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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
A N N U A L  R E P O R T
O F  T H E  D A T A  PRO CESSIN G  D E P A R T M E N T S  O F  T H E  C O M M IS S IO N
1982
(Report from the Commission to the Council and European Parliament)
C O M (83) 240 finalC O M (83) 240 final
Brussels, 30 M ay 1983

ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE DATA PROCESSING DEPARTMENTS OF THE COMMISSION
1982
7344/83 EN

ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE DATA PROCESSING DEPARTMENTS OF THE COMMISSION
1982
7344/83 EN

-  1 -
INTRODUCTION
The Commission's Steering Committee for Data Processing (CDIC) has decided to 
•  change the content of the annual reports by including the short- and medium- 
term plans, which also indicate the resources required.
The constant expansion of data processing requires major investment in some 
years in order to keep down increases in expenditure in subsequent years. A 
mere report of the activitives in the past year is therefore not sufficient to 
explain the problems and results of data processing management.
While the plan has to be amended frequently in order to take account of the 
priorities arising from Commission action and new technical possibilitites 
appearing on the market it nonetheless seems appropriate to publish each year 
an up-to-date account of the plan covering the past and the future and 
containing clear numerical information for the attention of the budgetary 
authorities, users and data processing staff.
The expenditure forecasts in this document are, of course, given as a guide 
only and are therefore not binding on the Commission as regards any proposals 
it may make to the budgetary authorities.
This report discusses the following main topics:
.  The plan provides for an average growth of 25 to 30% per annum in the data 
processing services provided for users. At the same time a two to three- 
year backlog has to be worked off.
.  It is estimated that it will take five years (until 1988), with unchanged 
•  resources, to cope with the waiting list for new applications. This time 
limit must be reduced to three and a half years (until mid-1986) by 
increasing the funds available.

-  2 -
Increas.ed administrative efficiency in the Commission depends largely on 
investment in new information technologies, including in particular elec­
tronic office equipment. The work of a growing number of officials will 
therefore change radically over the next few years. The success of this 
change will depend upon a major training effort and close cooperation with 
the staff.
The Computer Centre expects to raise its capacity tenfold in five years 
with an almost stationary budget (in constant ECUs).
An increase of 7 million ECU (17%) (at the constant 1983 rate) in the 
total data processing budget for 1984 is essential, in particular for the 
network, electronic office equipment and applications development. This 
investment would ensure the critical minimum threshold necessary for 
continued expansion with a stationary budget (in constant ECUs).
The data transmission network is becoming the essential element in data 
processing, above all for inter-institutional communication (electronic 
mail and INSIS).
The variety and incompatibility of hardware and software available on the 
market mean that distributed data processing involves difficult and expen­
sive technical solutions, with rigid enforcement of international data 
processing standards.
A special effort will be made to improve the quality and reliability of 
data processing services and to make savings on the basis of cost/benefit 
analyses.
The increase in contract-based data processing staff - who are 40% more 
expensive than internal staff - is making the Commission dangerously 
dependent in areas where there is inadequate management or control by 
officials; 20 additional posts would solve the problem.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The essential aim of data processing! is to use technical progress to 
improve each year the efficiency of the administration by supplying it 
with management, communication and information handling tools. The 
Steering Committee for Data Processing in the Commission (CDIC) realises 
that there is no greater false economy than trying to economize on 
productivity, and in order to keep up with demand from the 
Directorates-General,  has set as its goal an average increase of between 
25 and 30% per annum in the service available to users, at the cost of a 
slight increase in data processing expenditure. This trend, -indeed, 
reflects what is happening elsewhere in the world.
Since, moreover, vast sums have been spent in the past on data processing 
in the Commission for extraordinary measures (merger of the executives in 
1967, removal from Brussels to Luxembourg in 1968/1969, seven conversions 
between 1970 and 1981 for the replacement of the central computers by 
hardware which was not compatible with the previous machines), a further 
aim must be set: to improve the situation and work off a two to three-year 
backlog.
For these reasons the CDIC has drawn up a programme for improvements and 
development, with a definite timetable and annual objectives:
1981: Rehousing and reorganization of the computer centre in
Luxembourg - completion of conversion operations (see Chapter 
4);
Drawing up of a medium term policy for distributed data 
processing (see Chapter 3 and Annex I);
Restructuring of the data processing organization to 
incorporate telecommunications, electronic office equipment 
and documentation data bases (see Chapter 2);
Installation of a new telephone network in Brussels to meet 
the needs of the period 1982-1990.
"Data processing" denotes all information handling activities 
including office equipment (electronic office equipment) and 
telecommunications (telematics), which are moving progressively 
towards the integration of data, text, image and voice.

-  1 -2  -
1982: Progressive establishment of decentralized data processing
organizations within the Directorates-General (see Chapter 2);
Development of methods for data processing management (planning, 
budgets, project management, training);
First medium-term plan for data processing; .
Elaboration of a new policy for the acquisition of hardware, software 
and information services (see Annex II).
The objectives for 1981 and 1982 have been achieved.
1983: Installation of a new data communications network to meet the needs
for the period 1984-1990 (see Chapter 6);
Launching of a large number of applications projects (see Chapter 7);
Consultation with staff on the introduction of new techniques into 
the working environment;
Improvement of data processing capacity (quality, reliability, cost/- 
benefit analyses, development productivity);
Establishment of a new policy for data base management.
1984-85: Significant progress as regards the integration of electronic office 
and telematics services at user level;;
First electronic mail service (see Chapter 6);
Implementation of the infrastructure for the years 1986-1990 (see 
Chapter 8, INSIS);
Development of important inter-institutional applications in 
association also with the administrations of member countries (see 
Chapter 8, INSIS).
Thus the aim of providing front-rank data processing services in the 
Commission should be achieved during the second half of the 1980s.

-  2-1  -
2. ORGANIZATION, STAFF AND TRAINING 
ORGANIZATION
Since the restructuring of the data processing organization at the end of 
.  1981, the committee structure for data processing management has been as
follows^:
- the Commission's Steering Committee for Data Processing (CDIC) 
chaired by the Director-General for Personnel and Administration 
(DG IX), and comprising the Directors-General of DG XIII, the SOEC,
DG XVII, a representative of the Secretariat-General, the Deputy 
Director-General of DG III and the Director of Department A of the 
JRC in Ispra.
This committee decides, under the authority of the Commission, the 
strategy, major policy lines, organization, plans and budgets on the 
basis of proposals submitted to it by the Director for Informatics.
The CDIC is assisted by two main committees chaired by the Director for
Informatics:
- the Users' Committee (CU), comprising representatives from 
Directorates-General which use the services of the Directorate for 
Informatics, deals with users' problems, in particular plans, 
priorities, budgets and projects;
- the Informatics Technology Committee (CTl), is a consultative body 
which reports to the CDIC and to the standing group for industrial 
innovation and which consists of the Directors of Department A of the 
JCR in Ispra, DG III/B and DG XIII/B, and is responsible for making 
recommendations on technological questions affecting distributed data 
processing policy.
- the CTI is assisted by the Standard Implementation Committee (SIC), 
chaired by the Director of Department A of the JRC in Ispra, the role 
of which is to ensure that norms and standards are properly 
implemented.
For the list of abbreviations, see Annex IV

-  2-2  -
- the Staff Committee has set up its own Informatics Sub-committee,  
which regularly meets the Director for Informatics and his colleagues 
in order to examine staff problems arising from computerization 
within the departments.
- In addition to these Commission committees mention should be made of 
the Inter-Institutional Committee for Informatics (CIl) chaired by 
the Commission's Director for Informatics, which includes represen­
tatives from each institution. This committee has drawn up an 
inter-institutional cooperation programme and has extended its field 
of interest to the INSIS programme (see Chapter 8).
The Directorate for informatics (Dl) is the pivot of the new data processing 
organization. It has the following divisions and departments:
- Informatics, Planning and Administration (IPA) is responsible for 
coordination of plans and budgets, fund management, administrative 
and contractual aspects of procurement, and secretariat services to 
the Users' Committee.
- Quality Management and Internal Audit (QA) makes, on the basis of 
analyses, recommendations aimed at improving the level of data 
processing services as regards quality, reliability, performance and 
ergonomics.
Computer Centre (CC) makes machine time on the central computers 
available to users and also provides associated services in the field 
.  of systems engineering, user support, data management and acquisition
- these two activities should be gradually decentralized.
- Integrated Information Systems (SIl) is responsible for telecom­
munications, distributed data processing equipment and electronic 
office equipment, and access to internal and external data bases. It 
also provides user support facilities for users in these areas, 
including the design and management of projects.
Informatics engineering (II): is responsible for the design and ·
implementation of the infrastructure of the data processing services. 
It plans for the future and ensures that new technical methods and 
facilities are introduced.
Applications Development (DA): is responsible for designing,
implementing and maintaining applications developed centrally.

- 2-3 -
Within the Directorates-General local data processing organization 
structures have been set up. Their size and tasks vary depending on the 
degree of computerization within the units of a particular Directorate- 
General. The Directorates-General have each appointed a director 
responsible for the organization of data processing, in addition to an 
information systems manager (ISM) who is responsible for the day to day 
management of data processing activities within the DG.
These officials form the links at management and operational level between 
the central organization and the users; they are also members of the Users' 
Committee which deals with the Directorate-General's data processing 
problems. The Directorate for Informatics exercises professional control 
over the staff in the DGs, in particular via directives published in the 
Informatics Guide (see Annex III).
STAFF
The following table shows the Commission's data processing staff:
TABLE 1: Staff, 1982 LX BX TOT
Dl/IPA/QA 7 21(a)28
CC 88 - 88
SII 27 194(b)221
II 28 4 32
DA 41 2 43
Total for Informatics Directorate 191 221 412
Directorates-General 60 71 131
Staff under contract 80 45 125
(a) This figure includes mainly administrative and secretarial staff, in 
particular IPA staff, responsible for the management and administration of 
the Informatics Directorate
(b) This figure is high since telecommunications (switchboard and telex), 
which employs more than 140 persons, is attached to the Informatics 
Directorate

- 2-4 -
The annual average increase of 25 to 35% in the volume of services 
provided by the Informatics Directorate cannot be continued unless the 
Directorate's staff is increased. Since the requests for extra posts have 
been regularly turned down in recent years, the data processing plan 
assumes a rapid increase in the number of staff under contract. At the end 
of 1982 work done under contract was the equivalent of 125 man/years, 83 
of which were spent on permanent tasks. Employment under contract is 
expensive since it may be estimated that on average a member of staff 
employed under an external contract costs 40% more than an official with 
comparable qualifications. Moreover, their number gives cause for concern 
insofar as it creates a dangerous dependence on outside resources at 
certain sensitive points of the organization; this applies to 20 man/years.
Within the Directorates-General an increasing number of staff are working 
either part- or full-time with data processing applications, either as 
users or as application managers or programmers. The figures for data 
processing staff within the DGs mentioned in Table 1 do not include:
data or text acquisition staff, since their work is gradually being 
integrated into other administrative tasks;
users managing the contents of data bases;
officials using computers for their personal calculations 
(statistics, econometrics etc.). The latter category contains 
approximately 170 people who spend between 25 and 75% of their time 
on such tasks.
The development of the use of data processing tools and the increase in 
electronic office equipment planned for the period 1984-85 will entail 
major changes in the nature of the work done by staff, which can be 
achieved only in close cooperation with them.
TRAINING v
In this context training is a major prerequisite. To make the DGs more '  
efficient, their data processing competence should be increased and 
training should be given to a growing number of users whose tasks, 
formerly purely administrative, will increasingly involve the use of data 
processing tools (consultation of data bases, updating of files, use of 
highly developed languages, etc.). At the same time training must also 
cover information officers, given the speed of technical progress in the 
field of data processing on the one hand and the need to expand their role 
within the new organization on the other.

- 2-5 -
The total figure for Commission internal training in data processing for 
1982 may be estimated at just over 3 000 trainee-days. Of particular note 
were the training of 150 officials in data base interrogation, the 
training of 130 others in the use of text processing systems, and the 
courses on computer languages (COBOL, APL, etc.) representing a total of 
450 trainee/days. A series of lectures given by the Commission's data 
processing experts under the general title of 'Pratiques de 1'informatique' 
(Data Processing Practice) gave forty of the Commission's senior staff a 
better understanding of the potential and probable development of in-house 
data processing.
It has been made easier for 'professional' computer staff to attend 
specific training sessions of a more technical nature and to take part in 
external courses or seminars in order to improve their knowledge and keep 
them abreast of developments.
However, since the demand is great, a more ambitious training programme 
must be implemented, and recommendations on the responsibilities, methods 
and organization of training courses in data processing have been drawn up 
and distributed.
The expansion in electronic office applications envisaged for the period 
1983/85 must be very carefully prepared in accordance with a specific plan 
for staff training, so that these new techniques can be integrated into 
the working environment with a minimum of friction.

