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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 12.12.1997 
COM(97) 661 final 
97/0340 (COD) 
97/0341 (SYN) 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
concerning the evaluation of the IDA programme and a second phase 
of the IDA programme 
Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 
on a series of guidelines, including the identification of projects of 
common interest, for trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 
adopting a series of actions and measures in order to ensure 
interoperability of and access to trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 
(presented by the Commission) 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
concerning the evaluation of the IDA programme and a second phase of the 
IDA programme 
0. DEFINITIONS 
A telematic network is a comprehensive data communication system, comprising not 
only the physical infrastructure and connections, but also the service and application layers 
which are built on top of this infrastructure, thus enabling the interchange of information 
electronically between organizations and individuals. 
An IDA network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations established 
under the IDA programme. 
A sectoral network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations, devoted to 
the implementation or the administrative support of one particular Community policy or 
activity which is hereinafter referred to as an administrative sector. 
The Telematics between Administrations Committee (TAÇ) is the committee of 
Member State Representatives which assists the Commission with the implementation of 
the IDA programme and ensures coordination within and between Member States, and 
with the Commission. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The purpose of this Communication is to inform the Council of the results of an 
evaluation of the achievements of the existing IDA (Interchange of Data between 
Administrations) programme and, following the recommendations of the evaluators, to 
propose an extension of the programme for the future. The new programme described in 
this document will build on the strong foundation established during the past three years, 
whilst addressing the weaknesses which have been identified in the current programme. 
Following the Council resolution on coordination with regard to information exchange 
between administrations1, the Council decision adopting the three-year IDA programme2 
determined the Community contribution to certain projects in the field of telematic 
interchange of data between administrations with a view to facilitating cooperation 
between them. 
The IDA programme has already carried out the significant first steps to encourage 
administrations to interchange information electronically. IDA has opened up new 
possibilities for administrations to improve, at a European level, their overall transparency, 
efficiency and capacity to adjust more easily and rapidly to future change. 
In so doing, IDA has implemented a number of important trans-European networks in 
many different sectors. These systems facilitate the Community decision-making process, 
combat fraud, improve communication and understanding between Member States 
and between Member States and the Community institutions, and serve all 
European Agencies. 
1 Council Resolution of 20 June 1994, OJ C 181, 2.7.1994, p. 1. 
2 Council Decision 95/468/EC of 6 November 1995, OJ L 269, 11.11.1995, p. 23. 
2. FUTURE REQUIREMENTS AND DIRECTIONS 
2.1 The continuing need for IDA 
The tools and technologies which are used today in information technology will rapidly 
have become obsolete or have altered beyond recognition within a few years. The pace of 
technological change is only increasing, as evidenced by the astronomical growth in the 
use of the Internet over the past few years, and the wealth of new products and services 
which take advantage of this new facility arriving on the marketplace almost daily. The 
latest estimates forecast a huge increase in the use of the Internet and intranets by 
government organizations in the US, to almost ten times the current level within the next 
three years, according to a recent study by the Business Research Group. 
It is this changing environment and these recent developments, together with the need for 
European administrations to take best advantage of new technological opportunities when 
realizing the internal market, which make a new phase of the IDA programme essential. 
The use of the Internet and Internet-related technologies, although greatly facilitating the 
establishment of telematic networks and providing global connectivity, also create new 
problems. The initial implementation of a network has now become a relatively 
straightforward matter, but the issues associated with the administrative use of such 
network services, such as security and legal obstacles, and the requirement for 
interoperable solutions which satisfy multilingual and multicultural requirements, 
particularly at the application level, cannot be addressed on a sectoral basis but must be 
resolved by the Community. 
Furthermore, as costs decrease and new possibilities for using telematics become feasible, 
more and more communication will take place electronically, thus the need for an overall 
coordination to improve interoperability becomes ever more imperative. The nature of 
telematics is inherently global. However, achieving a situation where information flows 
seamlessly between European administrations, where new data flows can easily be 
established and new organizations can rapidly begin to communicate, will not happen by 
chance, but must be carefully ensured by design. 
The need for coordination at European level is not only a matter of interoperability, but 
also an issue of cost reduction and greater efficiency. The harmonized implementation of 
technical solutions should ultimately lead to lower costs throughout the entire telematic 
system life-cycle, from the development phase through to maintenance and operations, 
additionally facilitating the exchange of information between sectors and permitting 
economies of scale to be achieved. Both Member States and the European institutions 
stand to benefit equally from a more coherent technical approach, avoiding the need to 
install and support a multitude of different tools and products. 
A new phase of IDA should thus shift its focus from the development of network 
infrastructures to providing coordination and support to the various sectoral 
administrations, devoting increasing resources to those actions which make IDA networks 
easier to establish, better to use and maintain, cheaper, more efficient and, above all, more 
interoperable. IDA should be capable of providing guidance and assistance to 
administrations throughout the entire process of implementing telematic solutions, from 
the initial definition of requirements, the decisions concerning the appropriate technical 
solutions, the procurement of telematic services and products, the re-engineering of 
existing organizational practices, and the harmonization of information content, including 
the ultimate management of operational systems. 
For the foreseeable future, there will continue to be a need to implement telematic 
networks which provide an essential support mechanism for the administration of the 
internal market and Community policies. The activities which IDA will undertake on a 
horizontal level are not an end in themselves, they are there to serve a need. Their only 
goal is to assist in the implementation of sectoral networks, which are where the real 
benefits of using telematic networks are achieved. As stated previously, it is critical to 
ensure that trans-European telematic networks between administrations are coherent and 
consistent, both with each other, but also with national networks. This type of activity can 
only be achieved by action undertaken at a Community level, and will require the strong 
and continuing involvement of the sectors. The necessary coordination and cooperation 
between European institutions and Member State administrations must be ensured 
through a broad, comprehensive Community action, IDA 2. 
At the same time, IDA 2 will always demonstrate a strong concern for subsidiarity. IDA 
actions are designed to encourage interoperability whilst fully preserving individual 
Member State administrations' scope for action and freedom of choice. IDA can be most 
valuable if it is aware of national initiatives which have an impact on administrative 
telematic networks, but it will not seek to influence these activities but rather to ensure 
that international networks take best advantage of them. The role of IDA is to support the 
competent administration within each policy area and never to replace it. 
2.2 An enhanced programme: the impact of the midterm 
evaluation recommendations 
Further considerations relating to the objectives, strategy, and management of the new 
programme have been provided by the midterm evaluation of the current IDA programme, 
which was required by Article 6 of the Council Decision. The objective of this evaluation 
was to review all activities encompassed by the Decision, taking into account costs, 
benefits and return on investment. 
This evaluation was carried out by the Commission in accordance with the 
Member States, and assisted by independent evaluators. 
The evaluation has concluded that the first phase of IDA has been a valuable programme 
which has stimulated the development of trans-European telematics systems and fostered 
administrative cooperation among Member State administrations and EU institutions. 
A significant proportion of IDA projects are concerned with the provision of telematic 
applications for specific sectors. The projects which have been financed during the first 
phase of ID A are: 
Customs and taxation: VIES/Sites, Excises Control, Quota, Scent-CIS/Fiscal, 
Tarie, EBTI, and Transit 
Fisheries: FIDES 
Agriculture: Animo, Physan, and Shift 
Social security: TESS (formerly Sosenet) and EURES 
Public procurement: SIMAP 
Health: EUPHIN (formerly CARE), EUDRA (pharmacovigilance) 
and REITOX 
Statistics: - SISR/DSIS, Extracom, and SERT 
Commercial policy: SIGL 
Competition policy: Fourcom 
Culture: ITCG (Illegal traffic of cultural goods). 
Through such projects, IDA has made a considerable contribution to: 
• the development, maintenance and operation of systems which support the 
implementation of important elements of EU policy concerned with the four 
freedoms and the single market; 
• the initiation of necessary telematic facilities for new agencies and in support of 
interinstitutionaUcommunication and the Community decision-making process. 
Given the number of existing projects which have formed the core of IDA from its 
inception, their size, complexity, and the scope of what is being accomplished, it would be 
unreasonable to expect to achieve substantial results within a relatively short timescale of 
three years. It can frequently take 18 months from the initial conception of a project to 
reach only the stage of contract signature. However, the evaluation exercise has 
established that clear progress has been made in all the projects which were reviewed, and 
many projects also deliver important operational benefits, including cash savings in 
certain instances. 
IDA has also carried out a number of non-sectoral projects, so-called horizontal activities, 
which provide results such as telecommunications services, generic applications, including 
the communication and management of official documents and the introduction of e-mail 
on the basis of X.400, and architecture and legal guidelines. The availability of these 
results has been limited thus far, since many of these activities are still in their infancy. In 
particular, the TESTA project, which will begin to provide services during 1997, is seen 
as a positive development because it concentrates on providing telecommunications 
services, rather than putting in place physical networks. 
Improved programme management 
The complexity of IDA projects, involving the implementation of telematic networks 
between at least 15 different Member State administrations, and the high degree of 
coordination required between the many different participants with their various priorities 
and concerns, have contributed to make the programme administration thus far both 
complicated and time-consuming. The results of the evaluation have suggested a number 
of opportunities for improving the overall management of the programme in the future. 
The management of the programme should concentrate on programme policy, 
objectives and strategy, and avoid a too detailed involvement in the procurement 
process and individual contracts. Management participation in such lower level 
activities requires great effort and does not substantially improve the final results. It is 
therefore in order to concentrate managerial activities at a level where they are of greatest 
benefit that the proposals for IDA. 2 specify that a management committee should be 
implemented in preference to a regulatory committee, and that the committee 
responsibilities should involve the approval of a yearly work programme and the global 
implementation plans for individual IDA projects. This ensures that the committee will be 
fully consulted concerning the technological strategy and choices which are made by 
projects. Such a management committee would also in practice have greater freedom to 
act than the current one, since the delivery of a negative opinion would not entail the 
potential risk of halting all activity for a particular network. 
It has been recommended that IDA. 2 should be a rolling programme, ideally with a 
duration of five years. This timescale would be appropriate when taking into account the 
life span of projects, the horizon required in order to encourage investment by industry 
and to establish public-private partnerships as stated in the TEN-Telecom guidelines, and 
the effort and elapsed time required to set up such a programme. However, the 
Commission believes that there is a need to examine which particular projects are 
supported by the programme on a more regular basis, in order to allow new priorities to 
be established. The Commission proposal is therefore to have the list which identifies the 
projects of common interest reviewed every three years. 
The evaluation has strongly questioned the appropriateness of continuing to fund all IDA 
projects and systems (including both development and operational costs) from a single 
budget, where individual allocations are subject to a regulatory committee procedure. 
There are arguments both in support of and against such a policy, and on this particular 
issue> the participants in the programme have expressed quite divergent views. While the 
current situation acts as a useful mechanism to encourage coherency between rather 
heterogeneous projects, it also creates a certain disassociation between the sectoral 
management of policies and the management of those telematic systems which support 
them. Moreover, having IDA projects competing for a limited budget can tend to divert 
valuable effort away from project execution, and add further delay to important activities. 
It is essential to provide a financial framework which facilitates the development of 
sectoral telematic systems, allows a swift response to new demands for the electronic 
interchange of information, and finances measures which encourage interoperability 
between and access to networks. Nevertheless, it is also necessary to specify criteria 
which define the precise conditions under which a project initially qualifies to receive IDA 
funding, and which sets clearly defined limits on the duration of this funding. Future 
proposals for new developments should therefore always be accompanied by 
statements of how their operational costs will be met. 
Once a project or set of projects related to a specific policy or activity have been fully 
implemented, and are thus considered to be in operational use, or otherwise have achieved 
a certain size which permits them to become a programme in their own right, the required 
budget should preferably be allocated by the budgetary authority within the framework of 
each policy or activity. In both cases common principles must be followed, and it will thus 
be critical for IDA to provide a strong coordination and influence over the technical 
choices which are made in administrative telematic networks. 
