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Authority Name and Description Fields

08/04/2009

Three fields must be completed in the description of an authority (quoting from Bulletin 1):

Authority Name: is the appropriate place to enter the original name of the unit (in any language – even unofficial languages for the Commission -) and it is a field that is not translated. It is not expected to be particularly useful in the location of authorities, as the official name (e.g. “Sub-directorate General of …”, or “Department of …”) does not necessarily clarify the role of the authority within IMI.

Informal Title: This is translated (it should be entered in Spanish so that the Commission may translate it) and it aims to give a brief description that is more useful than the official name in relation to the authority’s functions.

Authority Description: This enables a more detailed description to be given (in Spanish, as it is translated) than is possible via the “informal title”.

Anyhow, it is needed to take into account that, in authority searches, the list obtained (unless we decide to open the details of a specific authority) only displays the “Name” and “informal title” fields, in addition to the status and type of authority or coordinator in each legislative area (Directive). Therefore, it is advisable to clarify the scope of the authority within the system in the brief description (‘informal title’) as the “detailed description” is not available in the list of authorities found as a result of a search. This information is only available when viewing the details of an authority. For example, we recommend the explicit inclusion of the competent authorities for Professional Qualifications in the informal description of the profession (and the region for foreign authorities). When the system enhances its search options and presentation of results, this recommendation may be ignored, but at present, failure to apply it hinders the identification of the correct authority from the list displayed.