'Your Europe' portal to be ready in 2020: EU

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - The European Parliament and Council on Wednesday formally adopted a regulation for a single digital gateway to be ready as of 2020.

According to the European Commission, citizens and businesses in the bloc will be able to find all information, administrative procedures, and assistance services on a single, easily accessible online portal called Your Europe.

“Today, citizens and businesses, wishing to move, work or do business across Europe, face a jungle of confusing rules and endless paperwork," Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said in a statement.

"That costs much time and money for our citizens," she said. "In line with the promises laid out in the Digital Single Market Strategy, the single digital gateway will change this, making administration procedures easier, better and faster."

The European Commission said the Your Europe portal will supply all necessary information on EU or national rules related to work, education, healthcare, setting up a business, taxes, or employment of staff.

"In addition, anyone looking for assistance will also be guided towards the most suitable service offer marked with a trustworthy gateway quality label," it said.

The commission also stated that in a five-year period more than 20 of the most important procedures -- including requests for a birth certificate, car registrations, income tax declarations, university enrollments -- will be fully doable online.

"Citizens and companies will no longer be blocked because their phone numbers, postal codes, or e-IDs are rejected, and they will get information in a language that they can understand.

"The 'once-only' principle reduces cross-border red tape, as citizens and businesses can ask for already submitted data or documents to be exchanged directly between authorities," it added.