The European Parliament on Thursday, said EU citizens moving to another member state will no longer have to go through the cumbersome and costly process of having public documents translated and certified.
According to the European Commission, about 13 million EU citizens live in member states other than their own.
“A common complaint relates to the costs and the bureaucratic hurdles involved in processing paperwork across borders.
“From 2019, when the rules will apply fully, documents such as birth or marriage certificates issued by one member state must be accepted as authentic by another.
“Multilingual forms will be available in place of certified translations,’’ the commission said.
According to EU lawmaker Mady Delvaux, who shepherded the reform through parliament, the vote marks a first step towards reducing bureaucratic hurdles for EU citizens living in another member state.
“However, the new rules do not cover documents such as university diplomas or disability certificates.
“These could be included in two years’ time, after a review of the system.
“This text is the first step in a long process,’’ Delvaux added.
EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova welcomed Thursday’s vote, and said the new rules would help people move easily across the EU.
Jourova said to protect against fraud, under the new system, authorities would be able to check the authenticity of public documents with the country that issued them.
Report says the new rules will also cover death certificates, registered partnerships, proof of domicile and documents confirming the absence of a criminal record. (dpa/NAN)