- 3-1 -
3. GENERAL GUIDELINES
The general guidelines give the architecture and technical criteria for 
all data processing hardware and software to be installed between 1983 and 
1990; they represent a difficult compromise between contradictory 
objectives and constraints:
- Distributed data processing
In 1980 the Commission decided to install distributed data processing 
(see Annex I) with a view, for economic reasons, to the gradual 
integration of data processing, text processing, image and voice 
processing services at the level of user access (multifunction work 
stations) The decreasing cost (approximately 20% per annum) of mini 
and micro-computers is making it possible to install them close to 
users. Large-scale computers serving all users are increasingly 
being used to manage large data bases. Telecommunications networks 
linking the computers and work stations together and providing remote 
access to host computers are becoming the essential factor in data 
processing architecture. An essential condition is the compatibility 
of all hardware and software irrespective of its origin.
Comptatibility of equipment
In order to avoid being dependent on a single supplier for all its 
data processing requirements, the Commission has to insist that 
hardware from different manufacturers is mutually compatible .  Here 
the Commission faces the same problem as other customers in Europe 
for whom it wishes to set an example by defining a policy for the 
acquisition of data processing equipment (see Annex II).
This problem will be solved only by means of internationally 
respected standards. Existing standards cover only a small 
percentage of what is needed A theoretical model of categories for 
standards arranged on different levels has been internationally 
accepted. This is the Open System Interconnection (OSl) with the 
following levels: 1. physical, 2. connection, 3. network, 4.
transport, 5. session, 6. presentation, 7. application.

- 3-2 -
For levels 1 to 3 there are international standards theoretically 
permitting networks to transmit data. But there are no standards for 
levels 4 to 7 which would make computers and work stations mutually 
comprehensible, since these protocols exist mostly at software level. 
Pending an international agreement, the manufacturers, whilst accep­
ting the OSI philosophy, apply their own personal protocols which are 
mutually incompatible (C.l.I./H.B. :  DSA, Digital Equipment :  DECNET, 
I.B.M. :  SNA, I.C.L. :  IPA, l.T.T. :  CNA, SIEMENS :  TRANSDATA, 
UNIVAC :  DCA, etc.). In general each manufacturer can therefore sell 
only within his own architecture, which leads to compartmentalization 
of the data processing market, which can only be profitable to the 
manufacturer with the largest share. It would be inconceivable for 
the Commission, or any other customer, to install a complete 
distributed hardware network for each manufacturer.
This is the obstacle which is blocking progress and which risks 
vitiating industrial investment in research. A decision on standards 
is therefore urgently required for the sake of the European data 
processing market and industry; if necessary those standards which 
are already the most widespread could be adopted.
There are some exceptions where standards do exist for levels OSI 4 
to 7 (teletype, teletex, videotex, file transfer). But these 
protocols are still insufficient to underpin development of the 
Commission's data processing architecture to the extent that the 
technical possibilities allow.
Technical feasibi lit£
Owing to the lack of standards and to economic difficulties, new 
products are entering the market more slowly than technological 
progress would lead one to expect.
For the years 1984-86 efforts should be limited to the integration of 
texts and data, the setting-up of a digital network in parallel with 
the analogue telephone network, the implementation of electronic mail 
(based on Teletex, and on rapid growth and improved quality of 
telecopying) and the improvement and expansion of present services. 
Mini-computers will still play an important role but the advent of 
micro-computer work stations will reduce their value. In the period 
1984-86 these overall trends will particularly favour the development 
of the electronic office.

- 3-3 -
The years 1986-90 will see the introduction, following pilot schemes 
in 1984-86, of local applications occupying a wide band width and 
permitting the integration of a static image and vocal messages, i.e. 
local networks and optical disc archiving with complete message 
transfer facilities. It is worth pointing out that the success of 
new local configurations for 1986 will depend to a large extent on 
the existence at that date of international standards still under 
discussion today.
In the meantime teleconference services will be continued - by 
parallel (telephone, cable, satellite) and modernized (telecopying, 
fixed image) communications - until such time as it is economically 
justifiable to introduce video-conference facilities.
The complete integration of communications by an integrated services 
digital network (ISDN) is not expected in the Commission before 1990.
Multilinguism
The Commission's requirements as regards multilinguism will be met 
only at the cost of great technical and economic effort, but the 
resultant benefits are likely to have broad application. The 
Commission (DG III) is working on the development of a multilingual 
keyboard.
Synchronization with the INSIS programme (objectives set out in Chapter 8)
INSIS provides for the implementation of advanced technical solutions 
which will not be easy to reconcile with the need to wait for 
international standards to be adopted for the selection of hardware 
and software.
In the light of the above, the architecture may be defined as follows.
The local configurations consisting of computers and work stations close 
to users will give access to the central data processing services via an 
institutional (i.e. serving all users in the Commission) packet switching 
type data network - international standard X25 - similar to the public 
networks (see Chapter 6,- project 1).
In order to prevent manufacturers' protocols from extending to all 
Commission activities, access to the central services will be limited as 
far as possible by manufacturer-independent protocols: Teletype and later
ECMA videotex for consultation of data bases, NIFTP (Network Independent 
File Transfer Protocol) and later the ECMA standard for the transfer of 
files and remote batch processing and Teletex for text communication. 
Access by any manufacturer's protocol is purely temporary and requires a 
special authorization. The adaptation of computers to the protocols 
mentioned above is a costly procedure (see Chapter 6, project 2).

-  3-U -
For local communication between work stations and local computers a 
variety of non-standardized solutions must be used until the standardized 
local networks are introduced. Manufacturers' protocols will therefore be 
accepted provided their field of application remains local. In view of 
the number of Directorates-General requiring a local configuration a 
competitive balance between manufacturers will probably be possible. As a 
result, however, these configurations will have to be converted once 
standardized hardware is available.
In order to reduce local conversion costs the general guidelines set out 
strict conditions for making the software as independent as possible of 
the choice of hardware (portability). Whereas in the past the basic 
software was chosen to suit the computers, greater emphasis will have to 
be placed in the future on the selection of software, and checks made to 
ensure that the hardware supports it. A second route to reducing future 
conversion work is maximum standardization of the human interface: 
multilingual character sets, keyboards, command languages and ergonomic 
conditions.
Particular attention will be given to the drawing-up of a new data base 
management policy - the most important field of application in the 
Commission (see Chapter 1, Objective 1983).
The general guidelines take the form at the technical level of the 
definition of infrastructure projects (see Chapter 6), the drawing-up of 
hardware and software specifications for invitations to tender and 
instructions for the development of applications covering the Commission's 
needs (see Chapter 7).
The Standard Implementation Committee will take an increasingly important 
role in implementing the general guidelines,'»not only in monitoring the 
application of existing standards (e.g. certification of magnetic tapes
and of the TTY protocol in 1982), but also in the drawing-up of new norms 
needed for the establishment of the data-processing infrastructure.

- 4-1 -
4. COMPUTER CENTRES
In 1981 the former Computer Centre in Luxembourg had an overworked ICL 
.2980 computer and a Siemens 7760 housed in another building plus an ICL 
2976 operated by a service bureau.
A new ICL 2982 (dual) computer, the ICL 2976 and Siemens 7760 computers 
were housed together, in accordance with the objectives originally set, in 
the computer room at the new Computer Centre under the authority of the 
Commission's staff, and a new, more efficient method of organization was 
implemented in the -computer room. The ICL 2980 load was distributed in 
accordance with rational criteria between those computers by means of a 
major conversion operation which it is confidently hoped will be the last 
in a series which paralysed data processing in the Commission.
The availability of services has gradually improved, with the mean monthly 
rate of availability increasing from 91% at the end of 1980 to 97% at the 
beginning of 1983 (Table 2, line 4).
Computing capacity has increased considerably - from 4.4 mips to 7.5 mips 
(Table 2, line 1) in one year, representing a rise of 70%; the storage 
capacity expanded by 88% over the same period. These high rates of growth 
were due to a starting level which was unusually low for an organization 
the size of the Commission. Moreover, they only just made it possible to 
satisfy the increase in demand, since at the end of the year there was no 
reserve capacity available on the second Siemens (7551) computer installed 
in May 1982.
This rapid increase in requirements is not something peculiar co the 
Commission. There is generally an annual increase of computer 
configurations of approximately 50% in large-scale public or private 
organizations.
The rates of increase are due in particular to the installation of data 
base management systems which, although they are very satisfactory from 
thè users' point of view, take up a great deal of machine capacity.
(2)

In order to offer a high-quality service during the day the size of 
computer configurations will in future depend only on the volume of jobs 
in interactive mode, since the capacity available will make it possible to 
absorb batch processing also. Consequently, Table 3 does not take account 
of batch processing, even where there is a high proportion of it, since it 
is no longer representative of the workload. The increase in computing 
capacity with a view to eliminating night work is, moreover, becoming an 
economically viable operation (Table 2, lines 5 and 8 for 1984).
Table 3 shows the details of trends in resources by type of application 
(upper part) and by user (lower part). The units of measurement are the 
capacity used expressed in GINS per annum (giga instructions) over the 
interactive period and also the magnetic disc storage volume expressed in 
megabytes per annum. The use of external resources (service bureaux) is 
included in these figures, except for the last three lines which concern 
only the Commission's Computer Centre (development and maintenance, 
running, reserve capacity and total net capacity).
Statistical, documentation and administrative systems use most resources, 
but it is interesting to note that the highest rate of increase is to be 
found under the heading "other Directorates-General", which indicates a 
gradual general spread in the use of data processing.
In future, despite a significant annual increase in configuration 
capacity, costs are likely to increase only slightly, expressed in 
millions of constant ECUs, owing to a marked improvement in the 
cost/benefit ratio of equipment. This objective can, of course, be 
achieved only by virtually continuous negotiations with manufacturers 
within the context-; of existing contracts. Moreover, if account is taken 
of the reduction in staff, both internal (Table 2, line 6) and external 
(Table 2, line 7), the total cost for the Computer Centre should decrease 
slightly and the cost per unit of capacity to be supplied by the Computer 
Centre by the end of 1983 (including all machinery and having regard to 
staff costs) should represent less than 50% of the unit cost of capacity 
acquired from outside.

- 4-3 -
The inadequacy of the configurations at the Commission's own Computer 
Centre led to growing use of external service bureaux: the CII/HB EURIS
centre for documentation bases, and the IBM service bureau mainly for 
applications for the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial 
Affairs. The gross computing capacity used increased by 50% between 1981 
and 1982 (Table 2, line 10), with the available storage volume climbing by 
43% (Table 2, line ll) and the number of .simultaneous accessing operations 
by 24% (line 12). The expenditure on these external "service bureaux" 
(line 13) increased by 30% over the same period.
A cost-cutting exercise has been launched with a view to limiting the 
increase in such expenditure. It is estimated that an overall saving of 
1.5 million ECUs might be achieved over the full year by the procurement 
of a computer. However, since such equipment cannot arrive before the end 
of 1983 the effect on expenditure relating to external centres will 
scarcely be felt until 1984.
For the years 1985 and 1986, when the existing contracts will expire, 
consideration will have to be given to replacing the computers in 
service. The principles set out in the policy for acquiring computer 
hardware and software (see Annex II) must be applied to this operation.
The Computer Centre's priorities for the immediate future, (1983), are as 
follows:
- Reorganization and improvement of the direct service to users;
- Critical review of management and data-capture tasks in the context 
of distributed data processing; drawing-up and implementation of a 
specific plan for the decentralization of management and data-capture 
tasks to the users concerned;
Further improvement in the cost/benefit ratio of Computer Centre 
equipment for the reasons set out above;
Elimination of the third shift (night work) in order to finance the 
growth in computing capacity and in the availability of the Centre 
during productive hours for its user population;
Critical review of information storage and archiving methods, in 
particular for the tape library;
- Standardization of contractual and technical relations with external 
service bureaux.

