Developments in European information issues: Networks and relays – Services – Products, September 2002

EP Citizens' Portal

As part of the European Union's move towards the delivery of public services through the Internet, the European Parliament has launched a new Citizens' Portal at http://www.europarl.eu.int/opengov/default_en.htm. The aim is to develop an interactive service, offering not just passive information or push technology but a way in which the citizen can genuinely interact with the institutions. This new portal is a step towards that goal. It brings together such features as access to the European Parliament's register of documents with links to the Council and the Commission's registers; access to official documents, and search help and FAQ facilities. Additionally however it includes a mailbox through which the citizen can put questions, requests for information and suggestions to the EP; a route to submit petitions to the EP online and to make complaints to the European Ombudsman. Explanations of each item on the menu are displayed by using the mouse rollover. While these options were previously available, there was no one simple access route. Bringing them together under one portal makes is easier for the citizen to approach the European Parliament directly.

CORDIS Express

CORDIS has produced a new free weekly newsletter online to provide an update on developments in research and innovation plus information about new services. Interested readers will be able to subscribe online to receive a copy by e-mail. Alternatively it can be consulted at http://www.cordis.lu/express. The aim is to offer users a quick overview with the opportunity to link to additional relevant information if required. The first issue has now been launched and it is expected that users will be able to subscribe to the e-mail service from the end of September.

MyCORDIS

Confused by the wealth of data on the CORDIS web site? Frustrated by having to sift through irrelevant material to find what you need? You can now customise CORDIS to display only the information you want and you can include links to pages both inside and outside CORDIS. To use the MyCORDIS interface users need to register first but the process is immediate and free of charge. You can then select the services or pages that you use most frequently and add them to your personal customised homepage - e.g. the databases search screen, the RAPIDUS service, selected FP6 web pages or specific news items. It is simple to add or delete items at any time to modify your page. Visit http://www.cordis.lu/mycordis to take advantage of the new facility.