The transition to sectoral autonomy in project budgeting and management cannot happen 
immediately. Appropriate arrangements must be made to cover any transitional period, 
particularly in respect of the costs of running operational facilities. 
In terms of the precise wording of any future Decision, the evaluation has recommended 
that references to the use of specific technological standards are best avoided, thus 
permitting a more flexible approach in a domain with a rapidly evolving marketplace. 
Similarly, within the framework where projects of common interest are defined, a 
degree of flexibility in terms of the identification of projects of common interest is 
desirable, to permit critical new policy areas to be supported when required. 
Better project results 
Although only in existence for three years, IDA has already been able to identify a number 
of areas where improvements in the quality of the programme results can be achieved. 
Thus positive steps have already been taken through initiatives to implement quality 
control, provide guidelines and common telematic services, facilitate people networking 
and sharing of experiences) and increase the transparency and visibility of project results. 
It is recognized that the ultimate success of IDA projects depends on ensuring that user 
needs are well understood and addressed, and on having the early and continued 
involvement of the appropriate users throughout each project. In particular, it is critical to 
ensure that the sectoral requirements for and the benefits of horizontal products and 
services are clearly identified before embarking on any new horizontal developments. 
These are especially challenging tasks in the IDA environment, and major efforts will be 
targeted in the next programme to improve requirements definition, consensus-building, 
and cross-fertilization through the establishment of user fora. 
Future directions 
The evaluation has concluded that IDA should take as its principal objective the 
promotion of the effective and harmonized development of all Community 
telematics-based systems for the interchange of data between administrations. This 
implies that a successor programme should unambiguously extend the effective scope of 
IDA to all relevant networks (i.e. all networks between administrations that support 
Community policies and activities), not only those which receive funds directly from the 
IDA budget. This extension is proposed in order to provide a practical mechanism 
whereby a better coordination and cooperation can be realized between the numerous 
activities relating to telematic networks and administrations which are carried out 
throughout the Commission. Concertation with other Community programmes, and with 
TEN-Telecom in particular, should be pursued in order to optimize efforts and the 
Community's resources. 
IDA's pursuit of horizontal projects is generally supported, and is regarded ss a 
basic focus for the future. IDA should continue to emphasise the exploitation of services 
and products which are available from the marketplace rather than developing proprietary 
solutions. IDA will also need to concentrate efforts on harmonizing the content of the 
information which is exchanged over telematic networks. During the evaluation exercise, 
many participants have observed that the coordination and agreement of information 
exchange standards is a primary need, and that the technology employed is, in 
comparison, a relatively minor issue. 
The evaluation has also confirmed the ongoing need in the future for a coordination 
mechanism between European administrative telematic networks and a source of relevant 
knowledge and expertise, in order to avoid the needless proliferation of equipment, 
diversity of approach, and repetition of investigations. 
In addition to ensuring that sectoral networks are established or enhanced in order to meet 
the requirements of Community policies and activities, the evaluation exercise has 
recommended that the key objectives of the IDA. 2 programme should be the following: 
• to determine the user requirements for technical policies and standards, and to define 
and regulate the framework for the implementation of these technical policies and 
standards within which the sectoral projects operate, 
• to ensure that common services, components and specifications are available to 
European administrations, and to encourage the benefits of these services to 
be realized, 
• to promote information harmonization, 
• to identify new administrative requirements and new generic services which satisfy 
these requirements, 
• to stimulate coordination and cross-fertilization between projects through the 
collection, synthesis and dissemination of information. 
The administration of the internal market will continue to oblige European administrations 
to communicate information with their counterparts in other countries. Although many 
administrations are already exchanging similar information on a national basis, the 
European dimension creates an entirely new set of problems which can only be resolved 
by having a mechanism in place which provides the essential coordination at an 
international level. 
Furthermore, the IT market provides an overwhelming choice of products and services, 
lacking a strong incentive to ensure interoperability between them, and providing results 
of varying relevance to administrative requirements. In order to ensure the availability of 
good choices, European administrations must speak as a single voice. This also reinforces 
the need for strong international coordination and cooperation. Through its experience 
and knowledge and the foundation which it has already established, the EDA. 2 programme 
is best situated to provide this coordination and ensure cooperation at a Community level. 
3. THE POLITICAL CONTEXT 
3.1 Support for the internal market 
The elimination of internal borders and the implementation of the four freedoms of 
movement creates increasing demands for European administrations to improve, expand, 
coordinate and, in many cases, integrate much of their information exchange and 
administrative processes. The key objective of any new IDA programme must thus remain 
in effect - to provide practical support for the functioning of the internal market by 
connecting administrations throughout Europe to each other through telematic 
networks, thus establishing a mechanism for the rapid, effective, and secure exchange of 
information and better administrative cooperation. As such, IDA.2 activities will be of 
relevance to the Internal Market Action Plan. 
It is also important to recognize that IDA activities, by ensuring the availability of 
comprehensive telematic services for administrations throughout the Union and 
encouraging service providers to establish such facilities on an EU basis, provide support 
for economic and social cohesion. 
The need for administrations to increase their access to and provision of information as a 
result of the requirements of the internal market has not remained static. New demands 
arise and priorities are reyised as Community policies are implemented. A number of key 
policy areas may already be identified in which the next phase of the IDA programme has 
an important role to play. 
3.2 Practical implementation of European Monetary Union 
The implementation of European Monetary Union will be a key challenge for the 
Community in the coming years, and a successful result will require the support of 
telematic networks. At the same time as obligations to process Euro-based information 
will multiply enormously, the necessity for new information flows and supporting data 
networks to satisfy additional requirements generated by the introduction and 
administration of the Euro will also come to the fore. 
3.3 Support for enlargement 
The boundaries of the internal market are expected to be enlarged in the near future to 
accommodate the integration of new member countries in Central and Eastern Europe. 
There is a need to prepare for their integration, both by stimulating the implementation of 
interoperable telematic services and solutions in these countries and improving 
information flows. The coordination of activities in areas ranging from trade control, to 
fraud prevention, health care, and environmental protection, can act to improve the 
economic and social environments of these countries, as well as our own. 
In its "Agenda 2000" Communication of 16 July 1997, the Commission has recognized 
the importance of reinforcing the institutional and administrative capacity of applicant 
countries to the enlargement process. The participation of these countries in 
Community programmes and their use of Community mechanisms to apply the 
acquis communautaire are essential components of a successful pre-accession strategy. 
3.4 Emphasis on citizens and the private sector 
The ultimate customer of administrations is the citizen. To ensure greater transparency 
and to offer new and better services to citizens, administrations will require better access 
to information and lower information processing costs. Certain areas in which IDA 
is already active are of particular relevance to citizens. These include the 
telematic networks which support the flow of information relating to social security, 
healthcare, and employment. 
In a similar vein, reinforcing the ability of European administrations to increase their 
efficiency and to respond swiftly to new challenges is particularly critical at a time when 
the advent of the Information Society and the adoption of new technologies and practices 
is likely to revolutionise both public and private sectors alike. 
10 
As part of this revolution, administrations cannot ignore their influence, for better or 
worse, upon the private sector. The main issue is whether administrations choose to lag 
behind, in which case they will impose unnecessary overheads in terms of costs and delays 
on the exchange of administrative data with the private sector, thus becoming the weakest 
links in the information chain, or instead, decide to lead by example to encourage and 
facilitate the improved flow of information between sectors. The use of more efficient 
mechanisms to exchange information between enterprises and administrations, 
(for example in domains such as customs, taxation, and environmental protection), can 
greatly influence an individual organization's capacity, responsiveness and costs, ultimately 
having a positive impact on the overall competitiveness of European industry in general, 
and of SMEs in particular. 
IDA also has the potential to directly influence the European ITC industry. IDA collects 
and collates the common telematic requirements of administrations throughout Europe. 
By feeding these requirements directly to industry, as was done during the recent 
IDA Workshop with Industry, IDA provides a clear description of administrative 
needs and essentially guarantees a large market for the products and services which have 
been specified. 
Thus, IDA measures to ensure interoperability must also help eliminate obstacles to the 
communication between administrations and the private sector. Projects must be 
encouraged to take into consideration the needs outside the public sector when 
administrative telematic solutions are designed and developed, and support must be given 
for projects to extend their benefits to industry and citizens when a clear requirement to 
do so has been identified, and this is also true for private sector projects which have an 
impact on the public sector domain. In this particular area, care should be taken to 
establish a synergy between IDA, TEN-Telecom and SME-related activities, ensuring that 
the definition of projects of common interest for citizens and SMEs is optimised. 
3.5 Institutional reform 
The European institutions, like their national counterparts, are under constant pressure to 
provide better service to citizens and the private sector at minimal cost. The only option 
available to them is to adopt new means of processing and handling information, 
supported by ICT developments. The increasing exploitation of telematic networks by 
administrations, based upon the use of readily-available market services and products, 
should to a certain extent address the balance between the need to reduce costs through 
outsourcing of administrative processing, and the consequent loss of control and of 
application expertise and data. 
Currently, working procedures in EU administrations create enormous demands for 
document production, handling, distribution, and archiving, most of which is still 
paper-based. The distribution of documents is usually performed via normal courier, telex 
or fax. More than 1200 committees are associated with Commission work, in addition to 
the EU institutions and Member State administrations. 
The primary objective within this area must be to ensure that the necessary telematic tools 
and techniques, particularly facilities for workflow management and document exchange, 
are made available to support administrative flows of information within the Commission, 
between the institutions, and between the Member State administrations. The ultimate 
11 
goal is for the European institutions to represent a leading example of the potential 
advantages of communicating and processing information electronically. 
4. THE FUTURE - OBJECTIVES, STRATEGY, ACTIONS 
The market circumstances and technical environment which influenced the formulation of 
the original programme policies and strategy have altered dramatically during the past 
three years. Unlike its predecessor, IDA 2 is no longer facing a "green field" situation and 
is therefore able to build upon the existing wealth of knowledge and experience already 
acquired and the current sectoral networks. At the same time, the programme must also 
seek to accommodate an increasingly uncertain future in terms of the direction and speed 
of technological change. The strategy and activities proposed to be carried out by EDA in 
a second phase thus place greater emphasis on interoperability and commonality, 
concentrating less on individual sectoral project requirements whilst ensuring that the 
needs of sectoral networks continue to be met. 
4.1 Objectives 
Community activities during the proposed second phase of the IDA programme will be 
focused on achieving, within a period of three years, the following concrete results: 
• the establishment of operational, interoperable, trans-European telematic 
communication infrastructures between Member State administrations and between 
administrations and the European institutions as appropriate, enabling the efficient 
and cost-effective interchange of information in support of the administrative 
requirements of the internal market; 
• the use of telematic solutions fully integrated into the day-to-day management of 
European Union policies and activities and the Community decision-making process; 
• the availability of trans-European administrative network services, characterized by a 
high degree of interoperability, within and across different administrative sectors and 
with the private sector, and providing cost-efficiency, flexibility and adaptability to 
technological change and market evolution; 
• ready access by all - European administrations to an international, up-to-date 
repository of knowledge and experience concerning telematic networks. 
4.2 Strategy 
• Market orientation: Purchase services from the marketplace, avoid investments in 
infrastructure, specific technologies, and the development of proprietary solutions. 
• Service orientation: Provide support and guidance to administrations in the 
identification and implementation of solutions for information exchange which 
maximize functionality and flexibility and minimize cost. 
Focusing on interoperability: Concentrate on those activities which lead to greater 
interoperability between networks and their components, and the information 
communicated through those networks. 
