| Author (Person) | Hudson, Grace |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Chadwyck-Healey |
| Series Title | Developments in European Information Issues |
| Publication Date | 2002 |
| Content Type | News, Overview |
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Improvements to Commission's Information Sources pages As part of the revamping of the Europa site the Commission has developed a set of pages on information sources that now offer much improved and simplified access to a wide range of resources. Accessible via the “Information Sources” link on the Europa home page or, for the key areas, directly at http://europa.eu.int/geninfo/info-en.htm the site provides a route to contacts details, how to find information on Europa and how to make your views heard. The contacts guide makes available postal and e-mail addresses of internal contacts within the EU institutions and agencies, as well as local contact sources such as the official information networks, Commission Representations and Delegations, and governments online. It also links to IDEA, the electronic directory of the EU institutions at http://europa.eu.int/idea/en/index.htm. To go directly to the official information networks worldwide, you can also select “Europe at your fingertips” (URL: http://europa.eu.int/comm/relays/index_en.htm) from the “Information Sources” link on the Europa home page. An explanation of the function of each network is given together with full contact details of all members and direct links where available. The section “How to find information on Europa” is an excellent starting point for a wide range of material from access to documents (linking to the registers of the Commission, Council and Parliament) and audiovisual material to funding, maps, official documents and publications, public procurement, speakers, terminology and visits. Two headings have particular relevance for information professionals. The section “Bibliographic/Documentary References” has links to a useful collection of bibliographic and archive sources. Even more helpful though is the “Databases” heading which offers a list of links to some seventy official databases arranged either by subject or in alphabetical order. The list is by no means comprehensive - as new databases seem to sprout up on a regular basis this would be difficult - and some of those listed are strictly speaking not really full-blown searchable databases. Nevertheless this is a good starting point to try to track down some of the less well known sources that may provide just that bit of information you are hunting for. Bookmark http://europa.eu.int/geninfo/info/guide/dbsubject/index_en.htm for those awkward enquiries, though you will still need to add your own favourite addresses that have not made the list. “Your voice in Europe” is part of the Commission's interactive policy-making initiative. It enables citizens to put forwards their ideas, comments and criticisms in a variety of ways. To that end the site gathers together a number of different access routes including public opinion polls, complaints procedure, discussion, consultation and links to other feedback mechanisms. Citizens can participate in on-line chats, discussion fora and debates. Current issues for example range from the debate on the future of Europe to bank charges on cross-border payments. The consultation section allows individuals to contribute to the formation of policy by giving their views on topics under consideration, e.g. the follow-up Communication to the Green Paper on Consumer protection. The complaints procedure section gives details of the process and makes available the forms which can be submitted on-line. Further links direct users for example to the European Ombudsman site and to information on submitting a petition to the European Parliament. Overall these pages now offer a much clearer and more logical approach to identifying information sources on Europa. Not only is the presentation much improved, the content too has been considerably expanded and updated making this a very welcome development. Upgrade of the European Information Network web site A number of changes have been made to the European Information Network web site of the European Commission Representation in the UK at http://www.europe.org.uk/. There is now a text-only version which will work with speech browsers and a number of adjustments have been made to the graphic version so that the site is now optimised for the disabled and complies with Priorities 1, 2 and 3 of the Web Accessibility Initiative. The right sidebar has been redesigned and now includes a new, more sophisticated map. By clicking on the appropriate section of the national map, you will be taken to the relevant regional map and home page. You can zoom in to areas of the regional map to identify information providers in a particular town. The e-mail addresses and URLs of contacts generated within maps are now functioning hyperlinks. Regional webmasters also now have the capability to add new locations to the maps where necessary. The search system too has received attention. Clicking on Search in the top menu bar brings up additional options, including the possibility of selecting only official information providers in a contacts search. Changes have been made too to the standard subject categories list to make them more helpful. As well as the public face of the site, there is also a Private Network for registered information providers. The right sidebar provides a password controlled direct link. Improvements have been made here too. Members can now register two different e-mail addresses, one for use by the public and another for use in network communications. The Discussion Board can be viewed in a variety of groupings and will show the number of messages in a discussion. When you click on a contributor's name, brief details of the person appear. Discussion members can also be notified automatically be e-mail of any additions to the discussion. The European Commission Information Support Unit also monitors and contributes to the discussion. Knowledge Base is a new section which operates in a similar way to FAQs. It is intended not for complex questions but as a source of answers to simple queries, to which extranet members can refer. Network members can also submit questions to the webmasters who can add items. Though it will take some time to build up this area, it has