Citizens Signpost Service

In 1996, ECAS a fost contractat pentru serviciul de informare Citizen Signpost Service (CSS). Acest serviciu a fost dezvoltat in baza licitatiei lansate de Comisia Europeana pentru solutionarea problemelor legate de libera circulatie a persoanelor in cadrul pietei commune. Primul contract al ECAS a fost facut pentru 1996-1999 (acoperind cele 12 state membre ale UE), fiind extins in 2003-2006 pentru a acoperi Europa celor 25. In acest moment, ECAS detine administrarea Citizens Signpost Service pana in anul 2011.

 

ECAS este responsabil pentru managementul grupului de experti juridici si al infrastructurii serviciului de informare. Concentrat in mod special pe rezolvarea problemelor, serviciul de informare si consiliere din domeniul liberei circulatii a persoanelor in cadrul pietei comune (CSS) se afla la al 12-lea an de existenta. CSS este un serviciu consolidat: verificarile lunare asupra conformitatii calitative si tehnice a serviciului facute prin intermediul rapoartelor de evaluare ofera siguranta transparentei si eficientei sistemului de informare.

 

Numarul solicitantilor serviciului se afla intr-o continua crestere. In cursul anului 2007, serviciul de informare a inregistrat aproximativ 10.000 de beneficiari. In baza experientei deja castigate, ECAS si-a extins serviciul catre cele 27 state membre, acoperind 23 de limbi europene si mentinand, in acelasi timp, standardele de calitate in oferirea de servicii de informare. Chiar daca intrebarile cetatenilor au devenit din ce in ce mai specifice si mai complexe, echipa expertilor ECAS si-a extins aria de resurse de informare prin acces la legislatie si la deciziile Curtii Europene de Justitie. Echipa de management a CSS are un sistem consolidat de recrutare si verificare a calitatii serviciului. CSS este printre singurele servicii de informare la nivel european care se bazeaza in mod special pe criterii de calitate si specificitate a intrebarilor, intrebarile cu caracter general fiind preluate de serviciul Europe Direct.

 

Odata raspunsurile formulate de catre experti, ele sunt redirectionate catre baza de date a CSS, astfel sistemul informational putand genera rapoarte statistice bazate pe problematicile ridicate de catre Cetateni. Cel mai recent dintre rapoartele CSS se constituie intr-o analiza comprehensiva a problemelor cu care cetatatenii se confrunta relativ la directiva Comisiei 38/2004 si legislatiei din domeniul coordonarii sistemului de asigurari sociale si recunoastere a calificarilor profesionale.

 

Este important de  mentionat faptul ca echipa expertilor CSS lucreaza independent de Comisia Europeana, neexistand conflicte de interese in acest sens. Serviciul CSS nu este mandatat in a urmari masura in care se rezolva problemele cetatenilor la nivel national, nici nu poate intra in contact cu autoritatile nationale in numele cetateanului.

 

Citizens Signpost Service

 

In 1996, ECAS became involved as the first contractor in running the Citizens Signpost Service (CSS).  This service has been developed in answer to the Commission’s open call for tender to answer citizens’ queries concerning free movement of people on the internal market. The first tender covered the years 1996-1999 and EU-15, later it was extended for years 2003-2006 to cover EU-25 and last year ECAS was granted the tender for the years 2007-2011.

 

ECAS is the sole contractor and coordinator responsible for the overall management of the group of legal experts and the technical environment of their service. The objective of free and reliable information-advice-problem solving service related to free movement of people on the internal market has been thus pursued over last twelve years. The service is now well developed: the monthly quality checks on contents and the examination of technical quality in the monthly feedback reports provide an assurance for ECAS and the Commission that the project is run in a transparent and efficient manner.

 

The number of questions has been ever increasing and over the last year alone, the service has dealt with some 10,000 questions. On the basis of the experience already gained and a core team which has been involved from the start, it was not too difficult to expand this operation with enlargement to 27 countries and 23 languages, whilst still maintaining the same high standard of quality. This is because although citizen’s questions have got more specific and detailed, the people replying to the questions have greater access to legislation and the Court judgments. The management team has developed a particularly rigorous recruitment and quality control system.  The CSS is one of the few European information and advice services to be run on strict quality criteria in terms of the type of questions which are eligible, those which are not, (easier questions being answered by Europe Direct).

 

Once replies are completed they are forwarded to the CSS data base and on this basis, the team produces feedback reports. The most recent of these reports is a lengthy and detailed analysis of the problems experienced by citizens in the areas covered by directive 38/2004/EC and horizontal legislation to which it is often closely related on the coordination of social security and the recognition of professional qualifications.

 

It is important to point out that the team works independently of the Commission and its advice can in no way commit the Institution.  Nor is there any conflict of interest or overlap with the current call for proposals.  The service “signposts” does not have a mandate to follow-up inquiries with national authorities or enter into contact with them on behalf of the citizen.

ECAS si experienta informarii pe teme europene

ECAS a fost infiintat in anul 1990. Misiunea ECAS este de a sprijini sectorul neguvernamental si cetatenii in demersul lor de a-si face vocea auzita la nivel european, oferind sprijin in activitati de lobby, fundraising si in campanii de promovare a drepturilor corelate cetateniei europene.