TABLE 2 COMPUTER CENTRES Unit (s) SO 81 82 83 84 85
INTERNAL (Luxembourg)
'  1.Computing capacity MIPS(b) 34.4 7.5152230
2.Storage volume Gb (c) 10.618.7 35.15580110
3.Simultaneous users Number 45150 170217280358
4.Computer availability % 9195 9797.59898.;
5.Expenditure on equipment million
(Item 210) ECU(d) (e)(f)6.0 9.39.79.49.4
6.Commission staff Number 10892 88868686
7.Staff under contract Number 6053 50363228
8.Expenditure on staff under million
contract (item 212) ECU(d) (e)2.8 2.71.81.61.4
EXTERNAL (Service Bureaux)
9.Number of centres Number 99 9922
10.Computing capacity MIPS(b) 1.62.1 3.14.11.61.6
11.Storage capacity Gb(c) 3.03.5 5.05.03.33.5
12.Simultaneous users Number 4762 77807272
13.Operating expenditure million
•(Item 213) ECU(d) (e)2.9 3.84.03.12.9
14.Total INTERNAL + EXTERNAL
expenditure (Items 210, million
212 and 213) ECU(d) (e)11.7 15.815.514.113.;
(f)
(a) Apart from expenditure, these figures reflect the situation as at 31 December
(b) MIPS = million instructions per second. For the service bureaux machine 
time purchased is expressed in equivalent computing capacity
(c) Gb = Gigabyte = one thousand million characters
(d) Current prices for 1981, 1982 and 1983. Constant (1983) prices for 1984 and 
1985
(e) The budgetary nomenclature had a different definition
(f) The ICL 2976 contract provided for free rental for the first year of 
operation

TABLE 3
USE OF THE COMPUTER CENTRESCapacity used 
(GINS/vear) (a)Storage volume 
(Mb-years) ■  (b)
8283 84 8582838485
bY APPLICATION
Administrative systems 11752010311045203380541075059540
Financial systems 200280420630238350400500
Statistical systems 2238297051457800123761625024545.36750
Documentation systems 18142195309545503772532065957960
Monitoring systems 309740108016001733231039005550
Models 14071860251534601629193023702930
Other applications 4180240450245270325380
Development and maintenance 32303900470056005726600063006600
Computer operation 21832400260029001215130014001500
Reserve capacity 26984130994010840141588601420512150
Total net capacity 1324517760303003840028600440006400080000
BY USER (c)
SCIC 2432502020324350400500
SOEC 211228004425665012189160002419036250
CUS ' 126140180250279310400550
DG II 9591350196528601518178022002730
DG III 18360090013501454100015002000
DG IV 56100200300 5102030
DG VI 188300970145058690018853110
DG IX 792 ·1200160021002953440050005500
DG XI 6990110150161200230260
DG XII 448500550600111150170200
DG XIII 448500550600642700750800
DG XVI 57806101000 2650125240
DG XVII 1321603206503350500700
DG XVIII 200280420630238350400500
Other DGs 2550200400229250300350
Use by all DGs 11461725258540002625534075709890
Development and maintenance 32303900470056005726600063006600
Computer operation 21832400260029001215130014001500
Reserve capacity 26984130994010840141588601420512150
Total net capacity 1342517760303003840028600440006400080000
(a)
(b)
(c)Giga instructions per year in interactive mode 
Mb-years = 1 million characters stored over a year 
For abbreviations see Annex IV

INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS
It followed from the Commission decision directing its departments towards 
"the integration of data processing equipment, electronic office equipment 
and telecommunications" (see Annex I) that an appropriate administrative 
structure should be created - the Integrated Information Systems Division 
(SIl), which was to be set up gradually. At the beginning of 1982 this 
consisted of the /following four sectors: telecommunications (telephone,
telex); distributed equipment (electronic office equipment and connected 
networks by spring 1982); internal data bases other than those managed 
directly by the departments (ECO 1, ACTU and CELEX);  and the "New 
projects" team. At the beginning of 1983 a fifth "Data information 
service" team was set up.
As a result of the increase in distributed equipment (between 1982 and 
1983 the number of mini-computers will increase from 14 to 20 and the 
number of non-intelligent terminals from 459 to 628), and of escalating 
user demand in the field of data bases, a great many qualified staff are 
required in the SII division to meet the increased work involved in user 
support, technical back-up and training.
To ensure efficiency and keep costs down decentralized expansion of this 
kind must, of course, be kept under control. This is the aim of the new 
organization as regards both coordination and the determination of 
responsibilities at DG level.
In particular, the local data processing units should organize themselves 
so that they gradually assume responsibility, with their own resources, 
for the production work on the available equipment and also for the 
day-to-day data acquisition and operational management tasks inherent in 
their data processing applications.

- 5-2 -
A useful example is the organization which DG II (Economic and Financial 
Affairs) has long had for the utilization of data processing techniques in 
the processing of economic and monetary statistics, particularly for the 
preparation of models. Another instance is the Statistical Office of the 
European Communities, which alone uses almost half the total net Computer 
Centre storage capacity (see Table 3).
In general terms considerable progress was made in 1982 in DG IX 
(Personnel and Administration) and in DG XII (Science, Research and 
Development) which, like DG XVII (Energy), has an advantage in this 
respect in having staff with a scientific and technical training. DG XVII 
has, moreover, set up an autonomous data processing organization with its 
own data processing equipment specifically for the Fissile Materials 
Accounting application. The equipment became operational in 1982 and 
permits exacting conditions of confidentiality to be met.
The Office for Official Publications of the European Communities has taken 
various steps to computerize its work, and is making increasing use of 
data processing; DG XIV (Fisheries) and DG XVI (Regional Policy), like the 
CUS (Customs Union Service) and DG III (Internal Market and Industrial 
Affairs) have continued to develop projects in hand for several years.
DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
Table 4 gives a general view of trends in distributed data processing 
equipment for either data processing or electronic office purposes.
It highlights also the current great variety in equipment, the extra 
costs involved as a consequence and the importance of technical and 
economic rationalization by the introduction in the future of 
multi-function stations. Column 2 of the table shows that the 
current budgetary nomenclature is no longer suitable and should be 
adapted.
An analysis of the figures makes it possible to set out three 
categories based on the rate of development in equipment stocks:
a) Equipment with a low rate of growth (between 3% and 5% per 
annum); this is traditional electronic office equipment 
(typewriters, office calculators, microfiche readers, 
photocopiers, etc.). The most important factor in respect of 
this equipment, which is already fairly widespread, is the need 
to determine the replacement rate for stocks, which depends 
essentially on an age pyramid which is in fact irregular as a 
consequence of variations in the amounts of equipment purchased 
previously.

- 5-3 -
b) Equipment with a medium rate of growth (between 20% and 30%
per annum):  this is data processing hardware and in
particular non-intelligent terminals and remote job entry 
terminals (RJE). Placement has not yet reached its limit 
and the current rate of growth should remain constant until 
1985. They are then likely to be replaced progressively by 
integrated function work stations (micro-computers with 
text processing + teletex + network interface functions).
c) Equipment with a high rate of growth (between 70% and 100%
per annum): in this category are micro-computers, text
processing stations and "group III", telecopiers, with 
teletex stations appearing in 1984/85. This equipment is 
rapidly evolving into the integrated work station, which 
will become the work station (terminal) of the future. The 
introduction of this equipment (for example, word 
processors) will affect a large number of staff who, in 
most cases, have not previously come in contact with data 
processing equipment. Two conditions for the success of 
this operation will therefore be training and user support 
facilities. However, the availability of human and 
budgetary resources is an essential prerequisite for the 
implementation of a suitable training programme without 
which economic, administrative and, indeed, human setbacks 
are likely.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The telephone network has been developed in Luxembourg and Brussels 
to cope with increasing traffic (6.6 million incoming calls in 1982 
and '8 million estimated for 1983); this growth has been due in 
particular to the expansion of the data processing services 
(telecopying, facsimile, etc.). A new high capacity (20 000 lines) 
automatic telephone exchange offering various facilities to users was 
installed in Brussels at the end of 1981. Capacity was also 
increased in Luxembourg.
The telex network is still developing, but more slowly (191 lines in 
1982 and 194 planned for 1983). This is the forerunner of an 
electronic mail system based on the data network.
The rate of growth of the data network is determined by the number of 
terminals connected to the network - i.e. between 20% and 30% per 
annum.

- 5-4 -
In 1983 the standard X25 network will come.into operation (see 6- 
Infrastructure development), which will make it possible in the 
medium term to integrate the data network, telematics and electronic 
mail systems. Such integration, plus the development of electronic 
office equipment, will require staff for the installation and 
maintenance of equipment, and guidance and training of users.
DATA BASES
User demand in this sector is particularly high, and Table 6 shows a 
significant planned increase in volume of data bases in the next few 
years. The number of consultations of both internal and external 
bases is also increasing rapidly. For this reason one of the major 
objectives for 1983 is to establish a new data base management policy 
(see Chapter 1).
At the organizational level a particular user support structure has 
been available for several years. Each Directorate-General has one 
or more "information officers" on its staff to help officials find 
information. Moreover, a "data information service" was set up on a 
central basis from the beginning of 1983 for the express purpose of 
matching user demand for information to the supply available from all 
the data base managers.
The quality of the information stored in these data bases, and 
consequently the quality of the services offered, depends to a large 
extent on suitable methods of feeding data in, and a particular 
effort has been made to improve the organization in this area.
C  ·  ’
Software was devised in 1982 to run the English and German versions 
of the CELEX legislation data base on the public network. Important 
budgetary decisions still remain to be taken if multilinguism is to 
be assured and coverage given to the fields announced when the base 
was launched.
In 1982 the CRONOS data base (see Table 6) was enriched by raising 
the number of statistical series in it from 1 million to 1.4 
million. This increase, of course, has brought with it certain 
problems of information quality and reliability of input. These 
difficulties particularly merit attention since the base will 
henceforward be accessible to outside users. Internal requests to 
consult CRONOS and other statistical data bases have also increased 
and the Brussels "data shop" has had to extend its assistance service 
to answer specific questions from users in the Commission and other 
institutions.

- 5-5 -
The feeding of data into bases such as IFC or CERES (see Chapter 7 - 
Applications development) required greater cooperation between 
numerous departments in 1982. The preparatory work done for the 
opening of the SESAME data base in 1983 meant that DG XII and DG XVII 
had to cooperate closely to produce a joint data base.
The largest and oldest internal documentation data base, ECO 1, is 
being re-examined. The distributed method of inputting information 
in almost all the Directorates-General has in fact tended to reduce 
the quality and completeness of information in certain fields. For 
this reason a critical assessment of resources, methods and 
objectives was undertaken at the end of 1982.

TABLE 4 Budget ______Quantity _________ 1933 exp. ('000 ECU) Exp.
HA
RDWARE DISTRIBUTED Art. 82 83 84 85 P K M T 82
1 Typewriter 220493550905090.  5090 398-178576507
2 Office calculator 2202206226623662486 31-376845
3 Non-intelligent 21145962873887052463347016271053
terminal 222222426302-686
4 Microcomputer 211 2105612089-2211114
work station
5 Word processor 222198349449549606271948811056
work station
6 Telex 23198888565-192-192170
7 Teletext ---2070----
8 Coding workstation 21130303028-233-2222229
Microfiche reader 22015817620122650-95947
10 Telecopier 2225696116146-185-185117
11 Photocopier 22225626227228260700100860902
12 Desktop printer 211207290350400954453192137
22260110110120--303025
13 High speed printer 211 4667-49-4932
222 1111-25-2525
14 Teleconference studios 231 2466321-2412
15 RJE terminal 21126303234-274-274240
16 Minicomputer 21114202224-1221 -1221771
22268911-606-606509
17 Software 211-------273112
18 Supplies and removals 211--------281139
19 Special equipment 222----400356147903900
211- -------899574
20 Other 220 31-164753
211 44-186228
21 Price indexation ---100-
82838485
Expenditure ('000 ECU) 2113322531155756635752245454153113322
2206507508451100510-240750650
2223540353848755030522249947735383540
231182216230250 3213 216182
P = Purchase 
M = Maintenance
R = Rental, including maintenance  
T = Total

TABLE 5 TELECOMMUNICATIONS Unit 1982 1983 1984 1985
TELEPHONE NETWORK
1 Internal lines Number 11000130001400015000
2 External lines Number 922101210721112
3 Internal telephone calls Million 18 20 24 30
4 Incoming calls Million 6.6 810 14
5 Outgoing calls Million 11 13 15 18
6 Expenditure on PTT services (Article 231] 1  mECU 5613564457806190
7 Expenditure on equipment (Article 232) mECU 192 180 190 200
TELEX NETWORK
8 Lines Number 191 194 207 198
9 Expenditure on services (Article 231) mECU 1760180019002000
DATA TRANSMISSION NETWORK
10 External lines Number 18 22 24 26
11 External traffic (a) Kb/s 173 240 288 317
12 Internal lines 1 200 b/s Number 238 290 350 440
13 2 400 b/s Number 90 90100 110
14 4 800 b/s Number 49 70 85 100
15 9 600 b/s Number 130 150 180 210
16 48 000 b/s
17 Internal traffic (a) Kb/s 1984234027963252
18 Expenditure on PTT services (Article 211) mECU 318 435 537 627
19 Expenditure on equipment (Article 211) mECU 740119628122158
20 Expenditure on equipment (Article 212) mECU 18 32 35 40
Total expenditure: Article 211 mECU 1058163133552785
Article 221 mECU 210 212 225 240
Article 231 mECU 7373744476808190
mECU = '000 ECU
(a) expressed in millions of bits (1 bit being the basic unit of data, equal to 0 or 1

TABLE 6 PRINCIPAL INTERNAL DATA BASES Volume (MB)
1982 1983 1984 1985
Personnel management system (SYSPER) 560 560 560 · 560
Automatic address and publications 
management system (SAGAP) 225 230 240 250
Credit and Investments accounting (CRIMSON) 120 180 250 300
Chronological statistical series (CRONOS) 1800 2400 2400 2400
External trade (SIENA) 700 1500 2500 3000
Access system for the European 
nomenclatures data bank 780 940 1100 1420
Institutions legal documentation (CELEX) 700 1180 1300 1450
Internal Commission documentation (EC01) 620 700 750 850
Terminology data bank (EURODICAUTOM) 160 200 240 280
Community financial instruments (IFC) 75 85 95 105
Application of Directives monitoring (ASMODEE) 50 55 60 65
Automatic library catalogue (ECLAS) 50 70 80 90
Micro-economic documentation (DOME) 30 39 51 66
Textiles monitoring 50 400 400 450
Steel monitoring 40 190 350 410
Other operational documentary bases and aux­
iliary development files (ACTU, PRC, etc) 970 1185 1065 1130
Total 6930 9914 11441 12826
Data bases under development 100 840 3135 4260
Grand total 7030 10754 14576 17086
Appropriations for external bases (mECU) 0.144 
Appropriations for document analysis (mECU) 0.7330.210
0.7950.450
0.8500.450
0.850