12 
To accommodate an environment in constant evolution and to manage changing 
technology to best effect, the only practical direction for IDA in the future is to promote 
the purchasing of services directly from the marketplace rather than investing in 
proprietary developments, to avoid commitments to specific technologies and products, 
and to focus on common sectoral requirements. In this scenario, IDA will assist public 
administrations to select the best value-for-money tools and products, to have immediate 
access to the latest developments, to rationalize network management, and to benefit from 
the economies of scale which, as large organizations, they have the right to expect. 
The foundation for improving the flow of information between administrations in the 
internal market is the adoption of telematics as a mechanism for communication. 
By definition, any communication involves at least two participants, a sender and a 
recipient, who must each be capable of understanding what is being communicated. If 
communication takes place between a small number of closely related individuals, the 
issue of interoperability between the communication mechanisms of each participant does 
not arise. However, the large number and wide variety of prospective partners in 
combination with the lack of stability and coherency exhibited by the technology and 
marketplace for telematics, has obliged all EDA network users to concentrate their 
attention on the issue of interoperability when investing in telematic solutions. 
Interoperability between the various network system components is required at all levels 
of the telematic pyramid illustrated below. The physical networks which represent the 
essential foundation of every network system must be interconnected, the services which 
use the network infrastructure must be consistent, the information which is exchanged 
through the services must be harmonized, and the applications which manipulate this 
information for the ultimate benefit of the end user must be compatible, both with each 
other and also with the paper- and human-based world in which they operate. 
The IDA Interoperability Pyramid 
13 
In general, ensuring interoperability in practice goes far beyond the requirement to agree 
or harmonize the standards and specifications which are used, but also includes achieving 
compatible implementations of these standards, coherence between legal and security 
systems, and the overall integration of the new electronic environment and processes and 
the conventional means of operating. 
The adoption of standards" is an important means for achieving interoperability at all levels 
of a network. EDA is therefore a major user, hence influencer, of standards and a key role 
of the programme must be to recognize and promote the use of standards. EDA will serve 
as an intermediary for standardization bodies and the large user cpmmunity in the public 
administration domain. In so doing, IDA can contribute to the publicizing and 
dissemination of standards, and ensure that experiences and issues relating to the practical 
application of standards in IDA projects are fed back to standardization bodies, helping to 
improve particular standards and acting as an important link in the standardization chain. 
For trans-European networks between administrations, a further consideration is the 
obligation to maximize interoperability with national network systems, thus facilitating the 
creation of international network infrastructures based upon connections between national 
networks. Such activities have the potential to vastly increase the overall number of 
administrations with access to a particular network at a relatively low cost. 
5. THE CHOICE OF A LEGAL BASIS. THE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE 
OF THE NEW IDA PROGRAMME 
The legal context has substantially changed since the original IDA proposals were 
submitted in 1993. The Council adopted the original programme3, for the years 1995 to 
1997, on the basis of Article 235 of the EC Treaty. 
In March 1996, the European Court of Justice issued its judgment on the EDICOM case4, 
which set an essential precedent for trans-European telematic networks between 
administrations. Also relevant is the adoption of the so-called TEN financial regulation5, 
which lays down the rules for the Community financial contribution to projects 
in the domain of trans-European Networks. The guidelines for trans-European 
telecommunication networks have also recently been adopted6. 
Inasmuch as: 
• IDA represents a Community contribution to the establishment and development of 
trans-European telematic networks for administrations, and 
• aims to ensure the interoperability between and access to networks, 
then Title XII of the EC Treaty, and in particular Article 129d, is considered to be the 
appropriate legal basis for the new IDA programme. 
3 Council Decision 95/468/EC of 6 November 1995, OJ L 269, 11.11.1995, p. 23. 
4 Case C-271/94, European Parliament v Council, 26 March 1996. 
5 Council Regulation (EC) No 2236/95 of 18 September 1995, OJ L 228, 23.9.1995. 
6 European Parliament and Council Decision 1336/97/EC of 17 June 1997, OJ L 183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. 
14 
In contrast to other networks such as railway networks, which occupy a physical space 
(under the sovereignty of a Member State), a telematic network is distinguished by those 
who have access to the network and the purposes which are served by the network. The 
Community thus acquires a double position for those telematic networks which directly 
support its policies and activities: it is both subject to the mandate of Title XII to 
contribute to the establishment and development of the networks, and also a user or 
beneficiary of these networks, in a position which is largely comparable to that of any 
other participant. 
Given this special position of the Community in regard to EDA networks, the concept of 
Member States' projects is insufficient and cannot constitute the sole basis for a 
Community financial contribution. Furthermore, the Community contribution should also 
be targeted towards the objective of facilitating interoperability between and access to 
networks, and should represent a tool to facilitate coordinated actions of the Community 
and the Member States. 
Consequently, the second phase of IDA creates a specific financial framework which 
ensures that an aopropriate use of Community resources is made, that action is taken to 
ensure interoperability between networks, and that costs are shared between the 
Community and the Member States in accordance with the principle of cui bono. 
The Commission proposes the adoption of the EDA programme on the basis of two 
decisions, which reflect the structure in Articles. 129c and 129d EC, in light of the 
EDICOM judgment. Together, these two decisions will result in a programme that will 
maintain internal coherence and synergy. The Commission will be assisted by a single 
committee in the implementation of both decisions, which will concentrate on the overall 
programme strategy, supervising horizontal projects, and monitoring sectoral projects. 
The committee type proposed is a management committee (variant 2a), in line with the 
recommendations of the EDA midterm evaluation. 
Guidelines and projects of common interest 
It is crucial to establish a coherent framework which allows the Community to determine 
in which priority areas networks should be established, and to ensure that networks are 
implemented on the basis of common principles. 
The first decision proposed concerns the adoption of a series of guidelines which 
determine the objectives to be met, the political priorities which will be applied, and the 
guiding principles (broad lines of measures) which must be followed by all telematic 
networks supporting Community activities and policies. These guidelines also identify 
projects of common interest for which a specific Community financial framework is 
deemed necessary, and provide such a framework. 
Measures to ensure interoperability 
IDA must seek to maximize the degree of interoperability between administrative 
telematic solutions by carrying out actions which address the issues relevant to 
administrative telematics at each specific level: 
15 
• Use network infrastructure: Promote consistency between telematic solutions and 
encourage the innovative use of telematics in administrations by the spread of 
knowledge and best practice. 
• Select and adopt .generic services: Collect and consolidate administrative 
requirements and select common solutions as generic services from the marketplace. 
• Harmonize information content: Ensure maximum coherency and automation of 
information processing by examining the flows and content of the information which 
is exchanged by administrations, identifying opportunities for modelling, 
harmonization, and structuring. 
• Develop a common framework for applications: Concentrate on common 
administrative application requirements, including legal and security needs. 
The second decision proposed thus concerns the adoption of a number of measures of a 
horizontal nature which will greatly facilitate interoperability between networks, and 
network components. On one hand, they form a complete body of measures of mandatory 
reference for the development of EDA networks. On the other hand, these measures are an 
excellent basis for trie promotion of interoperability between existing systems within 
Member State administrations and the facilitation of industry or citizen access to 
information provided by an existing network. 
6. ACTIONS 
Promoting the spread of best practice and encouraging innovation 
The public sector currently faces many of the same challenges as the private sector in 
adopting the use of telematics into their daily activities. The private sector, however, is 
possibly better equipped to meet these challenges, given that the majority of the new 
concepts, products, and services which are being developed in this domain tend to be 
geared towards a competitive, commercial environment. 
Administrations often use telematic networks to replace existing internal manual 
processes. Although the replacement of manual information processing by electronic data 
communication systems generally leads to increased efficiency and reduced costs, the 
adoption of common, interoperable solutions and the innovative use of such systems, in 
conjunction with process re-engineering, can provide much greater benefits, allowing 
information to be processed in radically different ways, permitting communication with 
new organizations or customers, and providing opportunities to offer entirely new 
services. The key requirement is therefore for administrations to have access to a source 
of knowledge and inspiration. 
The IDA programme, having access to a wealth of know-how and experience acquired 
during the activities of the past few years, has the capacity to act as such a source. 
Administrations will have ready access through a central point to information concerning 
the progress, achievements, and experiences of the many IDA telematic projects and 
applications, of similar national projects in Member State administrations, and of the 
relevant Commission R&D programmes and Information Society initiatives. Similarly, 
European administrations will be informed of the guidelines, recommendations and 
generic services which are available from EDA for their benefit. 
16 
Promotional activities in the new programme must also concentrate on raising the 
profile of telematics generally within administrations, by demonstrating concretely 
in an international administrative environment the possible applications and benefits 
of communicating electronically over telematic networks and encouraging the 
cross-fertilization of results and experiences. 
An important element of this strategy must include the implementation of information 
collection, monitoring, and feedback mechanisms to ensure that the information which is 
provided is continually refreshed and updated. 
Reducing costs and providing common solutions via generic services 
In the rapidly evolving world of telematics, industry offers an ever-increasing portfolio of 
solutions, packaged to users as readily-available "generic" services. This has resulted in a 
situation where the implementation of a telematic network becomes essentially a 
question of deciding which generic service best meets requirements, and adapting the local 
environment accordingly. 
The main objective of the EDA activities associated with generic services is to provide 
continuous cost savings for Community telematic networks by rationalizing and 
globalizing common solutions for collective requirements. Administrations need to be able 
to select the best value-for-money services from the market, to have access to the latest 
developments as soon as they are available, to rationalize the management and control of 
their operational networks, and to benefit from the economies of scale which, as large 
organizations with many users, they have the right to expect. 
Generic services in the marketplace will be constantly identified, specified, verified, and 
monitored. These activities will provide administrations with simple, generic service 
descriptions, classified by quality and selection criteria such as reliability, availability, 
performance, continuity, usability, and interoperability, in order to allow all users involved 
in the procurement of telematic services to obtain an acceptable and comparable quality of 
service throughout the Union. 
At a more general level, this strategy is expected to have a positive impact on the market 
place for telematic products and services, acting as an incentive for the harmonization of 
services, encouraging interoperability between various service providers, improving the 
overall quality of the services which are offered, and ensuring that pricing is competitive. 
One initiative which may be of particular interest in this domain concerns the provision 
of a network backbone service based on Internet technologies for the use of 
European administrations. A portion of this network capacity could be devoted to 
videoconferencing facilities for committee meetings between the Member State 
administrations and the Community institutions. 
Harmonizing information content 
An important barrier to the effective flow of information is created by differences in the 
actual content of the information which is communicated between organizations. These 
obstacles may be the result of different languages, customs, and practices, and while they 
often occur within countries, they are greatly multiplied at an international level. In 
telematics, greater efficiency is frequently derived by reducing the effort which is required 
to process certain information, and by processing information more rapidly. If the data 
17 
which is received is not easily recognized and processed by computer or is incomplete, the 
efficiency benefits may be significantly reduced. 
Such problems require solutions which structure information in such a way that it can be 
automatically processed, and reaching agreement on common working practices. 
Administrations are increasingly investing much time and effort in such solutions, 
recognizing that the composition and flow of information is inherently much more stable 
than the underlying communication technology, and substantial benefits can eventually be 
realized. Although many aspects will remain specific to sectors, IDA has a role to play in 
terms of defining the general framework, direction and strategy for such solutions, 
reaching agreement on the format of information which is used across sectors, modelling 
common business processes, and specifying common requirements for market solutions. 
Developing common tools and techniques for applications 
Combining telematic applications with generic services offers both added-value through 
the use of state-of-the-art ways of communicating, and cost-savings through the 
consolidation of requirements and associated economies of scale. This implies a further 
need to ensure that for the future, EDA networks are capable of being easily modified and 
developed in terms of functionality and accessibility, as well as technology. This can best 
be achieved by adopting as much as possible a modular approach to network and 
application development, integrating products and services from the marketplace and 
other sectors whenever possible. 
