One basic idea of the Communication was to
combine in a single directory , the information on interest groups
which up to then had been dispersed throughout the Commission.
The directory is intended as a working tool, not
a means of accreditation. In January 1997 a first version was published
comprising more than 600 non-profit organizations working at Community
level and covering approximately 100 branches of activity. The information
is provided on a voluntary basis and the directory does not restrict
the access of Commission officials to interest groups but, on the
contrary increases their awareness of the importance of consulting
interest parties more systematically. It also raises the profile
of certain organizations that are less well known and therefore
less frequently consulted.
In 1999 an electronic version was created.
Since summer 2001 the directory has been
transferred to a more efficient database which allows the associations
to register and update their data "on line". This new
directory is called CONECCS (Consultation, the European Commission
and Civil Society) and includes approximately 700 associations.
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