European Single Access Point (ESAP)

Key points:

The EESC :

• supports the European single access point (ESAP), which is a tool that is contributing to a more sustainable, digital and inclusive economy, to strengthening digital sovereignty, and to a better integration of capital markets;
• considers that the ESAP should be more ambitious and that more added value should be created by processing the information instead of being only an information tool for gathering raw information with a single access point. The aggregation and transformation of data and of sectoral and territorial reports and analyses should be delivered through the ESAP;
• suggests that the ESAP should be built as a flexible tool and that it should be possible to add new data categories and to communicate with national registers or Eurostat, taking into account different types of technologies. The ESAP should provide a clear synergy between the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Green Deal indicators;
• encourages to take into account the establishment of an advisory board that includes civil society and social partners. This board will decide about the future of the ESAP and strategic changes;
• emphasizes the importance of reducing "white zones" to ensure access to ESAP without discrimination. The ESAP should also allow functionalities to enable persons with disabilities to benefit from proper accessibility without discrimination;
• suggests that it is very important to ensure standard procedures, transparency, data integrity and the credibility of the source of information, user-friendly automatic data validation, and proper control of the collection body for data protection. Proper and adequate supervision of financial and ESG data providers will be important in the near future;
• indicates that it should be considered to subsidise the cost of gathering, generating and managing data for SMEs, while exempting them from fees and ensuring proper working conditions for those responsible for providing and managing data;
• suggests that the ESAP should ensure a clear distinction between, and give the same level of importance to, financial and non-financial data, and offer the possibility, on a voluntary basis, of publishing social data;
• considers that a dedicated helpdesk is needed to assist with submitting the information in the correct format and ensuring that it is technically usable, and that training in financial and digital literacy are also required. A minimum set of economic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), defined at EU level with common methodology, could be inserted into the ESAP to ensure better and broader usage.