ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(80)552
Vol.1980/0178

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance withCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
Community andtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity (OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocuments inthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung (EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeit zugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)552 final
Brussels-1October1980
„-C
eta*.\
Proposalfora
COUNCILDECISION
adopting athirdplanofaction(1981-1983)inthefieldofscientific
andtechnicalinformation anddocumentation
(STID)
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0M(80)552final

J
t
PROPOSALFORACOUNCILDECISIONADOPTING A
THIRDTHREE-YEAR PLANOFACTIONINTHEFIELD
OFINFORMATION ANDDOCUMENTATION INSCIENCE
ANDTECHNOLOGY
•»BudgetPlan
irnen*j®enMonssî ,P'a^oaud'jKlrc^^arp ,Qoît3pc^tale .307.Lunon".tiourg–Té!.4301''
Tctex3423/3446COMEUR LU-2752êjHDOUL.U

ί'flanfort'ioTi'ír'JΛetioαPimi1991-1933
(mih)
(;;·„■.;.I»!'liEurùinjι%oa¡>ubltcri"ivorkty1¡)83 4.0
1.1Kotworkoperation«–deficitfinance
1.2Kotworkmaintenance ande))hanoomente
1.3Networkmanf-ccmcnt
1.4Longtermconsolidation■
Chap4,er2»DevolopraontofhighqualityecrvioeoinKuropβ8.5
2.1Callforproposals
,*5
•2.2fbllow-upofproposals6.01
2.3Sectoralinformationactivities 2.5
Chaotor3»Usersupportandaarketing j3.0
3.1ProootionofDIANEservices
3.2Developmentofinfornaticiηaarket
30importofinformation
3.4.Usersupport&ndneeds
3.5Stendardization
3.6Documentdelivery
3.7Kaltilingualaspects
•
Chiiter4»fiewtocl'nolosiea end.raethodolofrf.es 1.0
4.1Monitorineofdovelopmcnta
4.2
4.3SLratogioanalysis
Specificapplication !!
Total 16.5
1
*}euii-atiter.uoiootrar■sforrwdtoam-r>*?:trc.rt\cleofthe2^Action
llfiirir5''uliAuayrulta»u<:jdWforeIjr*nvJiirvlc)Sl*

Opinion ofCIDST of26June 1980
onthe3rdACTION PLAN forSTID (1981-83 )
TheCommittee forInformation andDocumentation onScience andTechnology (CIDST )
Onthebasis ofpoint 3a)ofAnnex IItotheCouncil Decision of9October 1978 ;
Whereas the actions started under the first two Action Plans for STID must be
successfully concluded ,andaparticular effort must beundertaken tostimulate
andpromote cooperation between information andservice suppliers within the
Community ;
Asaresult ofexamining ,atits33rd meeting ,theproposals oftheCommission
forthe3rdAction Plan ;
l)Considers that further actions with regard to
.the consolidation and enhancement ofthe Euronet network and the extension
andimprovement ofDIANE services ,and
', ,.thecreation offurther high quality information services inEurope ,
.especially bymeans ofcooperative and/orconcerted actions
should beundertaken with -first priority ,and ,that these should becomplemented
andsupported byappropriate activities related "to
' \
.thesupport ofusers and the'development ofthemarket ,and
.theselective application ofnewtechnologies andmethodologies forSTI ;
2)Considers that theproposed new *project areas areofimportance with regard to
thefuture orientation ofactivities inthefield ofscientific ,technical and
related specialized information ;
3)Hecommends that priority begiven tothose projects forwhich obligations
already exist within theframework ofongoing contracts ;
•••/•••
BH.ime.nJuanMonnot.PlaiwnuduK.fchlieiq,ioaïit«*emOour9 TAI.43011
Tèlox3123/3446COMLURLUv2752EURDOCLU

