E3Net provides easy, rapid and complete access to government information
By providing the maximum number of users with easy and organised access to information produced by government services, the E3Net project will facilitate relations between government and citizens or businesses, and provide easy, rapid and complete answers at the same time. E3Net (European Economic Exchange Network) is one of the projects selected from the INFO2000 programme's 1997 call for proposals for "exploiting Europe's public sector information". It aims to develop a network for automatic exchange of information produced by European governments' economic and financial services. The project will initially focus on information relating to business creation and consumer protection. Information on those two fields held in the participating countries (France, Spain and the United Kingdom) will be collected, pooled and made available to users through an Internet-based service. The site will offer a multilingual one stop shop to the European economic and financial world. Referring to consumer protection and business creation, the following will become available: - A practical space: assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and consumers, calls for tender, etc.; - The latest publications: reports on industrial property rights, patents, etc.; - Theme-based files which can be downloaded: innovative SMEs, certification procedures, forms of assistance available to SMEs, etc. In addition to its informative role, gathering and sharing know-how of partners, the E3Net project also aims to provide an innovative contribution to the development of changes and expertise in Europe, in order to improve the competitiveness of the business community and to foster citizenship. In doing so, it will contribute from an economic angle to the emergence and growth of the European Information Society. In the long term E3Net will extend its approach to other areas and other Member States.