 

Activitatea ECAS este trasata de trei mari obiective:

 

–        Sustinerea drepului la libera circulatie in spatiul European si promovarea conceptului de cetatenie europeana

–        Consolidarea strategiei europene cu privire la sectorul neguvernamentat din tarile membre si cele candidate

–        Promovarea unui demers de transparentizare, comunicare si reforma la nivel de institutii europene.

 

Odata cu extinderea UE din 2004, primele doua obiective ale ECAS au fost sustinute de parteneriate pe proiecte cu reprezentanti din tarile Europei Centrale si de Est. Extinderea UE a facut ca problematica liberei circulatii in spatiul comunitar sa devina o tema importanta pentru forumurile cetatenesti organizate de ECAS.

 

Anul 2006 – Anul European al mobilitatii lucratorilor a oferit premizele pentru ECAS in a-si consolida expertiza. Acesta a pus ECAS in contact cu numeroase structuri asociative si institutii publice active in domeniul liberei circulatii a lucratorilor. In mod particular, intr-o conferinta organizata in 2007, ECAS a reusit sa mobilizeze un grup inter-disciplinar de experti, oferind un set de recomandari generale de politici in domeniul liberei circulatii. Conferinta a facut parte din proiectul pe care ECAS l-a implementat in anul dedicat mobilitatii lucrtaorilor.

 

In acest an, ECAS este angajat in promovarea de parteneriate in cadrul Programului PROGRESS al Comisiei Europene care si-a inceput activitatea in aprilie 2008. Proiectul ECAS acopera patru regiuni europene si incearca sa testeze ideea instiuirii unui serviciu de informare de tipul one-stop-shop pentru lucratorii migranti, cat si constituirea de parteneriate pentru lucratorii aflati in situatii sociale dificile si care sunt supusi riscurilor excluziunii sociale.

ECAS’s Experience in EU-related Information

 

ECAS was created in 1990, its mission is to enable NGOs and individuals to make their voice heard within the EU by providing advice on how to lobby, fundraise, and defend European citizenship rights. ECAS has three main objectives, which entail numerous projects:

 

–        Defending free movement rights and promoting a more inclusive European citizenship.

–        Strengthening the European strategy of NGOs in Member and applicant States of the EU.

–        Campaigning for improved transparency, communication and reforms of the EU Institutions.

 

Along with the 2004 enlargement the first and second objectives started to come together as ECAS’ expertise on free movement made it a natural Brussels-based partner in a number of projects with partners from Central and Eastern Europe. The eastern enlargement has meant that free movement of workers has become a major theme for the citizens’ advice forums, regularly convened by ECAS.

 

In 2006, the emphasis on the European Year of Workers’ Mobility also increased ECAS participation and expertise. The European Year brought ECAS in contact with a wider range of non-governmental, public and semi-public organisations active in free movement.  Particularly through the closing event of the Year and a multi-stakeholder conference organised by ECAS in March 2007, ECAS succeeded to bring together different strands of work in the area of free movement of people in an overall policy statement and set of recommendations. The multi-stakeholder conference was organised in the framework of the project that ECAS ran the European Commission during the Year of Workers’ Mobility.

 

This Year enabled ECAS to form a new strategic alliance of partners and make a successful project proposal under PROGRESS programme of the European Commission that have just started its operations (April 2008). This project covers four European regions and tests the idea of a one-stop shop for migrant workers as well as public-private partnerships in practice – focusing on migrants in precarious social situations and therefore risking social exclusion.

 

 

La taifas, despre Afaceri Europene!

Comisia Europeana, Parlamentul European, comisari, codecizie etc. Toate acestea sunt cateva bucati din “dialectul european”. Noi, adica ANBCC (Asociatia Nationala a Birourilor de Consiliere pentru Cetateni – www.robcc.ro), va invitam aici sa povestim despre Uniune.

 

Asadar, draga blogosfera, hai sa povestim despre Europa!

 

Avem si cu cine. Partenerii nostri de la ECAS (European Citizen Action Service – www.ecas.org) ne sprijina in demersul nostru de a aduce informatia europeana mai aproape de cetateni. Ei vor vorbi in limba engleza, noi vom traduce in limba romana, voi postati in romana sau engleza, dupa plac!

 

Mai precis, gasim subiecte, postam comentarii, raspundem la intrebari… facem aproximativ orice, in limita posibilitatilor.

 

Cine suntem noi? ANBCC este un ONG din Romania. Are o retea prin intermediul careia face informare si consiliere pentru cetateni si le spune cum sta treaba cu legile si reglementarile din Romania.

 

Cine sunt partenerii nostri? ECAS este un ONG de la Bruxelles specializat in aducerea problematicii UE mai aproape de cetateni. In plus, ECAS administreaza serviciul de informare europeana „Citizens Signpost Service”

(http://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/front_end/index_en.htm).

 

Ce facem aici? Incercam sa construim dezbateri despre problematica UE.