-  6-1  -
6. INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Data processing infrastructure projects must be in accord with the general 
guidelines (Chapter 3) and respect the priorities set out in the 
objectives (Chapter 1).
The replacement of the current primitive data network by a modern network 
capable of interlinking the various computers, terminals and office work 
stations and of connecting them to public networks is a first step in this 
direction (Table 1, project 1). The network will be based on the X.25 
standard used previously for Euronet and adopted by all European postal 
administrations for their data networks.
The interconnection of heterogeneous hardware from the European market 
will require numerous studies, modifications to software, testing and 
approval procedures for the application of standards and protocols agreed 
at world level (ISO, CCITT), European level (ECMA, CEPT) and internally 
(project 2). An initial priority is the transfer of files between 
computers made by different manufacturers.
The development of an electronic mail system (INSEM) using the data 
network will make it possible not only to speed up and simplify the 
circulation of the institutions' documents, but also to make significant 
savings on resources by avoiding successive retranscriptions (project 3 
associated with the INSIS programme).
Electronic mail will, however, come into its own only once it is served by 
a suitably integrated extension of the work stations, which are unable at 
present to exchange information.
A first stage covering the integration of text and data into and between 
local hardware configurations, including modifications to suit 
standardized protocols, is planned for completion in 1984 (project 4).
This project is essential to any significant progress in the development 
of the electronic office from 1984 (see Chapter 1).

-  6-2
A second stage, for which preparations began in 1983 and which is to be 
completed in 1986, will cover, in addition to text and data, the 
integration of documents in graphics mode (logos, facsimiles), the 
development of local networks and electronic archiving (project 5).
The various tasks involved in the integration of new technologies will be 
based on studies and tests carried out within the context of INSIS for the 
purpose of ensuring that the system is introduced in the period 1986-1990 
(see Chapter 8) under reliable operating conditions and with a sound 
knowledge of the European market.
The statistical software currently in use for input and consultation of 
large-scale statistical data bases on the European economy must be 
consolidated in order to cope with the considerable increase in the amount 
of data stored (project 7). This software is, however, insufficient to 
cover the data needs of economic analysis and monitoring, and should be 
complemented by new developments, in particular for indexing data, 
supporting large-scale structural files and taking account of new 
distributed equipment (project 8).
The increasing use of data base management systems as information support 
in the various fields of the Commission's work requires technical 
facilities capable also of performing exchanges between data bases and 
adapting them to developments in work stations (9).
Applications development (analysis and programming) is certainly a 
critical factor in data processing development, both in view of its 
increasing relative cost and the slowdown effect of the long development 
times. An increase in productivity in this field will require a great 
effort, given the variety of equipment available, and will necessitate 
suitable programming and documentation tools.
Finally, faced with the complex trends in requirements and technology, the 
development of the various branches of data processing must be studied, 
planned and managed as a whole in order to achieve a better cost/benefit 
ratio. Moreover, a team of experts must be permanently available to 
assist and train data officers in the DGs and the central services (11).

TABLE 7 INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT In-house staff Contract staff
man / years man / years
8283848582838485
1.Data networks 1.01.5 1.0.0.61.050.45
2.Equipment compatibility 1.21.2 1.0 1.00.451.963.903.00
3.Interinstitutional
electronic mail (INSEM) (a) -1.42.03.0-1.0510.0712.92
4.Local configurations 84 6.14.54.0-0.64.057.96-
5.Local configurations 86 -0.22.07.0-0.603.156.01
6«INSIS experimental work (a) 2.35.84.02.0----
7.Consolidation of statistics
software 5.05.52.0 1.03.159.328.273.15
8.New statistics software 2.01.55.06.01.582.103.158.71
9.Data base support 4.54.54.54.50.902.702.105.26
10.Appl. Dev. productivity 2.52.73.03.01.053.004.504.50
11.General guidelines, studies >
training, management, 
technical assistance 7.45.25.56.5-1.201.501.50
Totals 32.0 34.034.034.0 8.3327.0345.0545.05
Expenditure (in '000 ECU) on contract 
staff and services - Article 214
(0.066 mECU per man/ year) 555 1800 3000 3000
(a) Contibution to INSIS programme

- 7-1 -
7. APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT
With no change in resources, the waiting period for new applications would 
be around five years, which would mean that no additional requests could 
be taken into consideration until 1988. Since this is unacceptable, the 
plan provides for a significant increase in external staff in order to 
reduce the delay to three and a half years (i.e. mid-1986 - see Tables 8 
and 9).
The Directorates-General are expected, within the context of distributed 
data processing, to take increasing responsibility for the development of 
applications specific to their work. Certain DGs have set up local data 
processing structures which enable them to devise their own applications 
or to engage external teams to develop local projects. Special mention 
may be made of the following services: the SOEC, the Office for Official
Publications, DGs II, VI, VII, XIV, XVII and the CUS (for the 
abbreviations see Annex IV). A rough estimate is that the DGs are 
currently expending 55 man-years on internal projects for applications 
development.
The department for applications development, which is responsible for 
devising inter-institutional applications or applications relevant to 
several Directorates-General, and the team from the SII division 
responsible for project design and management, are cooperating centrally 
in this effort.
Once they had successfully completed the applications conversion and 
transfer project described in Chapter A, the services turned their 
attention to the development activities set out in Table 8. This table 
constitutes a balance sheet for the past year, a work plan for the current 
year, 1983, and a workload forecast for future years for the applications 
recorded in February 1983.
( 3 )

- 7-2 -
Among the new administration and staff management systems the rapid 
implementation of the M1NI-SYSPER data base is worthy of note. With this 
the administrative departments responsible for staff management can 
quickly obtain the statistical or other specific information which they 
need to make their decisions. In the same way the SYSPER system, which is 
currently being developed, will give easy and rapid access to current and 
background information on posts. Decisions regarding staff management 
will be recorded, and many standard documents will be computerized, as 
will standard letters.
The SAFIR project is used to allocate interpreters to meetings. The 
Commission at present employs 400 established interpreters and may call 
upon approximately 1 200 freelance interpreters. In 1982 the allocation 
calculations were made for 8 100 meetings. The allocation of so many 
interpreters to meetings - the highest in the world - involves an 
operational search application which could not be carried out manually.
In its present provisional state the system is already providing a useful 
service.
The monitoring of production and supply quotas for iron and steel 
products, as decided by the Council under Article 58 of the ECSC Treaty, 
has been continued and extended by the installation of a data base. 
Applications for the limitation of exports to the USA and the monitoring 
of steel trade within the Community are being prepared.
Development projects in the field of financial instruments have continued 
in several sectors, in particular the Regional Fund and the Social Fund, 
and within the Directorate-General for Credit and Investments.
A-s for statistical surveys, the salaries survey and the steel structure 
survey have been completed, and the development of the fishing accidents 
survey and the transport situation survey has begun.
The TARIC data base is designed to manage the integrated Community customs 
tariff set up within the context of the Customs Union.
The TEXTILES data base combines information on external trade in textiles 
and the management and analysis software used during the multifibre 
agreement negotiations.
The SIENA data base combines all information on external trade since 1976 
and statistics processing software.

- 7-3 -
Within the external trade statistics sectors GTP statistics for import' 
controls under the new Generalized Preferences system have been prepared, 
as have ACP statistics for which data provided by the United Nations 
Statistical Office are fed into the CRONOS data base.
Within the field of documentation applications, two developments which 
took place in 1982 should be mentioned:
reorganization of the CELEX data base for Community law and its 
extension beyond the parent French-language base to cover English and 
German;
the opening of two new data bases - the Community financial 
instruments data base (IFC), which provides information on the 
regional effect of financial instruments, and the surveys procedure 
management base (CERES), which covers events from the introduction of 
the request to submission of the final report.
For 1983 there are plans to open, within the context of the "documentation 
and information" data base (CEDIN), at least 2 satellite files.
In addition, a data base on demonstration projects for new energy forms 
(SESAME) will be opened, together with a management application concerning 
replies to parliamentary questions (ROGER).
It has been possible to convert DG XVII's "Fissile Materials Accounting" 
application (see Annex IV), previously run by a service bureau, to 
operation on a computer installed in 1982 which is operated directly by DG 
XVII staff.
The SAGAP system, which manages and addresses publications at the 
Publications Office, is to be transferred from the present computer, which 
has become too small, to a new computer capable of absorbing the future 
requirements of the Publications Office and suitable for integration into 
the Commission's data network. The expansion of the business management 
applications (recording of orders, invoices and accounting data) will 
continue on the new equipment.

- 7-4 -
Requests for new applications (see Table 9) from the Commission's 
departments are rapidly increasing. They frequently concern the setting 
up of information systems designed to assist the Commission in its tasks: 
surveillance systems, monitoring of the implementation of treaties and 
directives, fund management, back-up for statistical systems in the field 
of external trade. Problems of coordination are encountered during the 
development of such applications, either within a particular department or 
between departments with similar problems. The Directorate for 
Informatics therefore wants to see interdepartmental groups set up to 
coordinate scattered requests and to save resources, while at the same 
time respecting the responsibilities conferred by the Commission on the 
departments concerned. Moreover, the requesting departments must formally 
undertake to assume complete responsibility for the day-to-day management 
of an application once it becomes operational.
Among the new projects shown in Table 8 together with the estimated cost 
of development for the period 1983-1985, some are politically extremely 
important: extension of surveillance in the steel sector after June 1983,
the management of state aids, fund management, the management and 
detection of irregularities and fraudulent practices detrimental to the 
Commission and energy data management. Detailed rules have been approved 
by the CDIC to decide the degree of priority for new applications (see 
Annex III). The most important criteria are contribution to meeting the 
Commission's objectives, a positive cost/benefit ratio and a level of 
preparation adequate to guarantee the success of a project.
Various projects listed in the upper part of Table 9 can be gradually 
developed between now and the end of 1985 on the basis of current 
budgetary allocations and present known demand. The lower part of the 
table shows the resources available between now and the end of 1985 and 
the deficit, expressed in man years, in accordance with the plans. This 
deficit could be absorbed during 1986, if no new demand arises between now 
and then, which seems highly unlikely. We can therefore conclude that our 
"order book" is full until 1986.
The applications development services try to follow developments in data 
processing technology. Within this context the applications make 
increasing use of data bases and of instant visual display equipment, 
which thus allows a man-machine dialogue. The quality of the service 
provided for users is thus improved. Further progress has been made in 
this direction by the use of data base interrogation languages which are 
relatively accessible to users.

- 7-5 -
The implementation of general data base software which meets the previous 
criterion has also made it possible to increase development productivity. 
The services intend to continue their work in this area and to continue to 
look for software tools suitable for increasing productivity. However, 
the variety of sources of data processing equipment does not make the task 
easy and tends to put up costs.