There will always be a need to develop specialized applications which meet the needs 
of particular sectors, however, in the same way that software is readily available 
"off-the-shelf from software providers to carry out basic functions such as accounting 
and managing human resources, certain common administrative functions which are 
carried out by IDA network applications may also be capable of being performed by more 
"generic" applications or modules. 
Opportunities may thus arise to centrally specify and prototype solutions or services which 
overcome unique problems experienced by administrations and which can be exploited by 
many different sectoral telematic systems. The key constraints for such activities will be 
the ease with which they can be integrated into existing systems and infrastructure, the 
lack of appropriate market offerings, and the reduced costs associated with having 
common, customized products which fulfil specific administrative needs. Generic 
applications may also be required to act as an interface between IDA generic services and 
the more specialized sectoral application components. 
The benefits of this approach include rationalizing the design of technical solutions, 
minimizing certain risks by using well-established, proven solutions, reducing the delay 
between the definition of user requirements and the implementation of an operational 
system, improving the quality of application software, and being able to maintain a single 
generic application rather than multiple different applications. 
Common tools and techniques for application development cannot ignore requirements 
relating to legal and security issues. IDA network systems are not unique in terms of their 
requirements for practical solutions to overcome existing problems relating to the security 
and legal validity of electronic information exchanges. However, the confidential nature of 
administrative data and the international environment in which trans-European networks 
18 
must operate both serve to increase the difficulty of developing such solutions and the 
complexity of the solutions which must be found. 
The philosophy behind the formulation of a legal and security framework must be a 
stepwise evolution, based upon a practical assessment of existing barriers and needs and 
acting in parallel with technological developments, rather than attempting to establish a 
definitive, wide-ranging framework which might instead have a counter-productive effect 
of impeding the progress of new products and technologies. A pragmatic approach is 
required, balancing the urgent demand for action in this area with the obligation to reach 
an agreed common position which guarantees the security and legal validity of telematic 
exchanges of administrative data. 
Action is needed to identify and remove the legal and contractual barriers which impede 
the smooth exchange of data between network users and to create a legal framework 
which ensures the evidential value of the data exchanged, the protection of data, the rights 
and responsibilities of the users, and enforces security. 
7. CONCLUDING REMARKS 
Within this perspective, IDA must become the means through which European 
administrations can reap the benefits of new technologies. Nevertheless, although IDA is a 
technological programme, it is clear that the ultimate success of this next phase of IDA 
will depend on its ability to coordinate and communicate between the numerous parties 
concerned. IDA must, first and foremost, ensure that sectoral needs are clearly identified 
and that consensus is reached, both in order to be able to establish sectoral networks and 
to meet specific sectoral requirements, and at the same time, to define the appropriate 
horizontal activities which will satisfy common sectoral needs. EDA must then be able to 
communicate these requirements to the marketplace. 
Particular attention must be paid to Community activities in the areas of R&D and 
TEN-Telecom. The Telematics Applications Programme has a number of successful 
projects which can provide innovative solutions and new opportunities to stimulate and 
improve the use of telematics in administrations. Similarly, TEN-Telecom promotes the 
development of generic services, thus laying a foundation of products and services which 
the EDA interoperability measures can build upon. Furthermore, projects of common 
interest under the TEN-Telecom guidelines include areas which are also relevant to the 
implementation of Community policies and activities. 
It is therefore essential to put in place coordination mechanisms which will ensure that 
optimal use is made of such complementary Community instruments, taking full advantage 
both of their synergy and of the flexibility provided by their areas of mutual contact. IDA 
is a unique and valuable programme which benefits in particular from its orientation 
towards practical, market-driven solutions, achieving cost reductions, economies of scale 
and greater efficiency by building on commonality, its emphasis on operational 
implementation rather than research, and the involvement of a wide variety of different 
sectors with central coordination. These features must be preserved and enhanced for 
the future. 
19 
97/0340 (COD) 
Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 
on a series of guidelines, including the identification of projects of 
common interest, for trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the 
first paragraph of Article 129d thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission7, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee8, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions9, 
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty10, 
(1) Whereas the Council, in its Resolution of 20 June 199411 emphasized the need for 
coordination with regard to information exchange between administrations; 
(2) Whereas the Council, in its Resolution of 21 November 199612, established new policy 
priorities regarding the information society; 
(3) Whereas the Commission, in its communication of 19 July 199413, proposed an Action plan 
for the Information Society; 
(4) Whereas the Commission has proposed an Action plan for the Single Market14; 
(5) Whereas the European Parliament, in its Resolution of 12 June 199715, invited the 
European Union and the Member States to take action with regard to the development and 
application of new information and communication technologies (ICT) in the next decade; 
(6) Whereas the European Parliament and the Council, in Decision No 2717/95/EC16, adopted a 
series of guidelines for the development of Euro-ISDN as a trans-European network; 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 OJC 181, 2.7.1994, p. 1. 
12 OJC 376, 12.12.1996, p. 1. 
13 COM(94) 347 final. 
14 COM(97) 184 final. 
15 OJC 200, 30.6.1997, p. 196. 
16 OJL282. 24.11.1995, p. 16. 
20 
(7) Whereas the European Parliament and the Council, in Decision No 1336/97/EC17, adopted a 
series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunication networks; 
(8) Whereas, in order to establish economic and monetary union and to implement Community 
policies and activities, it is necessary for Member State administrations and the Community to 
access, exchange and process increasing amounts of information; 
(9) Whereas, in order to exercise the powers conferred upon them, it is necessary for Community 
institutions to access, exchange and process increasing amounts of information; 
(10) Whereas the efficient, effective and secure exchange of processable information requires 
the availability of integrated data communication systems, hereinafter referred to as 
telematic networks; 
(11) Whereas telematic networks linking the information systems of the Member State 
administrations and the Community across Europe are trans-European telecommunication 
networks for administrations; 
(12) Whereas a smooth functioning of the internal market and the elimination of obstacles to 
communication between public administrations and the private sector are important factors 
for the prosperity and competitiveness of Community industry; 
(13) Whereas use of telematic networks can contribute to the protection of the financial interests 
of the Community and to the fight against fraud; 
(14) Whereas the modification and enhancement of telematic networks may be required during the 
preparation for the enlargement of the European Union; 
(15) Whereas responsive and transparent public administrations will encourage citizens of the 
European Union to reap the benefits of the Information Society; 
(16) Whereas the Community is a user or a beneficiary of those telematic networks which support 
the Community policies and activities, interinstitutional communication and economic and 
monetary union; 
(17) Whereas the task of establishing such networks is incumbent on both the Community and the 
Member States; 
(18) Whereas it is essential to maximize interoperability in order to achieve economies of scale and 
to increase the benefits of such networks; 
(19) Whereas, in order to make efficient use of the Community's financial resources, it is 
necessary to share the cost of such networks between the Member States and the Community 
on an equitable basis and, at the same time, to avoid needless proliferation of equipment, 
repetition of investigations and diversity of approach; 
(20) Whereas there is thus a need to define specific guidelines of general application to all such 
networks, as well as a specific financial framework for projects of common interest under 
such guidelines; 
17 OJL 183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. 
21 
(21) Whereas in accordance with the subsidiarity and proportionality principles established by 
Article 3b of the Treaty, the objective of establishing such networks cannot be adequately 
attained by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale and effects of the 
proposed action, be better attained at Community level; whereas the proposed action does 
not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the said objective; 
(22) Whereas the implementation of the Agreement on the European Economic Area and of the 
association agreements with the European Community requires the modification and 
enhancement of the relevant telematic networks; 
(23) Whereas there is an inherent international dimension to telematic networks and 
electronic communication; 
(24) Whereas the measures aimed at ensuring the interoperability of telematic networks between 
administrations are in accordance with the priorities adopted in relation to the guidelines for 
trans-European telecommunication networks; 
(25) Whereas the Council has adopted Decision 95/468/EC18 on a Community contribution for 
telematic interchange of data between administrations in the Community (EDA); 
(26) Whereas this Decision establishes a financial framework for the entire duration of the 
programme which should be the principal point of reference, within the meaning of point 1 of 
the Declaration of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission 
of 6 March 199519, for the budgetary authority for the purposes of the annual 
budgetary procedure, 
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
Scope and objectives 
1. The Community, in cooperation with the Member States, shall act in the field of 
trans-European telematic networks for administrations and shall take the measures set out in 
Articles 3 to 6 and in Articles 9 and 11 with the following objectives: 
(a) the establishment of operational, interoperable, trans-European telematic networks 
between Member State administrations, whether national or regional, as well as between 
such administrations and the Community institutions and bodies as appropriate, enabling 
the efficient, effective and secure interchange of information in order to establish 
economic and monetary union and in order for the Member States and the Community 
to implement, within their respective areas of competence, the Community policies 
and activities referred to in Articles 3 and 3 a of the Treaty; 
(b) the establishment of integrated telematic networks for the facilitation of communication 
between the Community institutions and in support of the Community 
decision-making process. 
2. This Decision forms part of the EDA programme. 
18 OJL 269, 11.11.1995, p. 23. 
19 OJC 102, 4.4.1996, p. 4. 
22 
Article 2 
Definitions 
For the purpose of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply: 
(a) a telematic network is a comprehensive data communication system, comprising not only 
the physical infrastructure and connections, but also the service and application layers which 
are built on top of this infrastructure, thus enabling the interchange of information 
electronically between organizations and individuals; 
(b) an IDA network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations established or 
continued under this Decision. Such a network is established on the initiative of the 
Community as a user of or a party to the network or as a beneficiary having an interest in 
ensuring its implementation; 
(c) a sectoral network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations, devoted to the 
implementation or the administrative support of one particular Community policy or activity 
which is hereinafter referred to as an administrative sector; 
(d) an IDA project is a set of interrelated actions which are undertaken or continued under this 
Decision, as identified in the Annex, and concern the establishment or enhancement of 
sectoral networks. 
Article 3 
Projects of common interest 
1. In order to achieve the objectives laid down in Article 1, the Community and the 
Member States shall implement projects of common interest as identified in the Annex. 
2. Implementation of such projects shall be carried out in accordance with the EDA work 
programme and with global implementation plans as described in Article 5. 
3. The Community and the Member States shall mobilize the financial, technical and 
management resources and introduce the organizational measures necessary for the 
implementation of EDA projects. 
Article 4 
Priorities 
For the purpose of establishing the EDA work programme, and in the allocation of Community 
financial resources to EDA projects, priority shall be given to those projects which, by means of the 
establishment or enhancement of a sectoral network: 
(a) directly contribute to removing the obstacles to the free movement of goods, persons, 
services and capital; or 
(b) directly contribute to the successful implementation or the satisfactory operation of economic 
and monetary union; or 
(c) support communication between the Community institutions; or 
23 
(d) contribute to the protection of the financial interests of the Community or to the fight against 
fraud; or 
(e) otherwise facilitate the preparation for the enlargement of the European Union; or 
(f) otherwise facilitate industrial competitiveness in the Community, with particular emphasis on 
SME competitiveness; or . 
(g) otherwise provide a direct benefit to the citizens of the European Union. 
Article 5 
Broad lines 
1. In implementing IDA projects, the principles set out in paragraphs 2 to 8 shall be observed. 
2. IDA projects shall comprise all actions necessary for the establishment or enhancement of 
sectoral networks, including feasibility studies and demonstrators, the establishment of 
working groups of Member State and Community experts, and the procurement of goods and 
services for the Community, as appropriate. 
3. EDA projects shall include a preparatory phase, a feasibility phase, a development and 
validation phase, and an implementation phase. 
The preparatory phase shall lead to the establishment of the objectives, scope and rationale 
for the project, and the achievement of the necessary commitment and understanding 
amongst the participants through appropriate consultation. 