the potential to offer another means of support to information providers. Citizens Signpost Service and SOLVIT Centres Two new services have been set up as part of the Commission's Dialogue with Citizens and Dialogue with Business initiative to improve awareness about people's rights in the European internal market and to ensure that these rights are not denied. The Citizens Signpost Service is provided by a team of multilingual legal experts who aim to respond within three days with practical advice on issues such as social security benefits, recognition of qualifications, tax status or residence rights. Enquirers may be directed if necessary to sources of further help at a local, national or European level. The service can be contacted through the web site at http://europa.eu.int/citizensrights/signpost/front_end/signpost_en.htm or via the Europe Direct Call Centre freephone number 00800-6789-1011 available to all 15 member states. The network of SOLVIT Centres has been established to counter the misapplication of EC law by public authorities and is open to both businesses and individuals. In cross-border problems, the complaint can be made either in the member state of the complainant or in the country where the problem has arisen. It is however the responsibility of the SOLVIT Centre in the country where the problem exists to resolve the issue. A timescale of ten weeks has been laid down in which to find a solution. The UK's SOLVIT contact is: Olutayo Peters For details of the SOLVIT Centres in other member states and EEA countries, see the SOLVIT web site at http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/solvit/index_en.htm. The site also has a restricted area aimed at government or EU officials where details can be found of government department contacts in all areas of internal market legislation in EEA and candidate countries. Travelling in Europe 2002 It is the summer holiday season and this is reflected in the Travelling in Europe 2002 web site at http://europa.eu.int/abc/travel/index_en.htm which gives practical information on holidaying in another EU member state. Everything from healthcare, money and shopping to travel documents, driving and taking your pet is covered here with the latest updated information. Worth a quick check before you set off - and enjoy your break! CORDIS Wire pilot CORDIS is piloting a new information service designed to allow the research and business community to promote their innovation activities. CORDIS Wire will make available press releases submitted to it by a range of contributors including government bodies, research agencies and SMEs in the EU and candidate countries. It is expected to cover events, case studies, research results and success stories. There is an embargoed section for registered journalists, which aims to help contributors get their stories into the media at a local, national or international level. Contributors and journalists can register online; searchers do not need to register to use the service. There is a quick search option on the home page with the additional possibilities of retrieving releases of the last 5 days or going to a detailed search screen. The detailed search allows users to specify a number of parameters by selecting from menus. Further enhancements to the service, such as an e-mail alert service, are planned. The pilot service is not yet an option on the CORDIS home page but can be found by entering the URL http://www.cordis.lu/wire/. Alternatively you can go straight to the search page at http://dbs.cordis.lu/CORDISwire/SearchForm.htm LAWTEL mergers database LAWTEL has been working on its mergers database, part of its LAWTEL EU suite of databases, and the new version is now live. It has been designed to enable a simple search for all 1990- merger decisions or information about the status of notified mergers and offers the full text of the decisions. All documents relating to a merger are brought together in one record, including for example interim statements and applications to the Court for the annulment of decisions. When LAWTEL began work on this area, it was addressing the needs of frustrated users who had struggled to find the information on the web site of DG Competition where the texts of recent decisions were posted but were also removed after a short period. Nor was there any guarantee that the information on the site was comprehensive. However more recently the DG Competition web site has improved considerably and it now offers the text of decisions from 1990. To explore its content go to http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/mergers/cases/. For more information or a trial of the LAWTEL service, visit their website at http://www.lawtel.com or telephone +44-(0)20-7970-4818. European Report Daily The Brussels based Europe Information Service (EIS) now offers the option of subscribing to its highly regarded current awareness service in an electronic version only. The EISprint service includes the twice weekly print publication European Report and other regular bulletins plus copies of key original EU documents. In contrast the EISnet service is an online service available at http://www.eisnet.be/ which includes around 100,000 articles from 1996 to date. It offers access to the content of the EIS bulletins ahead of the print publication. European Report Daily, the online version of the printed European Report, is updated every evening. Also included are the Official Journal and a constantly updated events calendar. The content is searchable in a number of different ways and users can customise their accounts, for example, to set up alerts when a new online bulletin appears or when certain types of information are added. The utilities functions include translation tools and currency exchange conversions. The basic rate for access to European Report Daily is 1000 euro for a single user plus 150 euro for an additional user. However EIS is offering a special discounted deal of 700 euro plus 100 euro respectively for new subscriptions taken out before the end of September 2002. For more information and a detailed explanation of the subscription options visit the EIS web site at http://www.eis.be/ or contact: Europe Information Service Avenue Adolphe Lacomblé 66-68 |
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| Subject Categories | Culture, Education and Research |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
