EU Services Directive
Online Applications
Use the link below to make an online application:
http://www.ukwelcomes.businesslink.gov.uk/
1. The Directive was adopted by EU countries in December
2006. The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory
Reform is required to transpose its requirements into UK law and
practices before 28 December 2009.
2. The Directive aims at opening up the
European internal market to cross border trade in services by
making it easier for service providers to set up businesses or
offer services in other EU countries. It imposes a number of
requirements on all EU countries.
3. Whilst not being exhaustive, the
following are examples of services covered by the Directive:
- the activities of most of the regulated
professions (such as legal and fiscal advisers, architects,
engineers, accountants, surveyors)
- crafts people
- business-related services
(such as office maintenance, management consultancy,
- the organisation of events,
recovery of debts, advertising and recruitment services)
- services in the field of
tourism (such as the services of travel agencies)
- leisure services (such as
services provided by sports centres and amusement
- parks)
- building construction and
maintenance services
- services comprising the
installation and maintenance of industrial or commercial
- equipment
- information services (such
as web portals, news agency activities, publishing, computer
programming activities)
- accommodation and food
services (such as hotels, restaurants, catering services)
4. The Directive
applies to Local Authorities and includes Local Authority
Licensing. The Directive does however exempt certain services
including transport, and gambling activities. This means that
taxi and gambling licensing is exempted. Alcohol licensing is also
exempt although entertainment licensing is not. At this time Local
Authorities are awaiting further advice from the BIS on how
this anomaly will be managed.
5. With the exception
of the types of licensing that are exempt from the directive the
main effect on the Council’s Licensing Service is that we will need
to be able to provide the ability for all applicants of non
exempted licence types to make their applications online and for
the Council to be able to issue licences online.
6. The Council is
working hard to fulfil this requirement which involves major
changes to its website, links to the UK Welcomes website (through
which applications will be made) and connections to RBS Worldpay
who will facilitate the payment of fees on-line.
Associated links
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/eu-go/index_en.htm
