacles in the Single 
Market 
Second report on the functioning of the 
single digital gateway and, if needed, 
recommendations for improvement 

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