Last update: 01/2004
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What is CIRCA-IDES
Objectives
How does it work?
Achievements
Who benefits?
The role of IDA
Technical information
What is CIRCA-IDES?
CIRCA-IDES provides the software tool through which Member State administrations can share knowledge, resources and data with DG Agriculture of the European Commission in a secure environment. By using CIRCA-IDES, DG Agriculture provides a facility for the distribution of standardised information to and from EU Member States.
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Objectives
The IDES system (currently known as NewIDES since its new version was developed in 2001), aims to facilitate and promote effective cooperation between DG Agriculture and EU Member States. Its automatic data reception, validation and dispatching function allows relevant information to reach the correct service securely and more speedily than in the past. For instance DG Agriculture Unit C4 (Fruits and Vegetables) received approximately 5,000 data files during 2002.
IDES is capable of processing several types of data originating from Member States and relating to the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy). It handles information from the fruit and vegetables, meat products, cereals and dairy produce sectors. In parallel, it manages marketing information (e.g. market prices, import and export licences, etc.).
The European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund's (EAGGF) monthly expense declarations are also processed by IDES.
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How does it work?
The IDES software package processes data files electronically transmitted from EU Member States to DG Agriculture in a watertight digital environment.
'Processing' the IDES way means:
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File originator and data type recognition;
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Basic data validation;
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Data transformation in cases where the file has not been sent in one of the three accepted data formats (X-400 - like, XML or CSV);
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Data delivery to the relevant Unit or service in DG Agriculture;
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Automatic forwarding of delivery receipt to the original sender.
The data files, which are text files following a predetermined format, can be transmitted via two channels. The first channel - which is primarily used for testing purposes only - is via simple e-mail (electronic mail box). The second and primary channel is via the Web Upload Secure Interface (WUSI) - a secure Internet application developed by DG Agriculture and accessible via their Applications portal (AWAI). WUSI is particularly encouraged since its security features are equivalent to those used by websites on which financial transactions are carried out, such as online banks and Internet shopping malls.
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Achievements
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Since IDES came fully online in mid-2001, it has established itself as the standard electronic data exchange tool used both by DG Agriculture and by public administrators across the EU Member States dealing with CAP;
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As a direct result, there has been a significant increase in the volume of electronic data transmission between the EU Member States and DG Agriculture;
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The quality and reliability of data has seen a sharp rise over the same time period;
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CIRCA has become the most frequently used electronic data dissemination tool in DG Agriculture.
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Who benefits?
Public Administrations: End users can be confident in the knowledge that their communications are confidential. State-of-the-art technology has been made sufficiently user friendly to add value to, rather than hamper, their work. CIRCA-IDES allows DG Agriculture to meet its objective of promoting and supporting better communication and information exchange between Member States and the European Commission on CAP issues.
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The role of IDA
IDA funded the development of the IDES system. The generic Web Upload Secure Interface (WUSI), interfaced with IDES, is also available through the TESTA network (IDA generic service). IDA has also delivered the CIRCA system, used by DG Agriculture since 1999 as the replacement for the previous partly IDA-financed dissemination tools specific to the agricultural sector.
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Technical information
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