b)Recommends tothe Commission topropose tothe Council athird Action Plan
forSTID fortheyears 1981-19^3 ,inaccordance with document CID5TA60 /80-
(final );
5)Takes note that theCommission 'sproposals indocument CIDST /'+60/8oAare
toberegarded asindicative only ;
6)Isoftheopinion that thebudgetary funds required toimplement the3rdAction
Plan should befixed ataceiling of16.5 million European units ofaccount
forthe3years' period with effect from 1January 1981 ofwhich 6million
European units ofaccount aretobeearmarked forthecall forproposals and
follow-up actions ;
7)Recommends that 5MEUA ofthe6MEUA earmarked forthecall forproposals
andfollow-up actions arenotcommitted before 1January 1982 ,sothat improved
andsatisfactory selection criteria andprocedures andappropriate cooperative
mechanisms can beestablished and welcomes the Commission 'sdeclaration inthis
respect ;
8)Requests theCommission tokeep theCommittee fully andregularly informed
oftheactivities inrelated programmes oftheCommunity ,inparticular programmes
innewinformation technologies andinthetransfer ofinformation between
European languages .
TheGerman ,French andUKdelegations made theattached statements *
TheSecretariat ofCIDST isrequested toforward this opinion totheCommission
andCREST ,,with acopy totheCouncil .

D
Hi,,-itoinontbytheGermanAdoption onthedraitopinionofCIDSTonthe
"}rdActionPlanforIDST(doc.CIK0T/46I/OOof26June193O)
Point1
Atthomeetingon26June19«0»i"twasagreedwithotherdelegationsthat
thofirstsentenceshouldreadasfollows:
"Considersthat,paralleltothegreatersupportmeasurestoheintroduced
bythoMemberStatestocreateimprovedinformationservicesforscience
andtechnologyandpromoteeffectiveparticipation ininternational
cooperationinthisfield,furtheractionsatCommunitylevelwithregard
to..."
Ho,1non:
TheGormandelegationisstill.oftheopinionthatitisprimarilythetask
oftheMemberStates,bycarryingoutsupportprogrammes andencouraging
publicandprivateinitiatives ,tolaythebasisforanefficientinformation
structure,whichisappropriatetothesituationandrequirements inthe
differentsubjectareasandregionsoftheMemberStates,v/hichmayvary
considerably .Theneedforclosecontactswiththeusersoftechnical
information meansthattheremustbegreaterdecentralization offacilities.
Point5
Thewords"DocumentCID3T/46O/8O/A"shouldbeamplifiedtoreadasfollows:
"whichhaveyettobebroughtintolinewiththefinalversionofdocument
CID0T/460/OO".
Reason:
ThoCommission'sproposalsinCIDST/460/30/Anolongerreflecttheadvice
givenbytheCIDST.
•••/•••

Point 7
The 'text should "beamended aafollows :
"Isoftheopinion that thefunds earmarked forCommunity-relevant projeots
following thecall forproposals should "bemade available only when improved
pndsatisfactory support criteria andselection procedures have "been laid
down andconditions forthegranting ofCommunity funds andappropriate
cooperative mechanisms have "been established ".
Pcason :
Processing "byCIDST oftheapplications forCommunity support received bythe
CECinresponse tothe"Call forproposals "(Official Journal oftheEuropean
Communities of29November 1979 )once again showed uptheconsiderable draw­
backs andgaps inthecurrent selection procedure ,which does notprovide a
satisfactory basis foratechnical andpolitical assessment andfollow-up of
theprojects .Ever since the first preparatory discussions onthe call for
proposals ,theGerman delegation hasrepeatedly objected tothefact that
there isnocomprehensive definition oftheprocedure ,norhasanyclear
distinction been made between thevarious CECprocedures forgranting funds
inthearea ofIDST orthe -support measures required atnational level .Only
when this issue hasbeen debated byCIDST andthese conditions met canthe
corresponding funds beallocated .
Point 9inew ) •>.
Toread asfollows :
"Urges theCommission todevelop close coordination between its ownIDST
information activities and those under the Action Plan for IDST and to
keep CIDST informed ofall itsplans inthis field ."
Reason :
Theabove text vassupported byCIDST on26June 1930 andshould bereinserted
intheCIDST opinion .Inthepast ,CIDST hascomplained onmany occasions
that –like DGXTII –ithears ofthemany information activities ofthe
Commission departments andresearch centres mostly quite bychance ,andthat
Buch projects aregenerally plannod andmanaged quite independently ofone
another ,leading ,among things ,toaduplication ofwork andabortive
developments .

