The European Commission has presented a set of measures as part of its digital single market strategy, which aim to support and link up national initiatives for services across all sectors. This will include investing €500m in a pan-EU network of digital innovation hubs. On public services, measures proposed for 2017 include:
· a digital single gateway enabling users to obtain all information, assistance and problem solving services needed to operate efficiently across borders;
· interconnection of all business registries and insolvency registers, with a connection to the e-justice portal, which will become a one-stop shop;
· a pilot project with administrations to apply the ‘once only’ principle for businesses across borders, meaning companies will only need to provide paperwork to public authorities in one EU country, even if they operate in other EU member states;
· helping EU member states to develop cross-border e-health services, such as e-prescriptions and patient summaries; and
· accelerating the transition to e-procurement, e-signatures and implementation of the ‘once only’ principle in public procurement.
The Commission consulted on specific VAT measures to simplify cross-border e-commerce at the end of 2015, to which the UK government published its response in January.
The European Commission has presented a set of measures as part of its digital single market strategy, which aim to support and link up national initiatives for services across all sectors. This will include investing €500m in a pan-EU network of digital innovation hubs. On public services, measures proposed for 2017 include:
· a digital single gateway enabling users to obtain all information, assistance and problem solving services needed to operate efficiently across borders;
· interconnection of all business registries and insolvency registers, with a connection to the e-justice portal, which will become a one-stop shop;
· a pilot project with administrations to apply the ‘once only’ principle for businesses across borders, meaning companies will only need to provide paperwork to public authorities in one EU country, even if they operate in other EU member states;
· helping EU member states to develop cross-border e-health services, such as e-prescriptions and patient summaries; and
· accelerating the transition to e-procurement, e-signatures and implementation of the ‘once only’ principle in public procurement.
The Commission consulted on specific VAT measures to simplify cross-border e-commerce at the end of 2015, to which the UK government published its response in January.