TABLE 8 APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT In-house staff 
man / yearsContract staff 
man / years
8283848582838485
MAINTENANCE, IMPROVEMENTS AND GENERAL SUPPORT
Administrative systems 17.1313.2413.0012.668.448.338.365.66
Financial systems 4.055.564.815.232.676.977.197.0
Statistical systems 6.522.352.744.133.745.635.765.60
Documentation systems 2.101.501.501.003.183.153.123.00
Monitoring systems 6.395.193.560.554.784.524.584.58
Totals 36.1927.8425.6123.5722.8128.6029.0125.92
CURRENT PROJECTS
Parliamentary questions (ROGER) (Inter- inst)0.10 0.20--0.260.150.080.06
Directives base (ASMODEE II) (SG, general) - 0.50---0.36--
Publicly-available legal documentation  
f^ELEX) (Inter-institutional)1.001.00--2.253.031.111.26
Statistical surveys (SOEC, DGs VII, XI,  
MultiannualXVII)
0.811.730.94-0.922.434.433.09
External trade statistics and GATT negotiations  
(SOEC, DG I) __1.763.003.004.50
External trade data base (SIENA) (SOEC) -----2.013.002.01
CCT management (TARIC II)-(CUS) ----0.562.511.76-
Interpreters management (SAFIR) (JCIS) 1.080.750.670.956.669.019.673.33
Steel monitoring (DG III) 1.893.830.200.201.163.11--
Textile monitoring (DG III) 1.890.90--1.203.321.94-
Social Fund (Phase I) (DG V) 0.140.220.270.270.600.87--
EAGGF - Guidance (DG VI) 0.54---1.431.620.35-
Third countries development fund  
management (PICS) (DG VIII) ----0.322.793.001.00
Fo aid programme management (DG VIII) ----0.061.61--
Personnel management (SYSPER) (DG IX) 1.343.303.816.054.702.014.684.85
Contract management (DIODON II, PROMAN) ----0.160.75--
(DGs XII, XVII)
ERDF (Phase I) (DG XVI) 0.270.450.270.130.961.74--
Energy and research documentation (SESAME) 0.20  
(DG XVII)0.20--0.270.170.080.06
Credit and Investments accounting  
(CRIMSON) (DG XVIII) 0.951.680.940.671.821.410.860.86
Budget library (DG XIX) 0.600.60---0.58--
Totals 10.8115.367.108.2725.0942.4833.9621.02
RESOURCES FOR NEW PROJECTS -3.8014.2915.16-9.3347.4765.67
Grand totals 47.0047.0047.0047.0047.9080.41110.44112.61
Expenditure on personnel and services 3190 5355 7355 7500
(Article 214 (in '000 ECU)
(a) Staff from the various DGs are not included, since the organization set up in 1982 has  
not yet had time to evaluate development and identify all data processing activities in  
the DGs. The total effort is estimated at 55 man/years.
7 T / . / .  / o · a  v n

TABLE 9 
NEW PROJECTSEstimated development 
effort required .in 
man / years
Management and detection of irregularities and fraud relating 
to Community regulations (DCs III, VI, XIX, XX; CUS and SG)
Management of infringements (SG, DGs III and Vi)11.6
3.0
11.6 Management of State aids (DGs IV, VI, XIV, XVII, SG)
The number of State aids subject to Commission approval has now 
increased beyond the point where manual data management is possible
Credit management (CUC) (DGs XIX, XX, and general use) 9.7
Modernization of credit management procedures
Community Law data base (CELEX) (general use) 6.0
(consolidation of the present system)
Data base covering the information published by the European 
institutions and information published about the institutions 5.76
(CEDIN) (Inter-institutional)
Energy data base (SIRENE) (DGs VI, XVII, SOEC) 12.0
Steel monitoring (DG III)
Changes to the monitoring system following policy decisions 9.4
taken from June 1983 onwards
Foreign trade statistics submitted by Member States 5.9
Social Fund management (Phase 2) (DG V) 6.3
Development of the existing application
Regional Development Fund (Phase 2) (EftDF) (DG XVI) 4.3
Development of the existing application
SIPA (DG IX Informatics) 6.0
Integrated planning and administration system
New Pay (DG IX) 10.3
Redesign of a system which is now too old to 
guarantee satisfactory reliability and normal running
EAGGF - Fisheries (DGs VI and XIV) 3.0
Reconstruction of the existing application
Missions management (TAMIS 2) (DG IX) 6.8
Reconstruction and modernization of an old application
Reconstruction and extension of agricultual accounting
(RICA) (DG VI) 11.7
Bank funds management (Crimson trésorerie) (DG XVIII) 7.7
Staff regulations reference library (DGs IX, XX) 3.0
New documentation and management bases 15.0
Applications to be developed by DGs (several DGs) 30.0
TOTAL 179.0
Resources available until end 1985 (see Table 8) 155.0
(in-house and outside staff)
Deficit for period 1983-1985 24.0

-  8-1  -
8. INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION AND 1NSIS
At the instigation of the heads of administration in the various 
institutions, an Interinstitutional Informatics Committee (CII) has been 
set up to coordinate computerized projects in the different institutions 
and to make optimum use of the resources available.
In 1982 the institutions adopted a cooperation protocol consisting of 
three reciprocal undertakings regarding:
the transmission for information of any decision of significance from 
the interinstitutional point of view;
proposals for interinstitutional recommendations: once the CII has
given a favourable opinion, the institution's representative on the 
committee seeks to obtain agreement at the appropriate level in his 
institution (8 recommendations in 1982);
the systematic distribution of any comprehensive document concerning 
the organization, activities or availability of data processing 
services in addition to any document dealing with interinstitutional 
recommendations.
One of the objectives at which these recommendations aim is the 
standardization of methods and the selection of hardware and software, 
more particularly for invitations to tender. Standards guaranteeing the 
compatibility of equipment in the various institutions (see Chapter 3) are 
their most important elements.
The committee will undertake for 1983 an in-depth analysis of the plans 
for data processing in the various institutions in order to achieve 
greater integration. The committee will stress to the heads of 
administration the need for a small documentation centre on data 
processing to provide regular back-up to interinstitutional cooperation. 
The Commission has been asked to run this centre, which would be available 
to the other institutions.

-  8-2  -
The CII also constitutes the necessary framework for the management of 
interinstitutional projects (users' committee): i.e. administrative
management of staff, publication systems and interinstitutional data bases 
(CELEX, CEDIN: see Table 6), and more particularly projects for the INSIS
programme.
INSIS (Interinstitutional System of Integrated Services) is an ambitious 
programme which aims, by setting up communication systems and applications 
incorporating new information technologies of interest to the European 
institutions and administrations of Member States, to stimulate innovation 
on the data processing market in Europe, while at the same time 
encouraging the development of international standards for the 
compatibility of hardware and software.
The Commission's contribution to this programme depends on cooperation 
among DG III, DG IX, DG XII, DG XIII and the SG (for abbreviations see 
Annex IV). In view of its responsibility to users, the Directorate for 
Informatics is very much involved in this programme and takes account of 
the INSIS programme in setting out its General Guidelines (Chapter 3) and 
its proposals on infrastructure (Chapter 6). The first projects with an 
important interinstitutional content include the construction of an inter­
institutional electronic mail network (INSEM) (see Chapter 6, Table 7) and 
video conference tests. In the short term the setting-up of experimental 
projects should prepare the ground for technical decisions on medium-and 
long-term policy.

- 9-1 -
9. QUALITY AND AUDIT
The quality of any data processing service may be assessed in terms of 
user satisfaction. Good programming of an application does not 
necessarily guarantee satisfactory quality. Certain criteria must, 
moreover, be respected as regards reliability, security, ergonomics, 
comfort and assistance.
Users everywhere are constantly demanding better quality from data 
processing applications, which in time will be expected to reach the level 
achieved in other branches of human activity (trains, cars, aeroplanes 
etc). A special effort is required in the Commission in view, on the one 
hand, of the successive conversions in recent years (c.f. Chapter 1, 
section 4) and, on the other hand, of the great variety of hardware and 
software.
For this reason, the Commission decided to set up a "Quality management 
and internal audit" department, which came into being in the second half 
of 1982. This department operates with a small permanent staff but with a 
budget enabling it to call in outside consultants.
Its main tasks are:
to devise plans to ensure quality and reliability, and to monitor their 
implementation by the data processing services. These plans include 
ergonomic factors, which are regarded as one aspect of quality, and are 
considered in close collaboration with the staff representatives and the 
Health and Safety Committee;
to carry out internal audits (audits on organization, projects under 
development, existing applications, etc).
For 1983 the programme will concentrate on:
cost/benefit analysis (methodology and audits) to indicate priorities for 
new projects;
quality and reliability standards; 
audits;
ergonomic analyses of work stations.

-  10-1  -
10. DATA PROCESSING BUDGET
In 1982 new short and medium-term planning methods for data processing 
activities were introduced. These form the basis for the estimates of 
expenditure given in the various Chapters of this report. Table 10 
summarizes the figures and distinguishes between the sums allocated and 
the expenditure arising out of the data processing plan. The difference 
between the two is due to the carrying-over of sums for contracts for work 
carried out over two financial years and also to appropriations carried 
forward.
1982 was also the first full budgetary financial year in which the 
operational integration of the various aspects of data processing (data 
processing proper, text processing, reprography and telecommunications) 
was fully achieved. This initial experience made it clear that the 
budgetary nomenclature required redefinition in order to harmonize it with 
the expenditure on data processing, as the tables in this report also 
indicate.
For 1983 the gradual introduction of analytical accounting will make it 
possible to extend the concept of total cost of data processing activities. 
The first results will be published in the 1983 annual report.
An analysis of Table 10 reveals three features of the data processing 
budget, which has to finance an expansion of between 25 and 30% per annum 
in services provided for users:
Decrease (in constant ECU) in appropriations for items 210, 212 and 
213, despite the rapid expansion of the corresponding services. This 
is due to rationalization and negotiation with suppliers, but above 
all to investment (item 210) making it possible to reduce the volume 
of expenditure on external services (items 212 and 213);
Rapid growth in appropriations for distributed networks and equipment 
(items 211 and 222), since this sector requires an injection of 
investment in the form, of infrastructure equipment (data network and 
electronic mail) in order to reach its normal operating rhythm.

-  10 -2  -
- Rapid increase in funds for infrastructure development (Chapter 6)· 
and in particular for applications (Chapter 7). This sector has 
suffered from an abnormally low level of financial resources (9% of 
the total budget in 1982) which has prevented it from making up past 
delays.
This analysis shows clearly that it is essential to increase the volume of 
appropriations available for data processing to a critical minimum 
threshold of approximately 33.2 million ECU (constant at 1983 rates) for 
Chapter 21 (see Table 10).
The investmènts made will then make it possible to maintain the expansion 
of services for an almost unchanged cost (in constant ECUs) by means of 
rationalization programmes, but also in view of the gradual reduction in 
price of data processing equipment (see Table 10 - 1985 funds for (Chapter 
21). These conclusions have already been brought to the attention of the 
budgetary authorities for the 1982 and 1983 budgets following an experts' 
report in 1981 presented by three outside consultants (a DIEBOLD company 
executive, a French civil servant and the informatics director of a large 
German company). It is important to understand that spreading the 
increase funds over a period in order to achieve this critical level would 
simply delay the rationalization programmes which will make it possible to 
stabilize the budget.
Since expenditure under items 210, 212, 213, 215 and 231 is by its very 
nature inevitable, a reduction in the budgetary appropriations requested 
would have a direct effect on the following actions:
progress with electronic office equipment and distributed data 
processing equipment, and the corresponding productivity benefits 
(items 211 and 222);
- the implementation of an interinstitutional electronic mail service 
(item 214 - see also Table 7, project 3);
- the implementation of new projects (see Table 9) and the work 
undertaken to reduce the waiting period from five to three and a half 
years (item 214) (see Chapter 7).

TABLE 10
APPROPRIATIONS FOR DATA PROCESSING (IN ECU)
Article Description C = Commitments 
•  E = Expenditure8283 84(a) 85(a)
210 Operation of Computer Centre C9.538.169.129.12
E9.309.709.409.40
211 Data processing networks C4.386.788.108.32
E4.386.948.939.42
212 Data Processing operating staff costs C2.492.222.282.10
E3.202.402.302.10
213 . Data processing operations carried out C3.803.873.142.89
by outside contactors E3.804.003.112.89
214 Analysis and programming, pre-analyis C3.956.319.7110.12
and special projects carried out by E3.757.2010.3610.49
outside contractors
215 Documentary analysis carried out by C0.850.660.850.85
outside contractors E0.730.800.850.85
21 TOTAL CHAPTER 21 C25.0028.0033.2033.40
E25.2031.0035.0035.20
220 Office machinery C0.650.750.851.10
E0.650.750.851.10
222 Technical equipment and installations (c) C3.753.755.105.27
E3.753.755.105.27
223 Services and telecommunications (d) C7.607.707.908.50
E7.607.707.908.43
TOTALS CHAPTERS 21, 22 and 23 C37.0040.2047.0548.30
E37.2043.2048.8550.00
(a) In constant '000 ECU (mECU) (1983)
(b) Appropriations requested totalled 30.50 mECU in 1982 and 32.50 mECU in 1983
(c) These figures do not include the non-data processing appropriations included 
in the same Article
(d) These figures show only appropriations for telephone rentals

-  11-1  -
11. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
The objectives set out in Chapter 1 will be achieved insofar as, On the 
one hand, a critical minimum threshold of funds (see Chapter 10) is 
granted and, on the other hand, 20 extra posts are obtained. These posts 
are intended to put an end to our dependence upon staff under contract in 
areas where such dependence is regarded as dangerous for the Commission 
(Chapter 2). This is particularly true as regards the managerial staff 
required to supervise the large number of outside staff engaged in the 
applications development.
Applications development is in fact the sector in which the lack of 
resources gives most cause for concern. After the years of conversion 
there is a considerable backlog to be worked off. But even taking account 
of the significant increase in funds for development envisaged in the data 
processing plan, existing resources will be fully committed until mid-1986. 
The result is that it will not be possible to start any projects which 
might subsequently be added to the list shown in Table 9 (Chapter 7) 
before that date.
Savings are, of course, planned (see Chapter 4, Chapter 6 - project 10 and 
Chapter 7), but it is difficult to maintain a rate of expansion of between 
25 and 30% per annum with a constant work force. But it is precisely this 
expansion in data processing application which will enable the Commission 
to increase its production and thus to accept the additional tasks 
requested by the Community. This will require far-reaching changes in 
administrative tasks, and success will depend on a major training scheme 
and close cooperation with staff.
At the technical level hardware and software manufacturers in Europe must 
be encouraged to increase their efforts to improve the compatibility of 
théir equipment. The integration of heterogeneous equipment is a costly 
exercise in the Commission (see Chapter 6, Table 7 - projects 2, 4, 5 and 
6) and in many organizations in Europe, which are increasingly finding 
themselves in thé same situation. The Commission certainly has a role to 
play here as champion of European data processing users - a role which is 
fully compatible with its task of promoting the data processing industry.
A suitable beginning would be to work more closely together with similar 
administrative bodies (see Chapter 8).
Finally, it is clear that it is essential to strengthen cooperation 
between the European institutions in order to improve communications and 
to economize on the data processing resources of each institution.

