Winzig: EU's Single Digital Gateway is an opportunity for strengthening our economy

"The Single Digital Gateway, as an instrument for digitalising public administration in Europe, is not only a technological advancement but also offers an opportunity to strengthen our economy and promote entrepreneurship", says Angelika Winzig, head of the Austrian EPP Group delegation and co-chair of the SME Intergroup in the European Parliament.

With the Single Digital Gateway (SDG), a central contact point has been established, providing current and understandable information about rules and procedures in the EU internal market, access to support and problem-solving services, as well as feedback tools on the quality of services and obstacles to the internal market. Last week, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the SME relief package. Commissioner Breton explained that going hand in hand with that, Member States must make sure that businesses and citizens have direct access, via Your Europe, to fully digitalised administrative procedures complying with the ‘once only principle’ by the end of the year. In practice, this means that "for example, an Austrian SME wishing to apply for an operating license in Croatia can complete the procedure online. Otherwise, the company would have to submit the application to local authorities in Croatia. The platform saves long distances and associated costs, as well as simplifying communication with foreign authorities," explains Angelika Winzig.

The European Parliament's SME Intergroup held a joint event with the European Commission and other stakeholders to discuss the platform's requirements and the resulting opportunities. Amaryllis Verhoeven, head of unit responsible for digital transformation and the SDG, says: "The Single Digital Gateway with its portal “Your Europe” is not only a European Commission’s project. It involves all national authorities and it benefits from a close cooperation with the European Parliament. The goal of the cooperation is to ensure a cohesive, accurate, and practical ‘one-stop shop’ of information, ‘once only’ procedures, feedback tools and assistance services for companies and citizens who are living, working, travelling or doing business abroad, so they can fully benefit from the rights and opportunities that the EU Single Market offers."

This finally reduces bureaucracy effectively. SMEs can fully tap into their potential and successfully participate in the digital market.

"Currently, the administrative burden for a medium-sized company per employee is still four times higher than for a large company, and for a small company, it is even ten times higher," says Winzig, noting, "For SMEs, it is therefore crucial that administrative procedures be digitised quickly. Moreover, the use of the SDG platform must be straightforward and intuitive, providing uncomplicated assistance when needed. I also welcome the fact that information will only need to be recorded once in the future and can then be exchanged across borders. This finally reduces bureaucracy effectively. SMEs can fully tap into their potential and successfully participate in the digital market."