-3-7.
Thereisnocoordination andtheprojectsarenotgearedtotheobjectives
oftheAotionPlan,namelytoimprovethesupplyofinformationwithinthe
Communityandmorespecifically viaEuronet-DIAKE .Itisparticularly
regrettablethattheknowledgeandexperienceacquiredbyCIDSTovermany
yearn-andwhatismore,thebroadly-based know-howavailableinDGXIII-
havenotyetboonputtouseinsuchprojectsandactivities.Itis
essentialtoensurethattheCommission'sinformationactivities are
organizedinarationalmannerandgearedtotheobjectivesoftheAction
PlanforIDST.
ThoGermandelegationisoftheviewthatresponsibility forcoordinating
theinformationactivities describedshouldbetransferred toDGXIIIand
thatCIDSTshouldsupportthelatterincarryingoutthistask.

r.
STATEMENT BYTHEFRENCHDELEGATION
TheFrenchdelegationtaCIDSThasreservestormakeontheopiniononthe
3rdActionPlanforIDST(1981-1983)-concerningtheI98I-I983budgetas
follows:
Chapter1tEuronet..........................................„kMEAU
Chapter2:■Development ,ofhighqualityservices
inEurope-........................................... .....2.5MEAU
2.1;:Call.forproposais 1.0MEAU
(withaclauseforreviewinI982fenablingthebudgetto
b»enlarged,by5MEADifthecallforproposalsmechanism
provesefficient)
2.3Sectoralactivities 1.5MEAU
Chapter3!rOsersupport..........................................1MEAIT
Provisiononlyfor"Documentdelivery"and-
3*7*"Multilingual aspects"
Chapterb:Newtechnologies andmethodologies 0.5MEAU
Atotal,af8MEAU(withthe.possibilityofadding;in19825MEAU
forthecallforproposalsifthisactionisconsideredsatisfactory).
STATEMENT BYTHEU.K..DELEGATION
TheU.K.delegationconsidersthatthe-totalfundsforthe3rdActionPlan
shouldnotexceed15MEAUandreserves ?itsposition ;onthefigureof
16.5MEAUin-point6.

PROPOSAL FORACOUNCILDECISION ADOPTING A
THIRDTHREE-YEARPLANOFACTIONINTHEFIELD
OFINFORMATION ANDDOCUMENTATION INSCIENCE
ANDTECHNOLOGY
(Thecontentsofthisdocumentareindicativeonly)
BelimentJeanMonnet,PletoauduKIrchberg,Boftepostale19Q7,Lutembourg–Tél.43011
T*l»x3423/3446COMEURLU-2752EURDOCLU

Λο .
-1.-
Introduction
The first and second plans ofaction inthefield ofscientific and techni­
calinformation anddocumentation (STID )have resulted inanumber ofcon­
siderable achievements which have been possible because ofclose coopera­
tion between authorities and institutions intheMember States and the
Commission oftheEuropean Communities .Themost important results ofthe
previous five years' efforts aretheimplementation ofthestandardized
network with itsvariety ofinformation services (Euronet DIANE )provided
through anumber ofhosts ontheonehand ,andthedevelopment andopera­
tion ofaconsiderable number ofsectoral information systems ontheother
hand ,most ofwhich have been established onacooperative basis andon
theinitiative andunder theguidance ofthe sectoral working groups of
thescientific andtechnical information anddocumentation committee (STIDC ).
Thepresent third action plan for STID builds ontheachievements ofthe
past period insuch awaythat these are consolidated andfurther developed
where this isappropriate anddesirable ,orthat identified gaps and short­
comings areremoved .Therefore ,thepresent plan emphasizes twomajor actions ,
i.e. theconsolidation ,extension anddevelopment ofEuronet andthefurther
creation ofhigh quality information services .These "twokeyareas are com­
plemented byafewsupporting andaccompanying action fields which are
intended either tosupplement theactivities inthe twomain areas ,orto
prepare theground fornewaction fields infuture .Thus ,the 3rd .action
plan pursues theconsolidation aswell astheimprovement ofexisting in– *
stallations andservices ,andthereorientation ofCommunity activities and
policies inSTID tocomply with future needs .