PART B
DATA PROCESSING IN THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE
INTRODUCTION
The main requirements of the Ispra establishment in respect of the processing 
of scientific, technical and administrative data are met by the Computing 
Centre.
In addition, a number of laboratories possess dedicated minicomputers which 
are used either in the capture or pre-processing of experimental data or in 
the processing of highly-specialized data such as images.
The developments in data processing are in line with a plan established during 
1979-80 for the JRC's 1980-83 programme.
In addition to its activities relating to data processing projects, the 
Informatics Division of Department A is responsible for management of the 
Computing Centre, and the head of Division is head of the Computing Centre.
A Users' Committee, whose members are designated by the Director of the 
Establishment, and which comprises mainly the heads of Departments and 
Directorates, together with any advisers they consider appropriate, meets from 
time to time at the request of the Director of Department A and under his 
chairmanship to draw up general guidelines for the head of the Computing 
Centre which will ensure that users' requests are optimally met.
Moreover, each head of Division has appointed a data-processing assistant 
whose role is to maintain contact between the staff of the division and the 
head of the Computing Centre.

The budget of the Computing Centre consists of an Appropriation Account 
(1.30.2) funded from the various programmes in proportion to the services 
rendered to each programme. This implies invoicing of services to each 
user.
-  The activity of the Computing Centre covers:
- operation of the computers, including the internal data transmission 
network;
- the establishment and maintenance of the basic software;
- the establishment and maintenance of technical and scientific 
libraries, including very large general utility programs, relating in 
particular to engineering;
- user support consisting of
direct oral information; 
organization of courses and seminars;
written distribution of detailed information (10 annual 
publications);
drafting of concise manuals on technical subjects.
The need for data processing hardware and software is determined 
periodically by user surveys supplementing the information available from 
Computing Centre development experience and from actual trends in the use 
of .the data processing facilities.
The Computing Centre obtains its equipment by invitation to tender, follow­
ing approval by the ACPC-JRC (Advisory Committee on Procurement and Con­
tracts) and the Management Committee for Data Processing in the Commission.
Supplies to the Computing Centre have to meet the requirements of the 
Standard Implementation Committee (SIC) recommendations.
The contract with Amdahl Italia was amended during the course of the year 
by the addition of an annex relating to norms and standards.

INSTALLATIONS, DEVELOPMENT, SHORT AND LONG-TERM FORECASTS
The current equipment was selected following invitations to tender in 1979 
and 1980.
Installation began in August 1980 and continued during 1981 and 1982 as 
need arose.
However, the installed computing capacity is becoming inadequate for 
users' needs.
In this context it should be noted that the statistics covering a period 
of more than 10 years show that every year the demand for processing on 
the CPU has increased by practically 30 % over the previous year. This is
normal, given that an annual increase of 25-35% has been general in the 
research centres.
With regard to the need for random access peripheral memory, the useful 
statistics cover fewer years but also give a growth rate of 1.3 per annum.

-  1-2  -
In addition, users have asked for a diversification of computing 
facilities to allow them to run their programs on the type of computer for 
which they were designed, thus avoiding conversion problems which can in 
certain cases be tricky.

-  2-1  -
2. EQUIPMENT CURRENTLY IN THE COMPUTING CENTRE
The Computing Centre hardware consists principally of one Amdahl 470/VB 
mainframe computer supplying 6.5 Mips, a wide range of peripherals and a 
network of seven Solar 16 computers.
The hardware was significantly augmented in 1982 by extension of the 
central and peripheral memories.
Some 160 VDUs and about 20 minicomputers provide RJE facilities around the 
Ispra establishment·.
Details of the current configuration are given in Table C.
Access to the computer is further facilitated by an internal network of 
seven French-manufactured Solar 16/65 computers (SEMS) which, in addition 
to being used in the Teleinformatics project, allow access to the central 
computer via Euronet.
With the agreement of the Management Committee one of these minicomputers 
was installed in DG XII at the end of 1982 with the aim of encouraging 
co-operation between the Commission departments and those of the JRC.
This project was carried out with the aid of DG IX and DG XII Brussels.

- 3-1 -
3. STAFF, BASIC SOFTWARE AND OPERATION 
STAFF
In January 1982 the staff of the Computing Centre was 27 units and reached 
30 units in December 1982, while remaining below the envisaged budget
complement of 36.
The staff is made up as follows:
JANUARY DECEMBER
General management 2 2
Operation 10 10
Data capture 3 3
Basic software 5 8
Networks 2 2
User support 5 5
27 30
During the course of the year the staff took part in a series of special­
ization courses and seminars, with the aim also of preparing for new 
developments.

- 3-2 -
BASIC SOFTWARE
Until December 1982 the computer was operated using a totally obsolete 
system (MVT).
It became possible to move up to another system only when a more recent 
generation of computer was installed.
.  When the new computer became available the need to prepare carefully for .  
the changeover to the new system without inconveniencing users either 
during the installation or during the changeover itself required a long 
period of organization and preparation.
The new operating system (MVS) came into service on 1 January 1983 and the 
two systems will be operated in parallel for six months so as to allow 
users to convert their applications gradually and painlessly.
Whilst MVS is being run in, and until MVT is taken out of service, the two 
systems will be run under the control of a third, VM, which will ensure an 
equitable apportionment of resources between the two operating systems.
Virtually all installation and maintenance of the operating systems is 
carried out by Computing Centre staff.
OPERATION
The computer is operated in three shifts:
- 2 shifts with operator control from 07.00 h to 24.00 h
1 unattended shift from 24.00 h to 07.00 h
In addition, Saturday mornings are devoted to the maintenance of files 
recorded on disks. This work is done in overtime.
Unattended operation (without operators) allows sequences of very long 
programs to be executed without the need for additional posts which are in 
any event not available.

- 4-1 -
4.SERVICES PROVIDED
DATA PROCESSING
During 1982, use of the Computing Centre was as follows:
CPU hours in problem mode invoiced: 2402
including batch processing: 2018
and conversational mode (TSO): 384
covering 99 100 batch operations 
and 76 600 time sharing operations.
The increase in productivity as compared to 1981 is approximately:
38 % for batch processing 
65 % for time sharing
These services are allocated between the various programmes and 
Appropriation Accounts (Administration) as shown in Table A.
Some 90 % of the activity of the Computing Centre is directed towards 
service to research programmes, 9 % is support to General Services and a 
little less than 1 % results from external contracts, some of which 
benefit other departments of the Commission.

- 4-2 -
USER SUPPORT
In addition to the oral consultations, which total approximately 30 daily, 
courses covering various subjects of interest in data processing were 
organized, and 10 numbers of "Computing Centre Newsletter" and the 
following four publications were published:
Converting CDC FTN4 to IBM FORTRAN IV May 1982
JRC Computer graphics May 1982
The Librarian May 1982
The Computing Centre Program Library
Vol 1: Program Descriptions September 1982
Computing Centre staff also contribute to the JRC training programme, which 
includes a large number of data processing courses at different levels for 
Computing Centre users.

- 5-1 -
5. THE BUDGET
COST
In addition to the secondary budget relating to staff salaries, the 
Computing Centre has a primary budget covering all other expenditure such 
as hardware rental, software, purchases, maintenance, expendable items, 
etc.
In 1982, Computing Centre appropriations were as follows (in '000 ECU):
Primary 3 000
Secondary 1 038
TOTAL 4 038
The larger items of expenditure are broadly analysed in Table B.

PRICE AND PERFORMANCE
The Computing Centre is attentive to the price/performance ratio of its 
equipment.
For 1982 the figures are:
central processing unit performance: 6.5 Mips
annual cost: 840 000 ECU
1 Annual Mips = 129 200 ECU
disk capacity: 12.2 Gigabytes
annual cost: 396 000 ECU
1 Annual Gigabyte = 35 400 ECU
It should be noted in passing that the installation has approximately 
2 Gigabytes of peripheral memory per Mips of central processing unit.
Taking the total cost of the Computing Centre, we can say that:
6.5 Mips + 11.2 Gigabytes cost 4 038 000 ECU in total
The annual cost of 1 Mips + 2 Gigabytes is about 621 000 ECU or 
Bfrs 28 million, i.e. 2 330 000 Bfrs/month.
In addition, each CPU hour produced (2 402 hours) costs 1 681 ECU, which 
amounts to 0.0718 ECU or approximately Bfrs 3.25 per million instructions 
produced.
This price is very favourable in comparison with the cost of services 
offered by service bureaux and others.

-  6 -1  -
6. CONCLUSIONS
For the Computing Centre the year 1982 was marked by a high degree of 
hardware and software reliability, an increase of approximately 35% in use 
rate and a slight increase in computing capacity, principally in memory.
However, we consider that the central unit is reaching saturation point, 
and preliminary planning with users has already begun.

TABLE A
\BLE A DISTRIBUTION OF SERVICES
OVER THE VARIOUS PROGRAMMES AND APPROPRIATION ACCOUNTS
73001 Reactor safety 43.16%
73003 Safety of nuclear materials 0.67%
73004 Fissile materials control and management 3.20%
73005 Super-SARA Test Programme SSTP 22.31%
Total 69.34%
73011 Solar energy 0.96%
73012 Hydrogen production, energy storage
and transport 0.06%
73013 Theromonuclear fusion technology 3.22%
73014 High temperature materials 0.61%
Total 4.87%
73021 Protection of the environment 8.40%
73022 Remote sensing from space 0.15%
Total 8.55%
73041 Informatics 5.96%
73043 Support to BGP
73046 Training and education 1.16%
Total 7.12%
1.20 General administrative and Technical
Services - Ispra 7.89%
1.30.3 Central workshop - Ispra 0.17%
1.40.2 ESSOR 0.41%
1.50.1 Scientific divisions 0.67%
Total 9.14%
1.94.0 Services to external users 0.96%
100.00%

TABLE B
TABLE B COST DISTRIBUTION
Leasing and maintenance of the main computer 840 000 ECU
Leasing and maintenance of random access peripherals 396 000 ECU
Other hardware leasing and maintenance 784 000 ECU
Leasing of software 390 000 ECU
Electricity 125 000 ECU
Maintenance of premises (fire protection, etc) 65 000 ECU
Expendable items 125 000 ECU
Minor expenditure (modems, racks, etc) 135 000 ECU
Sundry contracts 140 000 ECU
3 000 000 ECU

TABLE C
COMPUTING CENTRE CONFIGURATION
I Amdahl 470/V8 providing 6.5 Mips
20 moving arm interchangeable
disk units providing 3.6 Gigabytes
24 moving arm fixed disk units providing 7.6 Gigabytes
1 fixed head disk unit providing 11.5 Gigabytes
1 random access peripheral providing 23 Megabytes
6 high-density magnetic tape units 
(6250/1600 bpi)
3 medium-density magnetic tape units 
(1600/800 bpi)
2 punched card readers
1 punched tape reader
3 impact printers with total print 
capacity of 4000 lines per minute
2 telecommunication control units each 
handling 96 communication lines and 
connecting directly more than 160 
conversational terminals and about ten 
RJE terminals (some RJE terminals can 
then connect to further conversational 
terminals or RJEs).

ANNEXES

ANNEX I
1981-86 GUIDELINES FOR DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING 
IN THE COMMISSION AND OTHER COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS
Introduction
On 7 May 1980, the Commission adopted the following decision:
"The Commission adopts, in principle and as a long-term objective, its 
policy for the development of new information technology, with a view to 
guiding its own departments towards the integration of data-processing, 
office automation and telecommunications; the Commission furthermore 
agrees that such an objective may be achieved by the implementation of a 
distributed data processing network, which could take five or six years."
(COM(80), P.V.558).
Pursuant to this decision, the Commission approved on 20 May 1981 a report of 
which the second Annex included "Guidelines for 1981-86 regarding distributed 
data processing within the Commission" (1). The essential contents of that 
text are given below, and it may be examined in full by referring to Document 
SEC 780-1, amendments 1, 2 and 3.
The document was extended on 27 July 1982 at the Meeting of the Inter- 
Institutional Committee for Informatics and given an inter-institutional 
dimension.
The aim of this document is to present:
general trends in data processing (Chapter 1); 
factors specific to the Commission (Chapter 2);
- factors specific to the other Institutions (Chapter 3).
(1) Doc. CII 81-08

-  2 -
In the remainder of this document, the term "data processing" will be used not 
in its original narrow sense, but in the broader sense of the gradual 
integration of data, text, image and voice, including office equipment (office 
automation) with the support of a telecommunications network (telematics).
By "distributed data processing" must be understood a network of data 
processing equipment, serving users at their place of work and in addition 
giving access to centralized data processing. Even when the word 
"distributed" is omitted, "data processing" retains this meaning, while 
central data-processing services will be always indicated by "computer centre".
1. general TRENDS
1.1. Fall in equipment costs and increase in staff costs
Continuing progress in the field of micro-electronics is resulting in 
falling equipment costs (memory 40% per annum, data processing logic 
25% per annum, telecommunications 11% per annum).
The architecture of information systems has consequently to be 
redefined. Geographically, cheap computer capacity can be located 
wherever it is needed. Technical constraints thus being gradually 
eliminated, staff costs will constitute the principal factor in 
determining technical solutions. It will thus be possible to 
increase considerably the productive per capita investment in the 
tertiary sector, which at present is only Bfrs 0.1 million, compared 
with Bfrs 1.4 million in industry and Bfrs 2 million in 
agriculture.(*)
Distributed data processing will be an essential tool in improving 
human productivity and the decision-making process. These must be 
the primary criteria in selecting equipment or an organizational 
model for user service.

