Simple Procedures Online for Cross-border Services

Acronym of the case:

SPOCS

Web address of the case:

http://www.eu-spocs.eu

Country of the case:

Belgium

Posting Date:

14 September 2009

Last Edited Date:

27 July 2011

Author:

Vasilis Koulolias (Gov2U)

cross-border | interoperability | Services Directive

Type of initiative

Project or service

Case Abstract

What is SPOCS?

Â· SPOCS (Simple Procedures Online for Cross- Border Services) is a large-scale pilot project launched in May 2009.

Â· SPOCS aims to build the next generation of online portals (Point of Single Contact or PSC), which every European country now has in place, through the availability of high impact cross- border electronic procedures.

Â· SPOCS will provide seamless electronic procedures by building cross- border solutions based on your countryâ€™s existing systems.

Â· For example: An Italian real estate agent wants to expand his business to Bremen, Germany. The information provided by the Bremen PSC does not currently specify the Italian documents required. Will he be able to find this information from his office? Will the transaction be secure? Yes, SPOCS will allow him/ her to do all the administrative procedures online through the Point of Single Contact!

What is the Services Directive?

The EU Services Directive already requires all procedures involved in establishing a business and providing services in another EU country to be fully online. The deadline for Member States to implement the Services Directive was end 2009.

The SPOCS project is now taking things a step further by streamlining those procedures and offering seamless cross- border technology.

Learn more about the Services Directive

W hat are the Points of Single Contact?

Implementing the Services Directive calls for setting up Points of Single Contact (PSC). The PSCs are acting as intermediaries between service providers and the national public administrations. The goal of these "one-stop shops" is essentially to fulfil the two following functions: information dissemination and case management/processing.

SPOCS aims to build the next generation of online portals Point of Single Contact (or PSC), that every European country now has in place, through the availability of high impact cross- border electronic procedures.

Learn more about the Points of Single Contact

Why is SPOCS important for you?

Â· Administrative simplification and modernization

Â· Less red-tape

Â· Increased transparency

Â· Better online services

Â· Greater business opportunities in the public sector

Â· Product innovation based on open specifications and software

Â· Stimulating demand for IT products and services

Description of the case

Domain

eGovernment

Topic

Interoperability

Sector

Other

Date

May 2009 to May 2012

Target Users

Business (industry) | Business (SME) | Citizen

Scope

Cross-border | Pan-European

Status

Pilot

Language(s)

English

Policy Context and Legal Framework

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

IT infrastructures and products

Overall Implementation approach

Partnerships between administration and/or private sector and/or non-profit sector

Technology choice

Standards-based technology

Funding source

Technology solution

SPOCS will have the advantage of already benefiting from the results
achieved by similar and related projects as STORK (on electronic identity) andPEPPOL (on electronic procurement), as far as mutual recognition for the use of electronic identity and signatures is concerned.

The pilot project will be implemented in different phases and a special emphasis will be given on the development of common specifications and tools for electronic services, such as technical and semantic interoperability, the promotion of electronic documents (eDocuments) and the creation of a services directory.

At all stages, SPOCS will be carried out openly to facilitate consensus by public administrations, their suppliers and partners, industry and standardization bodies. Nevertheless, it's worth
mentioning that the national systems will not be replaced, but will only take into account common specifications to ensure cross border
interoperability

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Showing 7 comments

Athina Vrakatseli

SPOCS Member States Group meeting,21 September 2001

05 August 2011 | 1604 Visits | Rating: 2.5 (maximum:5)

Save the date! SPOCS Member States Group meeting, 21 September 2011, Brussels

The SPOCS project would like to invite Member States to its next SPOCS Member States Group meeting on 21 September 2011. Since the previous contact with European countries, SPOCS has been very active in taking its specifications from paper to the real world of live pilots. Indeed, all the technical modules have been developed and integrated to national portals. Moreover, In June 2011 SPOCS has entered the â€œpiloting phaseâ€ as three professions of Real Estate Agent, Travel Agent and Master Builder were launched on the PSC portals of Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Poland in a real life environment. The second wave introducing the professions of architect, tourist animator and catering services is undergoing its final preparations in order to go live after the summer break.

Participants of the meeting will learn how SPOCS solutions work in real life situation. The first experiences of piloting Member States will be presented.

The purpose of the SPOCS Member States meeting is to:

Present Member States how interoperability is put into practice
Build a strong working relationship with the Member States so as to further explore the added value of the SPOCS project in developing fully functional electronic PSCs
Discuss the frequently asked questions regarding both the technical solutions and the pilots themselves
Learn how to integrate SPOCS solutions into your own PSC
Explore the possibilities to sustain SPOCS solution.

Learn more about the SPOCS MS meeting

Athina Vrakatseli

SPOCS goes live! Try out a new technology- July 1st!

15 July 2011 | 1975 Visits | Rating: 3.4 (maximum:5)

Businesses seeking to expand into other countries often struggle to comply with all the regulations they need to follow. The EU has initiated the SPOCS project to overcome these obstacles and to provide electronic procedures by building cross- border solutions based on each countryâ€™s existing systems. From July 1^st SPOCS offers entrepreneurs the possibility to try out this new technology that is currently piloted.

The live pilots will run for at least 12 months, including extra pilots for a duration of 8 months.

The process will have two main waves.

Â· The first wave of pilots includes Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Poland. The pilots in these countries begun in July with the professions of Travel Agent, Real Estate Agent and Master Builder.

Â· The second wave encompasses the countries that joined SPOCS during the extension process: Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia. The second wave is due to go live in September with the additional professions of Tourism Animator, Architects and Restaurants & Catering.

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