The feasibility phase shall lead to the establishment of a global implementation plan which 
shall comprise: 
(a) a description of the network or networks intended to be established under the project in 
terms of their objectives, functionalities, participants and technical approach; 
(b) the assignment of roles and tasks to the Community and to the Member States 
throughout the subsequent development and validation and implementation phases; 
(c) a detailed description of the expected benefits which includes assessment criteria for 
measuring those benefits beyond the implementation phase; 
(d) a schema which defines an equitable sharing between the Community and the 
Member States of the operational and maintenance costs of the networks concerned 
upon conclusion of the implementation phase. 
During the development and validation phase, the solution proposed for the network or 
networks concerned shall be constructed, tested, evaluated and monitored on a small scale, 
and the results shall be used to adjust the global implementation plan accordingly. 
During the implementation phase, the fully functional network or networks concerned shall 
be established in accordance with the global implementation plan. 
24 
4. IDA projects shall build on the horizontal actions and measures undertaken by the 
Community within the framework of Decision 98/XXX/EC20 [adopting a series of actions 
and measures in order to ensure interoperability of and access to trans-European networks 
for the electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA)], in particular, 
common generic services and applications shall be used where appropriate. 
5. The definition of user requirements for a sectoral IDA network shall be made within the 
framework of the Community policy or activity concerned and, in particular, in accordance 
with the applicable committee procedure within such policy or activity, if any. 
6. Each IDA project shall be technically specified with reference to European standards or 
publicly available specifications, as appropriate, in order to ensure a high degree of 
interoperability between national and Community systems within and across administrative 
sectors and with the private sector. Particular account shall be taken of Community guidelines 
and support tools in the area of standardization in public procurement for ICT systems and 
services, such as SPRITE - S2. 
7. In the definition and implementation of each IDA project, care shall be taken to build on 
suitable results achieved by other relevant Community activities, in particular the Community 
research and technological development programmes and the Community activities in the 
field of trans-European telecommunication networks. 
8. A post-implementation review of each EDA project shall be carried out within one year 
following the end of the implementation phase. The findings of such reviews shall be reported 
to the Member States. 
Article 6 
Community financial contribution 
1. In the implementation of EDA projects, the Community shall bear costs in proportion to 
its interest. 
2. The financial contribution of the Community for each IDA project shall be determined in 
accordance with paragraphs 3 to 7. 
3. In the preparatory and feasibility phases of a project, the Community contribution may cover 
the full cost of the necessary studies. 
4. In the development and validation phase and in the implementation phase of a project, the 
Community shall bear the cost of those tasks which are assigned to it in the global 
implementation plan of that project. 
5. The Community may contribute, by means of direct grants, to the costs incurred by one or 
more Member States, in order for such Member States to carry out; 
(a) activities relating to an IDA project or network which are deemed to be of benefit to 
other participants or to other sectoral networks, 
20 OJ 
25 
(b) an enhancement of a national system which is deemed necessary in order to improve or 
simplify the overall implementation of a particular network system. 
The intended grants will be specified in the IDA work programme for the current budgetary 
year. Other than in exceptional circumstances, grants shall not exceed one half of the 
expenditure actually incurred by each beneficiary Member State in implementing the tasks for 
which the grant is given. 
6. Community funding under this Decision shall cease upon completion of the implementation 
phase of an IDA project; however, further funding may exceptionally be granted under this 
Decision in order to cçver all or part of the cost of the operation and maintenance of an IDA 
network until the end of the year following the year in which its implementation is completed. 
7. The Community may also, within the framework of this Decision and until the end of 1999, 
bear the cost of the operation and maintenance of those IDA networks which are continued 
under this Decision and which are already operational on the date of entry into force of 
this Decision. 
Article 7 
Implementation 
1. The Commission shall implement the Community action set out in Articles 3 to 6. 
2. The procedure set out in Article 8 shall apply in respect of the approval, on the basis of the 
priorities established in Article 4 and the principles laid down in Article 5, of the section of 
the EDA work programme concerning the implementation of this Decision, which the 
Commission shall draw up at yearly intervals. 
3. The procedure set out in Article 8 shall apply in respect of the approval on the basis of its 
compliance with the principles laid down in Article 5 of the global implementation plan of 
each EDA project at the end of the feasibility phase and at the end of the development and 
validation phase, as well as the approval of any subsequent substantial amendments to that 
implementation plan. 
Article 8 
Committee procedure 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of representatives of the 
Member States and chaired by a representative of the Commission. This committee shall be 
called the Telematics between Administrations Committee (TAC). 
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures 
to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time-limit which the 
chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be 
delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions 
which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the 
representatives of the Member States within the committee shall be weighted in the manner 
set out in that Article. The chairman shall not vote. 
The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, if these 
measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the committee, they shall be 
communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In that event: 
26 
The Commission may defer application of the measures which it has decided for a period of 
not more than one month from the date of such communication. 
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision within the time-limit 
referred to in the previous subparagraph. 
2. The Commission shall regularly report to the TAC on the implementation of this Decision. 
Article 9 
Review and evaluation 
1. The Annex shall be reviewed by the European Parliament and the Council at 
three-yearly intervals. 
2. Two years after the entry into force of this Decision or any subsequent amendment of the 
Annex, and at three-yearly intervals thereafter, the Commission shall, in coordination with the 
Member States, carry out an evaluation of the implementation of this Decision. 
3. The evaluation shall establish the progress and current status of the projects of common 
interest identified in the Annex. 
It shall also examine, in the light of the expenditure incurred by the Community, the 
benefits yielded by EDA networks to the Community, the Member States, 
Community industry and citizens of the European Union and dentify areas for potential 
improvement and verify synergy with other Community activities in the field of 
trans-European telecommunication networks. 
4. The Commission shall forward its evaluation to the European Parliament and the Council 
together with its proposal for the amendment of the Annex. 
Article 10 
Extension to the EEA and associated countries 
1. The IDA programme may be opened, within the framework of their respective 
agreements with the European Community, to participation by the countries of the 
European Economic Area and the associated countries of central and eastern Europe and 
Cyprus in projects of common interest which are relevant to such agreements. 
2. In the course of implementing projects, cooperation with non-member countries and with 
international organizations or bodies, as appropriate, shall be encouraged. 
Article 11 
Other sectoral networks 
1. With regard to the establishment or enhancement of all other sectoral networks which are not 
IDA projects (hereinafter "other sectoral networks"), Member States and the Community 
shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Community legislation governing the 
implementation of those sectoral networks, ensure that paragraphs 2 to 6 are complied with. 
27 
2. The other sectoral networks shall make usé of the horizontal actions and measures 
undertake^ by the Community within the framework of Decision 98/XXX/EC [adopting 
a series of actions and measures in order to ensure interoperability* of and access to 
trans-European networks for the Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA)], to the 
extent that those actions and measures are appropriate to meet the user requirements of the 
other sectoral networks. 
3. Each of the other sectoral networks shall be technically specified with reference to European 
standards or publicly available specifications, as appropriate, in order to ensure a high degree 
of interoperability between national and Community systems within and across administrative 
sectors and with the private sector. Particular account shall be taken of Community guidelines 
and support tools in the area of standardization in public procurement for ICT systems and 
services, such as SPRITE - S2. 
4. In the definition and implementation of each of the other sectoral networks, care taken to 
build on suitable results achieved by other relevant Community activities, in particular the 
Community research and technological development programmes and the Community 
activities in the field of trans-European telecommunication networks. 
5. A post-implementation review of each of the other sectoral networks shall be carried out. 
6. In the implementation of the other sectoral networks the Community shall bear costs in 
proportion to its interest. 
Article 12 
Financial framework 
The financial framework for Community action under this Decision for the period 1998-2000 shall 
be ECU 38.5 million. 
Annual appropriations shall be authorized by the budgetary authority within the limit of the 
financial perspective. 
Article 13 
Entry into force 
This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. It shall 
enter into force on the third day following that of its publication. 
Article 14 
Addressees 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the European Parliament For the Council 
The President The President 
28 
ANNEX 
Projects of common interest in the sphere of trans-European networks for the Interchange of Data 
between Administrations 
The following projects shall be projects of common interest under the IDA programme: 
A. In general 
1. Continuation of sectoral projects and measures undertaken under 
Council Decision 95/468/EC of 6 November 1995, with the exception of the following 
networks previously funded by the IDA programme, which are now specifically excluded 
from the new programme: 
SIGL 
VEES 
TRANSIT 
QUOTA 
EBTI 
TAFJC 
SCENT CIS/FISCAL 
SEED - EXCISE CONTROL 
CCN/CSI; 
2. Implementation of those networks required for the functioning of the European Agencies, 
and in support of the legal framework arising from the creation of the European agencies; 
3. Implementation of those networks which, within the framework of the Community policies 
and activities and in unforeseen circumstances, are urgently required to support the action of 
the Community and the Member States in protecting the life and health of humans, animals 
and plants, the rights of the European consumers, or the fundamental interests of 
the Community. 
29 
B. Enhancements to existing IDA projects: 
1. Extension of the Communication and Management of Official Documents project to all 
exchanges of information between the European institutions and Member State Governments 
and administrations and for the dissemination of Commission autonomous acts; 
2. Enhancement of the SIMAP project to provide a telematic service which comprises the entire 
procurement process; 
3. Extension of the EUPHIN (formerly CARE) healthcare network architecture to the exchange 
of new health-related information, such as the blood transfusion chain, new diseases, and 
home and leisure accidents; 
4. Extension of the TESS framework to exchange information concerning new social security 
sectors, such as unemployment and family benefits; 
5. Expansion and further development of EURES focusing on crossborder vacancy exchange 
and jobseeker information, decentralization, and improved public access; 
6. Interchange of environmental data and information for EIONET; 
7. Extension of access to environmental information to citizens; 
8. Extension of the EMCDDA-REITOX drug monitoring system to include new national 
partners and topics such as drug-related urban crime; 
9. Promotion and awareness activities for agricultural networks; 
10. Extension of existing pharmaceutical networks to other scientific and regulatory areas and to 
other user communities, such as Industry and the citizen. 
C. Specific new networks supporting EMU and Community policies and activities 
1. Telematic networks to facilitate the monitoring of compliance with convergence criteria, the 
introduction of the EURO, and economic and monetary policy; 
2. Telematic networks for the exchange of statistics in accordance with Community 
political priorities; 
3. Telematic networks for the provision of statistical information to the citizen; 
4. New telematic network systems for the collection and dissemination of statistical information; 
5. New telematic projects in support of the management of agricultural markets and structure, 
more efficient financial management, and the fight against fraud in the agricultural sector; 
6. Telematic networks for the exchange of farm accounts data (RICA) between national 
agencies and the Commission; 
7. Improvement of horizontal telematic interchange systems in the agricultural sector; 
30 
8. Telematic networks to facilitate the collection, management and dissemination of information 
at the level of central and regional administrations concerning the implementation of regional 
and cohesion policies; 
9. Automobile Type-Approval Data Interchange between Administrations, incorporating 
interactive database for Technical Services (LISTEC) and Directive referencing; 
10. Telematic network for the exchange of information between Industrial Authorities, and 
between Industrial Authorities and Industry Federations; 
11. Telematic network interface to existing Commission databases in order to facilitate the access 
of European organizations, and particularly SMEs, to Community sources of funding; 
12. Telematic network for the exchange of information on cosmetics; 
13. Telematic services for industry to alleviate the burden of administrative forms filling; 
14. Telematic services for an early warning system on new synthetic drugs (EMCDDA); 
15. Telematic services for the exchange of information concerning content issues on open 
networks, to promote the development and free circulation of new audio-visual and 
information services. 
16. Telematic network in support of the exchange of data between Member States on driver, 
vehicle and transport operator information. 
17. Telematic networks in support of the enlargement of the EU through the implementation of 
efficient electronic communication between the translation services of the Commission and 
the Council and the temporary translation/revision offices which may be set up in each 
candidate country. 