- 3 -
1.2. Users' data processing know-how is becoming a critical parameter
Computer training schemes, personal interest and the technical 
possibilities offered by data-processing equipment suppliers mean 
that many users no longer wait for the help of the central services 
in order to improve their productivity. They try to find their own 
solutions, using their own staff to design the tools they need, 
sometimes without taking account of established rules and priorities.
This development should not in any way worry central data processing 
staff, for it is a healthy and progressive trend, even if it requires 
expensive training. It should, however, induce computer professionals 
to rethink their role, which must now be to concentrate on 
infrastructure, guidance and control, in order to protect the 
investment in user software from the conversion problems implicit in 
a technology under constant development. Henceforth, standards, 
method and firm control over the development of activities will be of 
primary importance.
1.3. From the terminal to the multifunction work-station
Traditionally a terminal formed an integral part of the computer 
configuration to which it belonged, resulting in a different terminal 
being used for each type of service.
For obvious reasons of productivity, no-one wants to have a series of 
terminals in his office. Consequently, in future the official will 
be given a multifunction work-station with the power of one of today's 
average computers, which will provide him with a full range of 
services: text preparation, editing and processing, telex, teletex,
videotext, facsimile, electronic mail, individual document management, 
network access to computer centres, remote information bases and even 
conventional telephone facilities.

- 4 -
Of course, this integration of services by the multifunction work 
station will not occur overnight, and many stages of partial 
integration will be needed before integration is complete.
It is thus recommended that maximum flexibility be built into any new 
data-processing applications, so as to allow for future integration.
As for Europe, the development of multilingual services and work 
stations is an additional challenge which the vast English-language 
markets do not have to face, and European manufacturers may hope to 
transform this handicap into a market advantage.
1.4. Integration of the services in the network
With the rapid development of wide—band digital transmission, the 
integration on the same network of data, text, image and the spoken 
word will in the future be possible. This will lead to an integrated 
service digital network (ISDN); the speed at which it can be 
implemented will depend on many constraints other than the purely 
technical.
For this reason, progress can be appreciably slower in the case of 
the public networks than in that of the private local networks inter­
connecting work stations within the same organization. Fortunately, 
the integration of the full range of services on the network is not 
essential to the integration of services at the work station, 
provided that the station has access to the various networks 
available.
In the near future work stations and local archives will be 
interconnected using telephone pairs or coaxial cables, and later by 
local networks (of the ring or broadcast type, possibly with 
transmission by optical fibre), the architecture of which will depend 
on the possibility of connecting communities of users; interfaces 
with the public network will be available for external services.

- 5 -
1*5 Future of computer centres
With the falling prices of equipment, the cost of running a computer 
centre will depend increasingly on the cost of the personnel for the 
management, administration, operation and engineering of the system. 
The minimum organization of a computer centre will thus become a 
fixed cost which is so high that only centres with large computing 
capacity will be economically viable.
For this reason the majority of present-day computer centres of 
average size will disappear and be replaced by network connections 
with the large centres.
The large computers will specialize more and more in data bases and 
batch processing, to which they are best suited. If well designed 
they will be able to provide an excellent and rapid service in an 
environment of multiple applications.
Adding a major time-sharing service for individual users to the usual 
tasks of data bases and batch processing has always raised difficult 
problems of management with large computers. Individual work involves 
the appearance of workload peaks which are difficult to control and 
have a negative influence on response time for all the other 
applications. It is therefore preferable, where possible, to devolve 
this individual work onto interactive minicomputers serving a more 
restricted community of users.
If for some reason one application must be protected from interference 
by others, a dedicated computer is the ideal solution. This option 
does not exclude communication with the network. It is a further 
argument for adopting the general philosophy of distributed data 
processing.

-  6 -
1.6 Minicomputers
The interactive minicomputer in conversational mode will continue to 
play an important role in distributed data processing for some time. 
It can meet the internal needs of a small community of users and 
connect that community to the services available on the network. It 
can inter-connect groups of from 5 to 30 local terminals and printers 
and provide the functions which will at a later date be incorporated 
in the multifunction work stations (see 1.3). Minicomputers will 
soon have the power of present-day average size computers and 
specialize in interactive work: individual data processing, word 
processing and local electronic mail. They will also be able to hold 
files common to the members of the community served and to provide 
connection to the network, making it possible to reach data bases and 
remote batch processing.
It is essential that interactive minicomputers should not be small 
scale reproductions of a computer centre, for that would be far from 
economic in terms of operating staff (see 1.5). Interactive 
minicomputers should therefore be autonomous and not require 
operators other than the user at the work station.
1.7 Information management, files and data bases
Three important cost factors can be considered in information 
management: the cost of generating data (writing, keying, 
verification, correction), the cost of storing the information and 
the cost of access to the data.

- 7 -
The cost of creating data is 100 times greater than its access cost 
per annum and 1000 times greater that its storage cost per annum.
The preparation of text and data is therefore by far the most 
expensive operation in an organization, for it consists almost 
exclusively of staff costs.
This will be even truer in the future. Any document which has to be 
re-keyed or recoded will represent a 100% loss. For this reason text 
processing at the points of entry to the network, together with file 
transfer facilities from one data base to another, are the most 
interesting stages in the development of distributed data processing.
Individual files can be available on work stations, the files 
belonging to a particular organisational unit being available on an 
interactive minicomputer or a local network, but data bases serving a 
complete organization, or even the outside world, will remain in the 
large computer centres, for it is there alone that profitable 
low-cost storage and management can be set up to allow control of 
large volumes of information.
1.8 Work suitable for distributed data processing
Distributed data processing is not synonymous with independent local 
data-processing applications. It is likely, moreover, that future 
applications will at the same time use local and remote facilities.
The functions best suited to distribution are those involving small 
quantities of data to which frequent access is necessary.

-  8 -
These functions include:
work stations (VDU consoles, keyboards, printers, etc.) for 
access to telex, teletex, videotext, electronic mail and 
telecopy services;
- input preparation (including text and data input, text 
processing, data verification, etc);
- supply of ad hoc output in printed or graphic form;
individual data processing on local files or extracts from 
central data bases;
- management of small and medium data bases serving a local user 
group.
1.9 Standards are essential for integration
Distributed data processing networks will certainly not be made up 
from equipment which is all from the same manufacturer. However, the 
interconnection of equipment from different sources is impossible 
without satisfactory compatibility standards. Since the current 
trend is for suppliers to promote only the compatibility of their own 
products, it is in the consumer's interest that international 
standards be made obligatory. Such international standards will thus 
define a market in which free competition can play its part to the 
benefit of the general economy.
The fundamental problem in the definition of standards is that on the 
one hand they are difficult to impose if they are defined too late, 
and on the other they hamper technological progress if they are 
imposed too early. This is why it is in fact standards, more than any 
other factor, which determine the industrial expansion of computer 
products.

- 9 -
1.10 Integration of the support organization must precede the technical 
integration of services
Integration of services for the user (see 1.3 on multifunction work 
stations) will also lead to the need for contact with a single 
support organization covering the full range of those services.
Distributed data processing services cannot be implemented merely by 
buying and installing the hardware. Detailed medium and long-term 
objectives must be set, in particular in terms of network development. 
These aims must be based on all known and foreseeable parameters, 
including user needs, as well as on strategies to achieve them.
The implementation itself must be in accordance with those strategies 
and make progress from day to day - by utilizing technical 
possibilities to improve connections, and by establishing 
compatibility links between new and existing equipment.
This will only be possible with a team capable of dealing with the 
day-to-day requests, the technical modifications and installations 
covering the entire community of users.
Nevertheless, distributed data processing is much more than a problem 
of technical integration; its main purpose is to offer assistance to 
the user, and this implies many changes in administrative methods and 
procedures. Distributed data processing cannot be implemented without 
adequate motivation, training, human support and follow-up. The know­
how required here is not technical but multidisciplinary, and is based 
on commonsense, compromise and the understanding of user attitudes.
In short, distributed data processing will develop not merely as the 
result of technological possibilities, but only if it is founded on 
an integrated support organization.

-  10 -
2.FACTORS SPECIFIC TO THE COMMISSION
2.1. Demanding environment
The Commission is a demanding environment for distributed data 
processing: large volumes of data generation and mutilingual texts, j  
large data bases for internal and external use, large volumes of 
statistical or other individual work, massive amounts of translation j  
work, heavy inter-departmental document traffic, permanent inter- J
institutional contacts and, last but not least, the need for quick 
and efficient administrative procedures.
There is no question that the distributed data processing intended to 
support the functions described in paragraph 1.8 will involve the 
Commission and the other European institutions in major capital j
expenditure. It is generally recognized that with these investments j  
general administrative productivity (production per capita) can be 1
improved by approximately 20%, and obviously this can contribute to 1  
expansion of the Commission's activity without a proportional i
increase in personnel. i
j!
2.2 User participation j
Many Commission users have taken steps on their own initiative as i
regards distributed data processing, not only for the reasons set out 
in 1.2, which apply to most modern organizations,  but also because ]
the central data processing staff have for many years been j
overburdened with conversion work. The budgetary and staff j
constraints have not hindered such initiatives, which is an 
indication of the urgent nature of the users' needs.
1
That is a positive and promising development, provided that it can be |  
properly controlled. In a distributed network environment the |
uncontrolled proliferation of independent users would inevitably lead i 
to chaos.
J

-  11  -
This is why the installation of a management and control structure 
covering the whole of the Commission was decided upon. Within this 
structure users and computer centre personnel can work together 
within a unified framework of rules and procedures where the 
responsibilities of all those involved are clearly defined.
2.3 Internal Commission network
For historical reasons, data-processing equipment from the top and 
bottom of the range was not supplied to the Commission by the same 
manufacturer, and this raises major compatibility problems. This is 
a handicap but also a challenge, for it brings us to the heart of the 
problem earlier than in other organizations where attempts are made 
to put off the moment when the problem must be faced.
In this environment, the planning and development of an internal 
network to link this broad range of equipment and provide users with 
integrated services become an urgent priority, to which suitable 
staff and financial resources must be allocated. The design and the 
planning of this network are of critical importance, for they 
constitute the framework for the next five years, during which new 
integrated services can be developed and new equipment and 
applications introduced in an organized manner. In this way urgent 
needs can be met without compromising future developments.

-  1 2  -
2.4 Industrial policy - research - innovation - internal service
The Commission's industrial policy on data processing and telematics 
in Europe inevitably requires its own departments to support that 
policy in practice. The Commission wishes to stimulate the postal 
and telecommunications administrations and European industry by 
launching research and innovation projects, the goal of which may 
well go beyond internal requirements, and for which the collaboration 
of the Commissions1s own departments and users is necessary to ensure 
that these innovation projects really achieve their objectives. 
Furthermore, the integrated internal services should provide adequate 
and reliable tools to all users, including those who are not covered 
by the policy and innovation priorities. It is natural that the 
goals of the innovation policy and internal requirements should lead 
to practical differences in day-to-day management. It is therefore 
necessary to create organizations and mechanisms to reconcile those 
technical differences, and to monitor them at appropriate levels of 
authority. The most suitable instruments for this purpose are the 
definition of internal standards, procurement policy and innovation 
projects.
Adequate coordination aiming at harmonizing the diverse aims of data 
processing within the Commission require the cooperation of DGs III, 
IX, XII (JRC) and XIII.
2.5 Internal standards
The internal standards must conform to the international standards 
and, in the absence of approved standards, be supplemented by local 
agreements in accordance with the Commission's policy. Temporary 
deviations from internal standards must be justified by reasoned 
requests and approved and followed up from a central control point. 
Standardized interfaces must be provided to integrate non-compatible 
equipment.

