Eurosparks Two

During 2008 the SPARKS Programme bid for further EU funding for a new project, Eurosparks Two.  It aimed to:

• Develop an efficient process model for collection of financial penalties across national borders
• Identify obstacles preventing widespread adoption of the new process
• Make recommendations to EU institutions and wider stakeholders for innovation in administrative debt recovery.

The process was to build on best practice in penalty collection and other types of debt recovery within member states and take into account existing EU models for debt collection.

Eurosparks Two would include:

• Quantitative research into the number and value of traffic penalties issued to foreign registered vehicles in other member states across Europe
• A study to identify national enforcement methods in European member states for commercial, administrative, civil and criminal claims across Europe – both national and EU-wide remedies and processes
• Working groups to define the needs of Stakeholders, both clients such as local authorities and motorists who are on the receiving end of enforcement action
• Process design work, bringing together the outputs from earlier work in the project and mapping out some new proposed processes for cross-border traffic penalty recovery
• Dissemination of the project recommendations via a web site, a report and a final conference in Brussels.

Transport for London (TfL) lead the bid, supported by a range of partners from across Europe including local authorities, lawyers, bailiffs and motoring organisations.

Unfortunately the Eurosparks Two bid was not successful. During 2009 the SPARKS Network (the successor to the SPARKS Programme) will continue to look for funding opportunities.