D. Globalization of the IDA networks 
1. Extension of the TESS architecture for information exchange concerning old age pensions to 
countries to which many citizens of Member States have emigrated; 
2. Extension of access to EU healthcare and pharmaceutical telematic networks to 
international organizations; to the EEA, EFTA, CEECs and other Associated countries, and 
to G7 countries; 
3. Ensure interoperability of environmental networks with third countries' Environmental 
Protection Agencies and international organizations; 
4. Extension of access to the EMCDDA-REITOX telematic network to CEECs, EFTA and 
Mediterranean countries, as well as to third countries and international organizations 
exchanging information with the EMCDDA and the REITOX system. 
31 
E. Inter-institutional projects: 
1. Implementation of a telematic link between the Commission, Council, institutions and the site 
of the EU Presidency; 
2. Networking and document sharing between the European Agencies and bodies and between 
those and the European institutions; 
3. Telematic network services in support of interinstitutional exchanges in the 
agricultural sector; 
4. Telematic support for communication between the Community institutions by 
sharing/exchanging multilingual resources and organizing common access to 
terminology databases; 
5. Support for interinstitutional exchanges by improving translation workflow management and 
translation support tools. 
32 
97/0341 (SYN) 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 
adopting a series of actions and measures in order to ensure 
interoperability of and access to trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (EDA) 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the 
third paragraph of Article 129d thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission21, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee22, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions23, 
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189c of the Treaty in cooperation 
with the European Parliament24, 
1) Whereas the. Council, in its Resolution of 20 June 199425, emphasized the need for 
coordination with regard to information exchange between administrations; 
2) Whereas the Council, in its Resolution of 21 November 199626, established new policy 
priorities regarding the information society; 
3) Whereas the Commission, in its communication of 19 July 199427, proposed an Action plan 
for the Information Society; 
4) Whereas the Commission has proposed an Action plan for the Single Market28, 
5) Whereas the European Parliament, in its Resolution of 12 June 1997, invited the 
European Union and the Member States to take action with regard to the development and 
application of new information and communication technologies (ICT) in the next decade29; 
(6) Whereas the European Parliament and the Council, in Decision No 2717/95/EC, adopted a 
series of guidelines for the development of Euro-ISDN as a trans-European network30; 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 OJC 181,2.7.1994, p. 1. 
26 OJ C 376, 12.12.1996, p. 1. 
27 COM(94) 347 final. 
28 COM(97) 184 final. 
29 010 200,30.6.1997,^196. 
30 OJL282, 24.11.1995, p. 16. 
33 
(7) Whereas the European Parliament and the Council, in Decision No 1336/97/EC31, adopted a 
series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunication networks; 
(8) Whereas, in order to establish economic and monetary union, to implement Community 
policies and activities and to support communication between the Community institutions and 
bodies, there is a need to establish integrated data communications systems between 
administrations, hereinafter referred to as telematic networks; 
(9) Whereas such networks must link the information systems, both existing and future, of the 
Member State administrations and the Community across Europe and are, therefore, 
trans-European telecommunication networks for administrations; 
(10) Whereas the effective linkage of such information systems requires a maximum degree of 
interoperability between the various systems and their components; 
(11) Whereas it is essential to maximize interoperability in order to achieve economies of scale and 
to increase the benefits of telematic networks; 
(12) Whereas an enhanced interface with public administrations will encourage citizens of the 
European Union to reap the benefits of the Information Society; 
(13) Whereas the elimination of obstacles to communication between public administrations 
and the private sector is an important factor for the prosperity and competitiveness of 
Community industry; 
(14) Whereas the Community is a user or a beneficiary of those telematic networks which support 
Community policies and activities, interinstitutional communication and economic and 
monetary union; 
(15) Whereas the task of establishing such networks is incumbent on both the Community and the 
Member States; 
(16) Whereas, in order to make efficient use of the Community's financial resources, it is 
necessary to avoid needless proliferation of equipment, repetition of investigations and 
diversity of approach; 
(17) Whereas cost-efficiency, responsiveness, flexibility and adaptability to technological change in 
the establishment and operation of such networks can best be achieved by embracing a 
market-oriented approach; 
(18) Whereas any measures to ensure interoperability between and access to such networks 
must maintain a judicious balance between satisfying common requirements and preserving 
national specificities; 
(19) Whereas there is thus a need to carry out specific horizontal actions and measures in order to 
ensure interoperability between such networks; 
31 OJL 183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. 
34 
(20) Whereas in accordance with the subsidiarity and proportionality principles established by 
Article 3b of the Treaty the objective of carrying out such horizontal actions and measures 
cannot be adequately attained by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale 
and effects of the proposed action, be better attained at Community level; whereas the 
proposed action does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the said objective; 
(21) Whereas the implementation of the Agreement on the European Economic Area and of the 
association agreements with the European Community requires a high degree of 
interoperability within and across the relevant telematic networks; 
(22) Whereas there is an inherent international dimension to telematic networks and 
electronic communication; 
(23) Whereas the measures aimed at ensuring the interoperability of telematic networks between 
administrations are in accordance with the priorities adopted in relation to the guidelines for 
trans-European telecommunications networks; 
(24) Whereas the Council has adopted Decision 95/468/EC)32 on a Community contribution for 
telematic interchange of data between administrations in the Community (IDA), 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS : 
Article 1 
Scope and objectives 
1. The Community shall act in the field of trans-European telematic networks for 
administrations and. shall take the measures set out in Articles 3 to 10 and in Article 13 with 
the following objectives: 
(a) the achievement of a high degree of interoperability, within and across different 
administrative sectors and with the private sector, between the telematic networks 
established in the Member States and between the Commumty and the Member States in 
order to establish economic and monetary union and to implement the Community 
policies and activities referred to in Articles 3 and 3 a of the Treaty; 
(b) the achievement of greater cost-efficiency, responsiveness, flexibility and adaptability to 
technological change and market evolution in the establishment and operation of 
such networks; 
(c) the extension of the benefits of such networks to Community industry and citizens of the 
European Union; 
(d) the promotion of the spread of best practice and the encouragement of the development 
of innovative telematic solutions in administrations. 
2. This Decision forms part of the IDA programme. 
32 OJL 269, 11.11.1995, p. 23. 
35 
Article 2 
Definitions 
For the purpose of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply: 
(a) a telematic network is a comprehensive data communication system, comprising not only 
the physical infrastructure and connections, but also the service and application layers which 
are built on top of this infrastructure, thus enabling the interchange of information 
electronically between organizations and individuals; 
(b) a sectoral network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations, devoted to the 
implementation or the administrative support of one particular Community policy or activity 
which is hereinafter referred to as an administrative sector; 
(c) generic services are telematic network functionalities which meet common user 
requirements, such as data collection, data dissemination, data exchange, and security. 
The characteristics of each service are clearly specified and associated with a guaranteed level 
of quality. 
Article 3 
Horizontal actions and measures 
1. In order to achieve the objectives laid down in Article 1, the Community shall undertake 
horizontal actions and measures, as provided for by Articles 4 to 10, in accordance with the 
IDA work programme. * ' 
2. Implementation of the horizontal actions and measures shall include feasibility studies and 
demonstrators, the establishment of working groups of Member State and Community 
experts, and the procurement of goods and services for the Community, as appropriate. 
3. In implementing the horizontal actions and measures, care shall be taken to build on suitable 
results achieved by other relevant Community activities, in particular the Community research 
and technological development programmes and the Community activities in the field of 
trans-European telecommunication networks. 
4. Horizontal actions and measures shall make reference to European standards or publicly 
available specifications, as appropriate, in order to ensure a high degree of interoperability 
between national and Community systems within and across administrative sectors and with 
the private sector. Particular account shall be taken of guidelines and support tools in the area 
of standardization in public procurement for ICT systems and services, such as SPRITE - S2. 
Article 4 
Generic services 
1. The Community shall adopt all necessary measures in order for a wide choice of common 
generic services that meet sectoral user requirements to be made available to sectoral 
networks by telematic service providers on a competitive basis. These measures shall include 
the continuation of suitable measures undertaken under Decision 95/468/EC as appropriate. 
2. With the aim of enabling sectoral network users to identify their technical requirements and 
making available the wide choice of common generic services that meet sectoral user 
requirements, the Community shall, in particular: 
36 
(a) define architecture guidelines for the sectoral networks designed to encourage 
interoperability between the various physical infrastructures and services; 
(b) define and publish the specifications of the generic services which are commonly 
required by telematic networks between administrations, including the quality of service 
and the relevant interoperability requirements imposed by a multi-vendor environment; 
(c) define and implement a mechanism through which the degree of interoperability 
between the services offered by the telematic. service providers can be assessed 
and published, 
(d) identify and/or specify appropriate standard interfaces to encourage portability and 
replicability of application developments; 
(e) ensure a sustained evolution of common requirements and a continued monitoring of the 
telematics services offered by the said providers. 
Article 5 
Generic applications 
The Community shall ensure that common tools and techniques are developed for sectoral 
network applications with the aim of reducing the overall costs associated with application 
development, rationalizing and improving technical solutions, decreasing the time required for the 
implementation of operational systems, and streamlining system maintenance. 
For this purpose, the Community shall identify and specify, within sectoral networks, fundamental 
and recurring functionalities which can form the basis of generic applications or modules. 
It shall also encourage the development and use of such generic applications and modules by 
sectoral networks; in particular, the proliferation of suitable solutions which are developed within 
a sectoral network shall be ensured. 
Article 6 
Information content interoperability 
1. The Community shall encourage interoperability in terms of the content of the information 
which is exchanged within and across administrative sectors and with the private sector. 
For this purpose, and subject to the legal, security, and confidentiality requirements of 
the sectoral users, the Community shall adopt appropriate measures and, in particular, 
the following: 
(a) support for the efforts of the administrations of the Member States to ensure such 
interoperability, simplify administrative procedures and improve information flows; 
(b) coordination of the requirements of sectoral networks for formatted information 
exchange, and the ensuring of the proliferation of suitable solutions; 
(c) the monitoring of suitable technological developments in the field of electronic data 
communication, including innovative data collection and presentation mechanisms, 
investigation of their impact and encouragement of their adoption by sectoral networks. 
37 
2. For the purpose of paragraph 1, solutions facilitating interoperability between different 
message formats shall be preferred to, but not exclude, the development of harmonized 
message formats. 
Solutions allowing the private sector to integrate administrative requirements easily into 
business processes shall also be favoured. 
Article 7 
Legal and security framework 
The Community shall contribute to the identification and elimination of the legal and contractual 
barriers that impede the smooth exchange of data between network users and shall ensure an 
appropriate degree of security within sectoral networks. In particular, the Community shall, 
(a) formulate, in cooperation with the Member States, a model legal and security framework for 
the trans-European interchange of data between administrations and between administrations 
and the private sector, in order to facilitate a common approach; 
(b) support the efforts of the Member States to adhere to the framework referred to in (a) within 
their own administrative environments and, in particular, issue appropriate recommendations; 
(c) ensure, with regard to sectoral networks and in accordance with the framework referred to 
in (a): the recognition, within the administrative environment of the Community, of the 
evidential value of the data exchanged; the establishment of a methodology for the protection 
of personal data; the definition of the rights and responsibilities of the users; the 
confidentiality, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation of the information exchanged, as 
well as measures to control access to networks; 
(d) identify and analyse the different levels of security depending on the nature and purpose of 
sectoral networks; 
(e) formulate guidelines and provide common solutions for the choice and implementation of 
tools, components and systems that ensure the identified levels of security. 
Article 8 
Quality assurance and control 
The Community shall define, implement, and continuously update a quality programme which shall 
apply to the horizontal actions and measures under this Decision and to the projects of common 
interest under Decision 98/XXX/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. That quality 
programme shall include the necessary actions to: 
(a) improve the manner in which user requirements and project specifications are established; 
(b) improve the quality of project deliverables, both in terms of compliance with project 
specifications and in terms of satisfaction of user expectations; 
(c) ensure that the experiences gained are learning experiences and are disseminated through the 
spread of best practice described in Article 10. 