- 13 -
2.6 Procurement policy
Procurement policy must be in accordance with the approved standards, 
and the contractual agreements with suppliers must be used to enforce 
those approved standards as well as the Commission's policy in this 
respect.
Supplies intended for the internal service will generally have to be 
guaranteed as being of a recognized quality, while supplies destined 
for innovation projects can be used as an incentive for European 
industry to develop new products meeting the specifications of the 
invitation to tender.
2.7 Innovation projects
If innovation projects sponsored by the Commission are to yield an 
internal service, the authority of the Director for Informatics must 
be recognized from the outset. In such cases, his organization has 
not only do all it can to assist the project, but also cope with the 
risks that an innovation project inevitably involves. It will thus 
be necessary to agree case by case on terms of responsibility before 
any project is delivered for operational use.
2.8 The Commission Computer Centre
The concentration of general computer capacity in one place is 
justified on economic grounds (see 1.5), particularly where 
large-scale information systems are concerned. The future of 
distributed data processing will make the Luxembourg establishment 
even more useful than in the past, provided that a suitable internal 
Commission network improves considerably its accessibility for each 
user. For the reasons indicated above (1.5), it is also preferable 
that where possible individual computing should be carried out on 
minicomputers, working in association with the Computer Centre in 
Luxembourg and serving a more restricted community of users.

- 14 -
2.9 Priority for the development of distributed data processing
The new central data processing organization which it was decided to 
set up on 1 August 1981 forms the basis of the structure which will 
coordinate, assist and monitor the development of distributed data 
processing. It is indeed essential that such an organization should 
exist, in order to channel and coodinate the local developments in 
data processing amongst users so as to avoid the uncontrolled 
development which would be prejudicial in the long term to the entire 
community of users within the Commission.
Moreover, collaboration between the institutions is now beginning to 
take shape, in particular through joint projects such as the inter- 
institutional network INSIS, and it will henceforth be necessary to 
ensure that the Commission's system of distributed data processing is 
compatible with INSIS.

- 15 -
3 FACTORS SPECIFIC TO THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS
3.1 Environment
The Commission constitutes a complex and varied environment with a 
total manpower of more than 10 000 officials; i.e. more than all the 
other institutions together.
As an institution it has operational sectors, but also industrial 
policy and standardization objectives, particularly in the data­
processing sector.
The first studies undertaken for INS1S show that by 1990 the 
Commission could have several thousand work station users.
The other institutions represent a more restricted environment which 
does, however, total several thousand officials. The functions of 
these institutions are primarily operational and thus:
- have specific requirements connected with their role in the 
functioning of the Community (management of parliamentary 
procedures, follow-up of current business, meetings of experts, 
document preparation and production, etc)
- need to be connected to the Commission network, mainly for 
access to the large documentation data bases (with, in certain 
cases, cooperation on input to the data bases).
'  In all cases, data processing in the other institutions has to take 
place close to the user who is involved in each application.
3.2 Distributed data processing in the other institutions
The general remarks set out in Chapter 1 and more specifically in 
paragraphs 1.5 and 1.6 on the future of computer centres and the role 
of minicomputers apply to all the Community institutions.

- 16 -
For this reason it can be said that:
first, the other institutions should not develop computer centres for 
batch processing or the operation of large documentation data bases. 
Indeed, such centres are not justified economically when they are on 
a small scale, because of the costs of management and applications 
development. Modern telecommunications eliminate most of the 
disadvantages of geographical distance from a host centre;
- in addition, a community of up to two or three thousand persons 
should be served by a small interactive computer. Indeed, such 
communities imply a time-sharing workload which would be neither 
economical nor effective on even one single large computer. As is 
explained on page 5, overconcentration of a computer centre and its 
workload can only result in general deterioration of the response 
time for all users. This observation has been confirmed in the 
Commission itself and applies a fortiori to the Community as a whole.
3.3 Integration of other institutions' data-processing facilities with those 
of the Commission
As is explained in 1.10, integration must be looked at from the point of 
view both of the support organization and of the technical aspects of the 
services.
(a) organizational integration *
In addition to the management and control structures within each 
institution (see p. 11), the Inter-Institutional Committee for 
Informatics has a coordinating role at the inter-institutional 
level. However, this committee must have a minimum of full-time 
staff, in order to: 1
keep up to date the unified framework of rules, procedures and 
Community policies in which all the partners must co-operate;

- 17 -
collect and provide information and documentation on all the 
facilities, hardware and software available, as well as on all 
current projects.
(b) technical integration of facilities and services
In general, technical integration implies compatibility and even, 
frequently, identity of equipment. However, strict identity would 
reduce the openness of the market and in extreme cases could bind the 
institutions to a single supplier, which is not acceptable. This is 
why this integration must be achieved by:
(1) respecting the standards and norms approved by the C.I.I., as 
regards both the supply of equipment and the development of 
software;
(2) integrating the networks. Over the period 1981-1986 considered 
in this document this can be achieved by:
- the compatibility of terminal procedures and a move towards 
the "demystification" of terminals. The Commission has 
projects under study in this field (in particular LDH 
software and the RPP protocol);
- generalized exchange of files between computers. Until 
international standards are available, the Commission is 
implementing a standardized system, NIFTP (Network 
Independent File Transfer Protocol);
- direct interconnection of computers when justified (i.e. 
when the software burden of the interconnection is 
compensated by machine time savings);
- shared use of telecommunications resources, using in the 
short-term the Commission's package mode private network, 
and in the longer-term the inter-institutional network 
INSIS.

ANNEX II
PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES FOR COMPUTER SERVICES AND EQUIPMENT 
FACTORS INFLUENCING EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT
1. As a result of technological advance it is now necessary to modify the 
selection criteria for the replacement or procurement of informatics 
equipment (*).
Hardware costs are decreasing all the time (they now represent less than 
30% of total costs); manpower costs are increasing all the time (these 
account for the remaining 70% of total costs).
2. In evaluating equipment it is therefore necessary in future to take into 
account not only hardware prices but associated manpower costs:
- the equipment of different manufacturers requires differing numbers 
of people to operate it (including users) - this influences total 
costs;
- conversion costs (the direct manpower costs plus the disturbance 
factor - paralysis of new development while the conversion is taking 
place) are to be avoided whenever this is possible.
THE PROBLEM FACING THE COMMISSION AND OTHER EUROPEAN USERS
3. Considering the evolution towards distributed processing the Commission is 
faced with the same problem as other European users of informatics 
equipment. It does not want to depend on a single supplier and therefore 
has to work with different manufacturers and service companies
For that reason hardware and software should not only satisfy user needs 
with competitive price/performance, but must also follow international and 
European standards so that equipment of different suppliers can be 
interconnected.
(*) By equipment is meant the hardware plus the software (e.g. operating 
system etc.) that has to go with the machine to make it function.
By informatics is meant not only data processing. Informatics is used in 
its widest sense to mean the progressive integration of textual data, 
image and voice, including office equipment, and is supported by a 
telecommunications network (telematics).

-  2 -
4. In addition, it wishes to avoid the cost of paralysing effect of
conversion of programs when equipment of one manufacturer has to be 
replaced by equipment for cost/benefit reasons.
Conversion costs tend to be underestimated because only one of the three 
components, the direct conversion cost, is tangible.
a) The direct conversion cost includes the manpower (manyears) and 
expenses to undertake the conversion (e.g. software modifications, 
overlapping equipment rental, user training, etc.).
b) The d isturbance cost includes the productivity drop of the users 
during the changeover as well as the extra cost to compensate for 
lack of good service.
c) The opportunity cost refers to the lost benefits when money of the 
informatics budget is deviated from profitable investment in 
application projects to conversion work. For well justified projects 
the benefits over the lifetime of the application are much more than 
the application investment.
As far as possible it is necessary to attempt to estimate the weight of 
all the factors in the conversion exercise. Each of the indirect costs 
must be taken into account when evaluating the total cost. Where for some 
reason these can not be quantified it is likely that each is equal to the 
direct costs.
Replacing computers by less expensive ones makes sense only if the 
resulting total conversion costs can be covered by a sufficient rental 
difference or by other benefits.
5. The Commission should be able to give an example and a lead to other users 
by defining a policy which, as far as possible, avoids the problems of 
conversion but does not put the Commission (or any other user) in a 
situation where he is a captive client of whom advantage can be taken.
PROCUREMENT POLICY
6. Regular invitations to tender will be issued covering additional equipment 
and services as well as replacement of equipment at the expiry date of 
contract. These invitations to tender will not only address potential 
suppliers but also allow present suppliers to improve the
price/performance and quality of existing equipment by offering 
competitive extensions and/or replacements.

- 3 -
7. The criteria for deciding equipment or service mod ifications/extensions 
are based on total cost, taking into account:
- the price/performance of the new installation;
- the transportability of applications (easy transfer of software from 
this machine to another, if this becomes necessary) in order to avoid 
future conversion costs;
- the cost of conversion to the new installation;
- the number of people to operate it;
- the services it provides to the user;
- the quality of the equipment and associated services (software, 
support, etc.);
- the interconnectability to other equipment (does it follow 
international and European standards);
- availability of application packages.
These criteria will not only be covered by invitations to tender but also 
checked against actual performance, in particular for existing suppliers 
(vendor-rating).
8. The Commission will also ensure competition between its existing suppliers 
by making an on-going evaluation against the criteria mentioned under 
paragraph 7. New or redesigned applications (work for the computer) will 
not be allocated to a supplier's equipment which does not meet the 
evaluation criteria satisfactorily.
This will have the following effect:
- the manufacturer best meeting the evaluation criteria will have an 
increasing share of the Commission's business;
The manufacturer least able to meet the criteria will have a 
diminishing share of the market. In fact, at the time an application 
had to be redesigned, the occasion will be taken to put it on one of 
the other machines. In the end, this can lead to the phasing out of 
this particular manufacturer's equipment when its remaining work-load 
no longer justified its retention.
As a result of this, the conversion effort to abandon unsatisfactory 
equipment reaching the expiry date of contract will be reduced to a 
minimum. Where in spite of the actions taken, unsatisfactory equipment 
continues to carry applications which are difficult to transfer, the 
conversion to new equipment will be spread as smoothly as possible over 
time. This means that the invitation to tender must be issued well in 
advance of the contract expiry date (e.g. two years for large computers) 
to allow early start of conversion work, sufficient test time and parallel 
run on the new equipment. Existing contracts will be extended if this were 
necessary to complete the conversion exercise.

- 4 -
9. The Commission would therefore:
under normal conditions, convert to a new supplier's equipment if the 
price/performance of existing supplier's equipment (taking into 
account conversion costs) proved unsatisfactory;
- avoid being a captive client by ensuring real competition between 
existing and potential suppliers.
CONCORDANCE BETWEEN COMMISSION INDUSTRIAL POLICY AND PROPOSED PROCUREMENT 
POLICY
10. Users in Europe (including the Commission) will be forced to adopt such a 
procurement policy in the years to come. It is right, therefore, that the 
Commission, as a User, gives a lead to other Users in Europe.
11. This is in complete concordance with Commission industrial policy which 
seeks to define the conditions of the European market (respect of norms 
and standards, portability, etc. to permit genuine competition - the 
interconnection of equipment from different manufacturer, the avoidance of 
captive markets/customers).

ANNEX I I I
DATA PROCESSING GUIDE 
CONTENTS
Guidelines for 1981/1986 for distributed data processing within the Commission 
The organization of data processing within the Commission 
Management of data processing projects
User Committees and Informatics Management Committees in the Directorates- 
General
Recommendations as regards portability
Training in data processing: responsibilities, methods and organization
Protocol of collaboration between CETIS, JRC Ispra and the data processing 
users in the Commission
Priorities and data processing resource management
r
Rolling plan
General guidelines for procurement of data processing equipment and services
Composition of the committees and list of heads of division and service in the 
Informatics Directorate
List of Directors-General and Directors responsible for the organization of 
data processing, ISM

ANNEX IV
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
c c Computer centre
CDIC Commission Steering Committee for Data Processing
CII Inter-Institutional Committee for Informatics
CTI Informatics Technology Committee
c u Users' Committee
eus Customs Union Service
DA Applications Development service
DI Informatics Directorate
IE Informatics Engineering Division
INSEM Inter-institutional Service for Electronic Mail
INSIS Inter-institutional System of Integrated Services
IPA Informatics, Planning and Administration service
JCIS Joint Conference and Interpretation Service
JRC Joint Research Centre
QA Quality Management and Internal Audit service
SG Secretariat-General
SIC Standard Implementation Committee
SII Integrated Information Systems Division
SJ Legal Service
SOEC Statistical Office of the European Community

ANNEX V
DIRECTORATES-GENERAL
DG I External relations
DG II Economic and Financial affairs
DG III Internal Market and Industrial Affairs
DG IV Competition
DG V Employment, Social Affairs and Education
DG VI Agriculture
DG VII Transport
DG VIII Development
DG IX Personnel and Administration
DG X Information
DG XI Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety 
DG· XII Science, Research and Development 
DG XIII Information Market and Innovation 
DG XIV Fisheries
DG XV Financial Institutions and Taxation
DG XVI Regional Policy
DG XVII Energy
DG XVIII Credit and investments
DG XIX Budgets
DG XX Financial control