Internal market information system (IMI), a step towards european single labor market

The European Union strategies aims at making European economy more competitive, basing economic growth on knowledge and innovation but also on efficient and effective public services. By making it possible for people and goods to move freely across borders, the internal market has been able to generate economic growth while providing citizens with new opportunities to improve their quality of life. More and more citizens and businesses are making use of the European single market's freedoms which allow them to establish themselves in one of the Member State. In order to help people in their daily life when they want to extend their work or leisure activities beyond the borders of their own countries, public administrations should be able to overcome the “e-barriers” and find a way to exchange the necessary information and cooperate to deliver public services across borders. The internal market is one of the cornerstones of the European economy, assuring free movement of goods, services, persons and capital and providing benefits related to growth and jobs. In March 2006, Member States adopted a proposal to create Internal Market Information System - IMI electronic communication and information available in all EU Member States through a single interface to facilitate administrative cooperation fast, safe and direct between the Member States for effective implementation of internal market legislation. Being designed to support all the official languages of the European Union, IMI System overcomes important practical barriers, such as administrative and working cultures, different languages and the lack of clearly identified partners in other Member States. Its objective is to reduce administrative burdens and to meet the need for communication and information between national authorities in the area of recognition of qualifications, needed to find a job in another Member State, facilitating free movement of workers within the Community.