38 
Article 9 
Interoperability with national and regional initiatives 
In implementing the IDA programme, the Community shall endeavour to facilitate interoperability 
and cross-fertilization with similar initiatives relating to the interchange of data between 
administrations within the Member States. 
Article 10 
Spread of best practice 
1. The Commumty shall ensure coordination and the exchange of views, knowledge, and 
experiences within and across sectoral networks, with a view to encouraging the wider 
adoption of good solutions and encouraging innovation. 
2. The Commumty shall ensure general awareness of the achievements and benefits of the IDA 
programme, the dissemination of EDA guidelines and recommendations, and the coordination 
of user requirements and experiences with standardization bodies and Community 
standardization-related initiatives. 
Article 11 
Implementation 
1. The Commission shall implement the Community action set out in Articles 3 to 10. 
2. The section of the IDA work programme concerning the implementation of this Decision, 
which the Commission shall draw up at yearly intervals, shall be approved in accordance with 
the procedure set out in Article 12. 
3. The common rules and procedures for bringing about technical and administrative 
interoperability shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 12. 
Article 12 
Committee procedures 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of representatives of the 
Member States and chaired by a representative of the Commission. This committee shall be 
called the Telematics between Administrations Committee (TAC). 
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures 
to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time-limit which the 
chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be 
delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions 
which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the 
representatives of the Member States within the committee shall be weighted in the manner 
set out in that Article. The chairman shall not vote. 
The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, if these 
measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the committee, they shall be 
communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In that event: 
The Commission may defer application of the measures which it has decided for a period of 
not more than one month from the date of such communication. 
39 
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision within the time-limit 
referred to in the previous subparagraph. 
2. The Commission shall regularly report to the TAC on the implementation of the 
present Decision. 
Article 13 
Evaluation 
1. Two years after the entry into force of this Decision or any subsequent amendment of this 
Decision, and at three-yearly intervals thereafter, the Commission shall, in coordination with 
the Member States, carry out an evaluation of the implementation of this Decision. 
2. The evaluation shall establish the progress and current status of the horizontal actions and 
measures provided for in this Decision. 
It shall also examine, in the light of the expenditure incurred by the Community, the benefits 
yielded by such horizontal actions and measures to the Community, the Member States, 
- Community industry and citizens of the European Union, and identify areas for potential 
improvement and verify synergy with other Community activities in the field of 
trans-European telecommunication networks. 
3. The Commission shall forward its evaluation to the Council together with any appropriate 
proposals for the amendment of this Decision. 
Article 14 
Extension to the EEA and associated countries 
1. Trie IDA programme may be opened, within the framework of their respective 
agreements with the European Community, to participation by the countries of the 
European Economic Area and the associated countries of central and eastern Europe and 
Cyprus in the horizontal actions and measures under this Decision. 
2. In the course of implementing this Decision, cooperation with non-member countries and 
with international organizations or bodies, as appropriate, shall be encouraged. 
Done at Brussels, For the Council 
The President 
40 
FINANCIAL STATEMENT 
1. TITLE OF OPERATION 
Trans-European Telematic Networks for Administrations (IDA) 
1.1 Projects of Common Interest for trans-European networks for the Interchange of 
Data between Administrations in Europe. 
1.2 Actions and measures in order to ensure interoperability of and access to 
trans-European networks for the electronic Interchange of Data between 
Administrations (IDA). 
2. BUDGET HEADING INVOLVED 
B5-7210. Trans-European Telematic Networks for Administrations (IDA) 
3. LEGAL BASIS 
Proposal for a EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION on a series of 
guidelines, including the identification of projects of common interest, for 
trans-European networks for the electronic Interchange of Data between 
Administrations (IDA) 
Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION adopting a series of actions and measures in 
order to ensure interoperability of and access to trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 
4. DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATION 
4.1 General objectives33 
4.1.1 Establishment of trans-European networks for the Interchange of Data 
between Administrations in Europe 
(a) establishing operational, interoperable, trans-European telematic networks between 
Member State administrations, as well as between such administrations and the 
Community institutions and bodies as appropriate, enabling the efficient, effective 
and secure interchange of information in order to establish economic and monetary 
33 Other Community initiatives related to specific policy areas, e.g. in the field of Customs and Indirect 
taxation, also concern the establishment of telematic networks between administrations in support of 
Community policies and activities. In order to avoid unnecessary duplications and foster synergy between 
these initiatives, the necessary coordination mechanisms are envisaged. Similar coordination 
mechanisms will be established between IDA and other related activities, notably in the fields of 
TEN-Telecom and R&D. 
41 
union and in order for the Member States and the Community to implement, within 
their respective areas of competence, the Community policies and activities; 
(b) establishing integrated telematic networks for the facilitation of communication 
between the Community institutions and in support of the Community decision­
making process 
4.1.1.1. Measures proposed 
(1) New projects: preparation, Feasibility studies, development, pilot projects and 
implementation of networks. 
(2) Continuation and enhancement of existing IDA telematic systems. Complete 
projects initiated in the first phase of the IDA programme and migrate existing 
systems towards the use of common generic telematic services. Where applicable, 
provide an interface with industry and citizens. 
(3) Globalization of IDA networks: identification and/or development of common 
requirements, standards, rules and guidelines for new participants; assisting the 
connection of individual countries/organizations to certain networks. 
(4) Interinstitutional systems to ensure that the necessary telematic tools and 
techniques, particularly those providing facilities sucji as workflow management, 
electronic messaging and document exchange, are made available to support the 
administrative flows of information within the Commission, between the European 
institutions, and between them and Member State permanent representations. 
4.1.1.2.Types of action 
(1) Feasibility studies and demonstrators, meetings of experts and procurement of 
goods and services for the Community. 
(2) Grants to the Member States. 
4.1.2 Interoperability measures for the interchange of data between 
administrations in Europe 
(a) achieving a high degree of interoperability, within and across different 
administrative sectors and with the private sector, between the telematic networks 
established in the Member States and between the Community and the 
Member States to implement the Community policies and activities; 
(b) achieving greater cost-efficiency, responsiveness, flexibility and adaptability to 
technological change and market evolution in the establishment and operation of 
such networks; 
(c) extending the benefits of such networks to European industry and 
European citizens; 
(d) promoting the spread of best practice and encouraging the development of 
innovative telematic solutions in administrations. 
42 
4.1.2.1. Measures proposed 
(1) Continue the provision of common telematic generic services under the TESTA 
initiative. Formulate architecture guidelines. Evolution of common generic 
telematic services, rationalize and globalize common solutions to common 
requirements; identify and select generic services from the marketplace, support 
system administrators and end-users. Assist existing networks to migrate to the use 
of generic services. Implement a methodology for telecommunication services 
certification in a multi-vendor environment. Identify and/or specify appropriate 
standard interfaces to encourage portability and replicability of application 
developments. 
(2) Spread of best practice: encourage the development and proliferation of ideas, 
techniques and solutions which could ease the adoption process, and stimulate 
cross-fertilization between sectoral projects. 
(3) Interoperability with national and regional initiatives: establish a mechanism to 
collect and disseminate information about the various national initiatives in the 
area of telematic networks between administrations in order to foster 
widespread interoperability. 
(4) Application development policy: development of generic applications in order to 
achieve economies of scale. Identify and specify, within sectoral networks, 
fundamental and recurring functionalities which can form the basis of generic 
applications or modules. Proliferation of suitable solutions among 
sectoral networks. 
(5) Action to improve information content interoperability: Establish 
commonly-agreed specifications where appropriate for the exchange of electronic 
documents, database querying and ?ccess and direct application-to-application 
communication; develop guidelines and examples relating to administrative re-
engineering and the adoption of new working practices and innovative data 
collection and presentation mechanisms, investigate their impact, and foster their 
adoption by sectoral networks. 
(6) Removal of legal barriers: Carry out relevant study of existing networks the aim to 
define through a pragmatic approach the legal and contractual issues hindering the 
smooth operation of the networks; derive guidelines for improving the legal and 
contractual environment in which the networks operate. 
(7) Security measures: Establish a coherent set of measures, to be implemented as a 
first step to reduce the immediate risks to acceptable levels; define the security 
profiles, status and the corresponding security processes which need to be 
implemented; examine the feasibility of having access to certification authorities to 
implement certain data security mechanisms. 
(8) Quality assurance: design and implement a quality programme for all measures and 
project development. 
43 
4.1.2.2. Types of action 
(1) Feasibility studies and demonstrators, meetings of experts and procurement of 
goods and services for the Community. 
(2) Publications, dissemination of information by electronic means, conferences. 
4.1.3.0perational expenses of telematic networks between administrations. 
Specific operational expenses 
The services required for the normal operation of IDA networks, including 
maintenance, user support and transmission costs, will be provided as 
generic services. 
Provision of generic services will already be necessary during the implementation 
of a project. 
Upon completion of the implementation phase, the Community share of the 
operational costs will be covered by sectoral budgets. However, in order to allow 
for the necessary budgetary arrangements to be made both in the Member States 
and in the Community, coverage of the operational expenses under the IDA budget 
is foreseen for a transitional period not exceeding two years for each network. 
A transitional period is also foreseen for those networks which are continued under 
IDA II and which are already operational at the time the second phase of the 
programme enters into force. For technical and contractual reasons, these 
networks can only gradually be migrated towards the use of generic services. Thus, 
"old" operational expenses (i.e. specific to each network concerned and in many 
cases leaving scarce room for cost sharing between the Community and the 
Member States) will be phased out by the end of 1999. These costs are hereinafter 
referred to as "Specific operational expenses". 
4.2 Duration 
From 1998 to 2000 
4.3 Target audience 
Community institutions and Bodies, Member State administrations. 
5. EXPENDITURE CLASSIFICATION 
DNO; CD. 
6. TYPE OF EXPENDITURE 
The IDA budget shall support the actions included in the IDA work programme, 
whether new or continued from the work programme 1997. They include all relevant 
studies (in particular, feasibility and evaluation studies), meetings of experts, 
conferences, paper-based and electronic publications and, in general, the procurement of 
44 
goods and services to the Community for the establishment of networks, for the 
implementation of horizontal measures and in support of the programme management. 
Co-financing of projects concerns only the public sector, i.e. Member State 
administrations. However, a strongly market-oriented approach will have the effect of 
shifting to the private sector investments and risks that in the past have been undertaken 
by the Community - in particular, where generic services are concerned. 
Partnership with the public sector is implemented by means of a cooperation schema 
based upon the assignment of tasks to every project participant (i.e. Community and 
Member State administrations) under individual project implementation plans. The 
annual IDA work programme contains the ensemble of tasks assigned to the 
Community for the current year, which are primarily fulfilled by means of procurement. 
Member State administrations carry out at their cost the tasks assigned to them in each 
project implementation plan, which include supporting all or part of the 
telecommunication costs, maintenance costs, purchase/leasing of equipment, etc. 
However, subsidies to Member State admimstrations are also envisaged (up to 50% of 
the cost of the tasks concerned) in case they prove a more efficient means to facilitate 
overall network implementation or to reduce the associated cost. Any grants thus 
envisaged and the associated tasks will be specified in the annual work programme. 
7. FINANCIAL IMPACT 
7.1. Method of calculating total cost of operation 
Assessment of the financial needs for the period 1998/2000 has been made on the 
following basis: 
• It has been estimated that, in addition to the necessary continuation of existing 
projects, some 15 to 25 new sectoral projects will be launched during the new 
phase of IDA in order to attain the programme objectives. The cost of each project 
ranges between ECU 0.5 and 3 million (depending on the functionality required) 
until they become fully operational after a pilot phase. Part of the total cost of 
these projects will be covered by the use of generic services (about 30%). 
