The Internal Market Information IMI System Better communication

The Internal Market Information (IMI) System – Better communication, better service Workshop on Regulatory Practices WTO Geneva, 11 April 2011 Wiebke Pankauke, European Commission, DG Internal Market and Services 1

Why develop an IT tool for cooperation? • In order to facilitate mobility, more and more EU legislation requires cooperation between Member States • Adopting legal texts is only the first step • Need to put cooperation into practice • Challenge particularly in complex areas (example EU Services Directive) 2

What is IMI? § A web-based tool for information exchange between public authorities at all levels NO IS SV BG CS DA FI DE SL ET SK RO EL PT § Secure and data protection friendly EN PL ES LI NL § In all EU languages § Easily adaptable to different policy areas FR MT IT HU GA LT LV 3

IMI addresses obstacles to cooperation q Language barriers – 23 official EU languages Multilingual interface, pretranslated questions and answers q Lack of clearly identified partners in other countries Searchable database of authorities q Different administrative structures and cultures Flexible set-up to reflect administrative realities q Lack of procedures for cross-border cooperation Agreed workflows, tracking mechanism 4

Secure access through the IMI website Access only with username password - security code 5

Search for an authority in your own language 6

IMI blends into any existing administrative structure European Commission ( IMI Administration and Helpdesk) Member State 1 Member State 2 National IMI Coordinator Delegated IMI Coordinators Competent Authorities 7

Facts and figures • Today used for professional qualifications and services • More than 6000 authorities registered • 160 requests for information per month • 58% answered within two weeks 8

How does IMI help citizens and businesses? • Faster replies from authorities • Less need to produce translations of documents • Less rejections of applications due to lack of information 9

Lessons learned • Establishing a large network of very different authorities and keeping it alive is a challenge • Involving Member State actors as coordinators allows decentralised management of the network • Using IMI is easy, but mindset and habits need to change • Continuous follow-up and training necessary 10

Expanding IMI as a toolbox for administrative cooperation • New policy areas • New functionality • Links with existing systems Cheaper and faster than building new tailored systems, exploiting synergies 11

For further information contact: markt-imi@ec. europa. eu or consult the IMI website: http: //ec. europa. eu/imi-net 12