CIRCA
Communication & Information Resource Centre Administrator
Welcome visitor! [ About ] The Interest Groups that are presented in the following table are accessible to you. The authorization is granted through a username and a password which are requested by the system when you click on a specific interest group. In order to become a member (i.e. obtain a username and a password) you should read the information supplied for each interest group and then follow the subscription instructions. The information is available by clicking on the information icon (i) located on the right side of each interest group name.

[ You have public access to the following groups: ]
Public Access
Group   Description
Automotive Industry Committees and Working Groups i This group contains working documents relating to the various Working Groups and Committee meetings organised by the Automotive Industry unit of DG Enterprise and Industry. The CIRCA group replaces the "Meetings" section of Automotive Industry web site (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/automotive/meetings.htm) Access to the group is free and does not require registration.
B2B Internet Platforms - Helping SME’s to participate in B2B Internet platforms i E-market places have emerged to facilitate transactions between enterprises. DG Enterprise has set up an expert group with the participation of business and industrial associations and e-marketplace operators, to discuss actual and potential barriers and to propose possible solutions in response of the needs of SME’s, the first meeting of which took place on the 13 November 2002 in Brussels. The expert group will elaborate a report, by July 2003, analysing the different issues at stake and issuing recommendations for actions at European level, in particular in support of self-regulation to enhance business trust and to facilitate the use of electronic transactions by SME’s.
Benchmarking business incubators i Establishing ‘headline’ benchmarks relating to the principal performance indicators in business incubators’ management and promotion and ‘operational’ benchmarks that will define the means to achieve the benchmarking performance.
Benchmarking the administration of business start-ups i Establishing ‘headline’ benchmarks relating to the time and cost involved in the administrative procedures for starting a company and ‘operational’ benchmarks and associated best practice relating to a wider set of actions that define the means to achieve the headline benchmarks.
Construction Benchmarking i

This site is intended for use by the public and participants in the European Construction Pilot Benchmarking Study.

The objectives of the study are to:

  • Demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of benchmarking
  • Select and define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Examine the feasibility of the collection and analysis of data at the individual enterprise level
  • Facilitate the comparison of performance
  • Determine best practice levels of performance
  • Provide the basis for a permanent system of benchmarking
Construction Industry meeting i testsite
Dangerous Substances i This side contains the database on dangerous substances in construction products. The data has been provided by the authorities of the EU Member States and EFTA countries.
EC accession to UN/ECE regulations in the area of vehicle approval i The UN/ECE regulations which concern the area of vehicle approval are regularly translated to the official EU languages and published in the Official Journal. Completed and published translations are accessible from the page http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/automotive/documents/unece/table/index_en.htm Completed translations which are currently awaiting publication are available in this CIRCA group. Access to the group is open to all and does not require registration.
ECANB i ECANB provides Internet-based support to the exchange of information within the coordination group of EMC Notified Bodies.
Ecodesign Directive – Working Group i Ecodesign Directive – Working Group
EcoDesign of Energy using Products (EuP) - Consultation Forum i The Ecodesign Consultation Forum is set up according to Article 18 of Directive 2005/32/EC. It is made up of Member States’ representatives and interested parties concerned with the product/product groups under the Directive, such as industry, including SMEs and craft industry, trade unions, traders, retailers, importers, environmental protection groups and consumer organisations. The aim of the Forum is to take stock of these parties opinions, contributing, in particular, to establishing and amending a working plan, to defining and reviewing implementing measures, to examining the effectiveness of the established market surveillance mechanisms, and to assessing voluntary agreements and other self‑regulation measures.
EOTA i EOTA Interest Group
Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs Network i The "Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs Network" is an informal group convening interested participants from national public administrations of the member states, candidate and EFTA countries. It deals with issues related to increasing the number of ethnic minority entrepreneurs and generally to raising the visibility of their existing and potential contribution to economic growth and the society at large.
European Business Organisations Worldwide i This interest group has been created between representatives of EU business associations in non-EU countries and specific Commission interest groups. The main objective of this group is to promote exchanges of views between these associations and their host countries; and to establish closer relationships between the Commission services and these organisations, raise awareness on EU policy priorities and activities, and to improve the basis for further development and implementation of EU policies.
European Enterprise Awards i The European Enterprise Awards, launched by the European Commission, recognise and reward outstanding initiatives that support entrepreneurship at regional level. The awards, which will be launched in 2006, are not only a competition; they also aim to raise public awareness of the positive aspect of enterprise activities and to celebrate entrepreneurial success in developing Europe’s economy. Each year, pan-European award winners will be identified and will serve as inspiration for others. The geographical scope of the competition spans the 25 Member States of the European Union as well as Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, Romania and Turkey.
Expert Group on Electronic Invoicing (e-Invoicing) i The Group shall generally assist the Commission in the development and monitoring of progress towards an agreed strategy for the creation of a European e-Invoicing Framework. The Group will identify shortcomings in the regulatory framework for e-Invoicing, identify e-Invoicing business requirements, identify relevant e-Invoicing data elements, propose responsibilities to be assigned to standardisation bodies and propose the European e-Invoicing Framework.
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) i No description available for Interest Group 'gmes'
High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain i The High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain is a high level expert group which assists the Commission with the development of industrial policy in the agro-food sector. Its mandate is to follow the recommendations of the High Level Group on the Competitiveness of the Agro-Food Industry established by Commission Decision 2008/359/EC on the one hand and, on the other hand, the implementation of the initiatives proposed by the Commission in its Communication 'A better functioning food supply chain in Europe'. The High Level Forum is composed of Ministers from Member States, companies and trade associations of the agriculture, food and commerce sectors, and non-governmental organisations. The High Level Forum Circa site is intended as a portal through which the preparatory documents, summary records of the meetings and other documentation relating to the work of the High Level Forum may be disseminated to the members of the Sherpa group.
ICT Skills Monitoring Group i The objective of the ICT Skills Monitoring Group, made up of representatives from the Member States, is to prepare a report of ICT and e-business skills requirements and national policy initiatives and to draw up recommendations. Special emphasis shall be given to the requirements of European enterprises as regards acquiring the necessary professional expertise in the field of ICT and e-business. The analysis will therefore focus on the effects of the ICT and e-business skills shortage on the competitiveness of industry, including traditional sectors, paying particular attention to the needs of SMEs.
ICT Standardisation Policy i ICT Standardisation Committee group
Non-ferrous metals Competitiveness Group i The overall objective of this group is to contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the non-ferrous metals industries in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Its purpose is to enable a frequent exchange of views on competitiveness and knowledge-building in the industry in Europe, and to act as an instrument to accelerate the two-way flow of information between the industry and the Commission services. Membership of the group comprises DG Enterprise, Eurometaux and industry.
PED - WORKSHOPS in Pressure Equipment i This group is a platform to exchange documents related to workshops, conferences, lectures organised by or in cooperation with the pressure sector of EUROPEAN COMMISSION-Enterprise & Industry Directorate General - Directorate:New Approach Industries, Tourism and CSR- Unit I5 : Construction and Pressure Equipment
Preparatory work for future legislation on growing media, soil improvers and organo and organo-mineral fertilisers i This Circa website intends to collect and sort out all the information received by DG ENTR in the frame of the preparatory work concerning the harmonisation of the rules for the internal trade of growing media, soil improvers and organo-mineral fertilisers.
Process Pharma - Access to medicines in Europe i This platform of the Process on Corporate Responsibility in the field of Pharmaceuticals will be dedicated to enhance collaboration in order to find common non-regulatory approaches to ensure timely and equitable access to medicines after their marketing authorisation.
Published noise data notified under Directive 2000/14/EC i This CIRCA folder contains copies of the EC declarations of conformity (DoCs) which have been notified to the Commission services by equipment manufacturers in accordance with article 16.1 of Directive 2000/14/EC. Note: equipment manufacturers have the possibility and are incited to directly upload their DoCs in a noise database, the content of which is on-line available for consultation on the Europaserver @ http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/mechan_equipment/noise/citizen/app/ . The data of the DOCs uploaded in this CIRCA folder are therefore not included in the noise database.
Raw Materials Supply Group i The overall objective of this group is to enhance the sustainable competitiveness of the mining, quarrying and minerals industries. The group aims at exchanging information and to discuss ongoing issues on the sustainable competitiveness of the extractive industry. It involves the different stakeholders : Commission representatives, delegates from Member States and Candidate Countries, industry federations, trade unions and NGO's interested.
Space Cuttings i Newspaper and Magazine articles about Space, provided by newsnow.co.uk
TCAM CAPD i The group will discuss matters, related to Communicatins Access for People with Disabilities, that have been referred to the group by TCAM. Membership of the group is available by invitation to European organisations involved in communications and disability issues.
TCAM Committee i The TCAM (Telecommunications Conformity Assessment and Market Surveillance Committee) is the standing Committee assisting the Commission in the management of Directive 99/5/EC. This Interest Group was set-up to facilitate the exchange of documents between Member States and the Commission.
TCAM disabilities i The group has been established to ensure that mainstream telecommunications products are accessible to people with special needs. Several working groups have been established and can exchange documents using this site.
TRASYS i The purpose of this project is the creation of a CORDIS* Common Management System (CCMS), which will enable us to manage and monitor the interaction of our (future) CORDIS contractors - five lots. *) Community R&D Information Service
WLTP-DTP (World Light duty Test Procedures development groups) i This group has been established to facilitate the exchange of information between experts developing test procedures for th purpose of the WLTP process.