• It has also been estimated that the cost for the implementation of interinstitutional 
projects capable of supporting the Community decision making process and the 
exchange of information/documents between European institutions amounts to 
ECU 11.5 million over three years, of which ECU 3.7 million will be devoted to 
telematic services, thus covered by the generic services line. The remaining 
ECU 7.8 million will cover the establishment of the basic interinstitutional system 
and three to five additional actions concerning translation facilities, or 
interinstitutional communication in specific sectors. The additional actions are 
estimated at ECU 1.8 million spread over three years given that they will be based 
on generic services and build on the basic system, which will allow to incur low 
development costs in the region of ECU 0.4 or 0.5 million each. The basic system 
is estimated at ECU 6 million spread over three years, and includes the following 
elements: further development and implementation of the production of electronic 
45 
documents in the institutions (ECU 1 million), the set-up, customization and 
implementation of workflow management systems within and between the 
institutions (ECU 2 million), the set-up of reference and dissemination 
environment in the institutions (ECU 1.2 million), the further enhancement of 
the parliamentary questions application (ECU 0.6 million) and finally 
operational support (ECU 0.4 million) and user-training (ECU 0.8 million) for the 
SEI-LEG application. 
• The interoperability measures proposed have been estimated on the basis of past 
experience. The main part of the expenditure will be the provision of generic 
services, which will grow as new projects are being implemented and new services 
are provided to networks. The growth in constant ecus is about 20% per annum, 
taking into account the foreseen decrease in the price of telematic services. 
• The specific operational expenses of existing networks are estimated at 
ECU 8.7 million in total, based on past expenditure. It is envisaged that these 
specific operational expenses will be phased out by the end of 1999, as and 
when migration towards the use of generic services and cost sharing with the 
Member States permit. 
7.2. Breakdown by programme elements (current ECU million) 
Type 
Projects of common interest 
Subtotal 
Interoperability measures 
Subtotal 
Specific operational costs 
TOTAL Project 
New sectoral projects 
Inter-institutional 
Globalization 
Continuation/enhancement of 
existing projects 
Generic services 
Spread of best practice 
Application development 
Interop with national and regional 
Information content interop. and 
standardization 
Legal barriers 
Security measures 
Quality assurance 1998 
2.50 
2.50 
0.50 
3.70 
9.20 
4.80 
0.50 
1.00 
0.30 
0.80 
0.40 
0.40 
0.50 
8.70 
5.70 
23.60 1999 
3.80 
2.50 
1.00 
2.00 
9.30 
5.50 
1.00 
3.00 
0.30 
0.60 
0.40 
0.40 
0.50 
11.70 
3.00 
24.00 2000 
5.50 
2.80 
1.00 
2.00 
11.30 
6.50 
1.00 
3.00 
0.30 
0.60 
0.40 
0.40 
0.50 
12.70 
0.00 
24.00 TOTAL 
11.80 
7.80 
2.50 
7.70 
29.80 
16.80 
2.50 
7.00 
0.90 
2.00 
1.20 
1.20 
1.50 
33.10 
8.70 
71.60 
46 
7.3. Indicative schedule of appropriations 
7.3.1. Schedule for proposed new operation (numbers in million) 
Commitment 
appropriations 1998 1999 
:,- ,24M 2000 
}MJ&fr] 2001 
** : 2002 
r % ' : TOTAL 
-71,450 
Payment 
appropriations 
1998 
1999 
2000 
TOTAL 4.00 
-
-
L',- **** 5.00 
5.50 
-
mm 5.00 
14.50 
5.50 
,25,00 9.60 
4.00 
14.50 
h n.m -
-
4.00 
| , -W 23.60 
24.00 
24.00 
7ÏM 
For every yearly bqdget, 23% in payments are allocated for the current year n, 62% is 
allocated to year n+1 and 15% for year n+2. This follows from the current model of project 
type and behaviour of the sectors. 
7.4. Multiannual actions schedule: 
INDICATIVE PLAN 
ECU million 
1998 
23.60 1999 
24.00 2000 
24.00 TOTAL 
1998-2000 
71.60 
47 
8. ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES 
Strict compliance with the rules and procedures governing procurement of goods and 
services to the Communities is ensured, in accordance with the financial regulation applicable 
to the general budget of the European Communities, the regulation on modalities for the 
implementation of the financial regulation and thé internal rules of the Commission. The 
relevant protective clauses are included in all agreements and contracts between the 
Commission and the beneficiaries of payments. Only officially approved contract models are 
used and multiple controls are made on the procurement process in order to ensure 
correctness and transparency. Control measures are systematically included in all contracts 
and agreements, such as periodic reporting and production of predetermined deliverables at 
predetermined contract milestones. Verification of subventions and effective performance is 
made before any payments are authorised; this is carried out by means of visits on site, 
establishment and verification of performance metrics, etc. 
9. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 
IDA's strategy to achieve a high degree of efficiency is based on three elements: 
procurement of generic telematic services from the market and use of generic applications as 
opposed to integral, tailored network development; spread of best practice among sectoral 
networks; implementation of a quality and evaluation programme encompassing all sectoral 
projects. It is thus intended to reduce the overall costs associated with the establishment and 
operation of networks, rationalize and improve technical solutions, decrease the time 
required for the implementation of operational systems, streamline system maintenance and 
facilitate network enhancement, while ensuring the highest degree of interoperability. 
Generic services are already provided through the TESTA initiative. It is envisaged that there 
will be a shift towards a competitive schema in the second phase of EDA. Generic services in 
the marketplace will be constantly identified, specified, verified, and monitored. These 
activities will provide administrations with simple, generic service descriptions, classified by 
quality and selection criteria such as reliability, availability, performance, continuity, usability, 
and interoperability, in order to allow all users involved in the procurement of telematic 
services to obtain an acceptable and comparable quality of service throughout the Union. It 
will then be a straightforward process to select the best offer for the lowest price among a 
wide range of potential contractors while guaranteeing the required level of performance, 
security and interoperability. Continuous cost savings can thus be achieved by rationalizing 
and globalizing common solutions to common requirements, minimizing risks and creating 
economies of scale. Similarly, action will be undertaken in order to identify and specify, 
within sectoral networks, fundamental and recurring functionalities which can form the basis 
of generic applications or modules; development and use of such generic applications and 
modules by sectoral networks shall be fostered. 
The IDA programme management will define a quality assurance and control policy which, 
as a horizontal activity, involves all IDA projects, and will design a quality programme that 
implements this policy during the project developments. This policy will encompass 
continuous monitoring and revision of the IDA QA Methodology which will apply to each 
project with regard to: system integration, provision of telecommunication services, software 
development, system operation, user support. 
48 
A global implementation plan for each project will provide a detailed description of the 
expected benefits including assessment criteria (such us quality and readiness of 
implementation, speed of information processing, speed of transmission, availability, 
customer satisfaction, cost, etc.) for measuring these benefits beyond the implementation 
phase. A post-implementation review of each IDA project shall be carried out within a year 
following the end of the implementation phase. The findings of such reviews shall be form 
the basis for the periodical evaluation of the entire programme at three-yearly intervals. 
Spread of best practice is also a key factor in reaching technical consistency and avoiding 
needless overlaps and diversity of approach/It is envisaged to undertake all necessary actions 
in order to encourage the development and dissemination of ideas, techniques and solutions 
which could ease the implementation process and maximize the possible applications and 
benefits of communicating electronically over telematic networks, foster proliferation of 
suitable solutions and, in general, facilitate cross-fertilization between sectors in order to 
achieve greater cost-efficiency. 
It is finally envisaged to carry out periodical evaluation of the implementation of this action 
(at three-yearly intervals). 
This evaluation shall 
(a) establish the progress and current status of the horizontal actions and measures 
provided for under this Decision, 
(b) examine, in light of the expenditure incurred by the Community, the benefits reported by 
such horizontal actions and measures to the Community, the Member States, European 
industry and European citizens, and 
(c) identify areas for potential improvement and verify synergy with other Community 
activities in the field of trans-European telecommunication networks 
and provide elements for proposals with regard to the eventual review of the action. 
10. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE 
10.1. Impact on the number of Commission staff 
This action will not entail an increase in the number of the Commission staff. The 
allocation of the necessary staff will be based on the existing resources - eventually by 
way of internal reallocation. 
The provision of the required administrative resources is dependant upon the annual 
decision of the Commission concerning the allocation of resources, taking particular 
account of the extra personnel and financial resources available by the budget. 
49 
10.2. Staff and administrative expenditure involved in the proposed operation. 
The maximum administrative expenditure directly incurred by this action is estimated 
as follows: 
• Projects have been classified as sectoral and non-sectoral. Based upon the degree of 
assistance required by each sector from IDA in the implementation of the respective 
sectoral projects, project management will be subdelegated to the service concerned 
whenever possible. Sectoral projects have thus been classified as subdelegated and 
non-subdelegated. Project administration has been broken down into main areas of 
action on a per-project basis. Overall programme management and administration has 
been calculated separately. 
DE FACTO PROJECT 
ESTIMATES 
PROJECT TYPES: 
1. 
II. 
III. 
IMPL 
TELI Sectoral - Sub-delegated budget 
Sectoral - Non subdelegated budç 
i "• 
Non-sectoral \ 
TAC Coordination l/ll/lll 
Project Coordination (TAC) l/ll/lll 
Administrative support Mil - B 
Invoice Clearance type Mil 
Secreterial support type Mil - C 
TAC Secretariat \ let Max M/Y per project 
0.25 A 
0.35 A 
0.5 A 
0.02 A 
0.01 B 
0.053 
0.05 C 
0.2 C 
0.01 C 
.EMENTATION OF TRANS-EUROPEAN 
EMATICS NETWORKS BETWEEN ADMIN. : 16.25 
Project Management & Technical Co-ordination: 
Type ? Number • 
i i. \ 17 j i 
! II. I 11 I 
III. 4 ! 
/«CIICDI^ ecm/i^cc -...,* ADDI i/«*Tiniue A Oft 
Project Manaqement & Technical Coordination: 
Type >Number ! 
III. ! 6 j 
SPREAD OF BEST PRACTICE 1.95 
i Project Manaqement & Technical Coordination: 
Type \ Number ; 
III. 3 I 
LEG AL BARRIERS AND SECURITY 2.50 
Type \ Number j 
: Specific j 2 
OTHER HORIZONTAL ACTIONS 2.40 
Type ? Number : 
I Specific \ 6 to 8 ; 
ADM INISTRATION j 5.50 
Staff Manaqement & Development 
; Operational & Administrative procedures 
;Budqet 
lLoqistics/Archive \ 
; Internal Quality 
; Informatic and Secretarial Support-
: TOTAL il : 33.50 
| 34 Human Resources M/Y 
ABC 
4* 
0.25 
0.25 
0.25 
0.25 11.14 
3.10 
1.50 
2.00 
1.75 
1.00 
0.50 
1.00 1.04 
0.30 
0.20 
0.25 
0.25 
1.50 
1.00 
2.00 4.07 
1.50 
0.25 
0.25 
0.40 
3.00 
? 20.49: i 3.54; ! 9.47 
20: 4; I 10 
50 
Total cost of staff = ECU 34 103 000/year = ECU 3.5 million/year. 
Missions: ECU 47 500/year based on an estimate of ECU 2 500/year per staff of grade 
A involved in project management. 
Committee meetings: ECU 66 000/year based on three committee meetings per year at 
an estimated cost of ECU 10 000 each plus six subgroup meetings per year at an 
estimated cost of ECJJ 6 000 each. 
Call for tenders evaluations: ECU 30 000/year based on one general evaluation 
exercise per year. 
51 



ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(97) 661 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 01 15 16 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-97-678-EN-C 
ISBN 92-78-28621-4 
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