The European Parliament’s internal market committee (IMCO) has approved with an overwhelming majority Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi’s legislative report on creating the first ever European single digital gateway.

The gateway will make it easier for citizens and businesses to do their paperwork online and to find the right administrative information they need wherever they are in the EU.

The committee also gave its approval to MEP Marlene Mizzi to start and lead the European Parliament's negotiations with EU ministers in order to reach an agreement on the final law, the PL said. The mandate was approved by 32 votes in favour (91.4%), three against and no abstentions.

The gateway will help people interact with Member States' administrations by providing online access to the most important and frequently used administrative procedures. Citizens and companies based in another member state, but also for those staying home, would be able to request their birth certificates, register their cars, declare their taxes, enrol in public universities and much more fully online.

Ms Mizzi said people and businesses still encounter serious difficulties in accessing and understanding the administrative information and procedures needed for their businesses, travel or to work in another country.

"Instead of finding online assistance, we often waste precious time and money tangled up in red tape, with information and procedures that are often scattered, incomplete and not transparent. Citizens and business will no longer have to trawl numerous websites to find the information required.” 

“Today, the IMCO Committee has accomplished an important milestone towards the digitalisation of public services and a further move towards making the digital single market a reality. This is a key step in achieving responsive, inclusive, border-less, user-friendly digital public services to citizens and businesses wherever they are in the EU.”

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