The European Parliament in Brussels hosted the “Digital Transformation of Business Enterprises and Legal Security” Forum held under the auspices of the European Parliament last Tuesday. Juan Fernando Lopez AguilarChairman of the Civil Rights, Justice and Home Affairs Commission, Organized by Registrars of Spaintogether with the media Here is Europe and Channel Europe, and where it is analyzed The way forward in the world of Trade Registers to guarantee digitalization with all legal certainty and leaving no one behind.
The digitization of Spanish Business Registers, driven by the pandemic but with a long history behind it, has attracted the attention of national and European institutions for years. This interest was transferred to Brussels, which coincided with the presentation of the European Commission’s proposal for the Companies Act directive on digital transformation and the creation of commercial companies in the EU. Its aim is to facilitate business activities in the common European space through the most efficient use of digital tools.
Jesús González Mateos, director of Aquí Europa and Canal Europawas responsible for leading the conference and underlined the need to discuss the major technological change since the launch of the European Commission program, the Digital Decade nearly three years ago, and the main challenges or challenges that companies and Registries may face. come across.
Session opened by Mª Emilia Adán García, Dean of the Spanish Registry CollegeHe recalled the public service status of registries, which guarantees that “the entire legal life of companies revolves around the Trade Registry”. In his speech, he stated that the Trade Registry is one of the most important parts of the European and national regulation of commercial companies; It facilitates the commercial law traffic and provides legal security with the legality check performed by the registry officers.
Saying that digitalization will not reduce the quality of service, Adán demanded that “trust in legal certainty, interconnection and digitalization of corporate life” should continue. He further stated that the European legislator has the competence and interest in harmonizing company law as a means of unifying the European internal market and facilitating the freedom of establishment of commercial companies, stating that “no standards should be lowered on the basis of European standards, because society requires higher standards of legal certainty every time. demands”.
Then the General Manager, European Commission Legal Service, Daniel Calleja, Pointing to the compliance of the law due to the situation we find ourselves in in a Europe of change and evolution, and pointing out that one of the Community Manager’s challenges is to provide digital skills to at least 80% of the population.
the importance of digitalization
One of the Commission’s main lines of business is digitalisation, and it needs to be regulated so that the single market can expand and improve the competitiveness of European companies. With a European regulation on this issue, the EU will be able to impose a certain global framework in accordance with our values. This has been one of the main lines of business and much remains to be done, but without losing the legal certainty that is always responsible for the Business Registers.
Calleja assured that “Europe can move forward with confidence if we manage to adapt the framework to the Registry’s needs”.
In addition, he noted the ambitious goals of digital tools reform, which is to increase transparency through access to information, strengthen competitiveness and remove barriers and administrative barriers, and the one-time principle of European Union company certification. or removal of the apostille and exemption from certain translation requirements.
Ana del Valle, board member of the European Trade Registry AssociationHe argued that the intervening association had “fully digitized the Registry” and recalled that “Trade Registries are simultaneously working on the BRIS system and on the full implementation of European directives”. The representative of European trade registrars highlighted the challenges posed by digitalisation, but underlined how the quality work of trade registrars would serve to improve digitalisation.
discussion table
The central point of the forum was the discussion table they attended. Ana Gallego TorresEuropean Commission Director-General for Justice and Consumers; Lola VillasCoordination Advisor to Justice of Spain’s Permanent Representation to the European Union and Members of the European Parliament Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Juan Ignacio ZoidoChairman and member of the Civil Rights, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, respectively.
Closing of the conference Enrique Maside Páramo, Member of European Affairs of the Spanish Registrar’s CollegeThe high case, which was responsible for forming the conclusions of the main ideas raised during the forum revolving around the need to combine legal security with digitization, the importance of registry quality and the importance of registry legality check as a prevention tool.