DeLaJltvl(ir\>i"n-;a 1
ChanterI:'.■.nmnctr.sapublicnetworkby1933
Havingbecomeoperational inNovember1979»Euronet'soapacityisbeing
considerablyincreased,bysome150$intermsofterminalsbymid-1980.
TheeasentialobjectiveistoturnEuronetintoapublionetworkby
31December1933atthelatest*Itisthereforenecessarytocomplete
theaotionsalreadyinitiatedinthisrespectandtoundertakeappro­
priateinterimmeasuresinagreementwiththePTTConsortiumforEuronet*
Althoughtheactionsdesoribedbelowessentially concernonlythefurther
developmentofthephysicalEuronetnetwork,mostoftheminpractice
affectthevariouspartnersinDIANEandtheirsuppliersandsub­
contractors *Particularimportance mustthereforebeattaohedtothe
recognizedinterestsofthehostsandtheusersintheCommunity.
1.1Operations andmaintenance
Untiltheendof1983fEuronetwillhavetobemanagedbythePTT
administrations undertheoontroloftheCommission ,whichwillcon­
tinuetooo-financetheoperationaldeficit.Themeansofaooounting
forthelatterwillneedtoberenegotiated onthebasisofmaintenanoe
oosts'andwithdueregardtothedelayintheentryintoservioeof
Euronetandtotheemergenceinparallelofnationalnetworks*
1*2Extensionsandinterconnections withothernetworks
Duringthenextfewyears,Euronetwillhavetobeextendedgeographi­
callyinordertovtakeaccountoftheaccessionofGreeceandother
newmembercountriestotheCommunityandtorespondquicklytothe
increasingdemandforSTXD.Theresponsibility forthenecessaryex­
tensions,however,shouldfromnowonrestprincipallywiththePTTs.
Euronetwillalsohavetobeinterconnected withothernetworksin
EuropeonthebasisofcooperationagreementsasforeseeninArticle3
oftheproposed .CouncilDecisiononthfe3rdActionPlan;possible
interconnections withnetworksofindustrialized countriesoutside
Europewillhavetobesubjecttoreciprocityandguaranteesof
trafficinbothdirections,inrespectofthefundamentalprovisions
oftheTreatyofRome.Opportunityshouldbetakenwheneverpossible
toextendtheservioestodevelopingcountriesincludingthoseofthe
LOMEConvention .
1*3Networkmanagement
Tneneedforday-to-daysupportforthesmoothoperationofEuronet
DIANEhasbeenrecognizedbythecreationoftheLaunchTeam.TheTeam
hasidentifiedtheneedforhelp–deskfacilitiesand'■«>*networknews
anddirectoryserviceaspriorityobjectives.Ithasprovided"afocus

-3-
fortheimplementation ,ofmajor aspeota ofthepromotion programme and
hassupplied praotical support onmany occasions forhost anduser
connections tothenetwork®
This erupport remains allthemore necessary since the20orBOhosts
atilltobeconnected aretechnically less well prepared .Day-to-day
assistance will therefore have tobamaintained %slong asneceesary with­
inthe3rdAction Plan® Inaddition ,thecreation ofnewuser support
services and thedevelopment ofcommon facilities forhosts will be
required until theinfrastructure issufficiently developed toensurt *
suocessful continued operation ofBaronet DIANE® Itwill also be
neoesaary toensure thecoordinated collection andanalysis ofsta­
tistics ontraffic anduss ,soastoobtain ,"thedata needed for mediuxa –
term planning© • .
During this period ,thelong-term management requirements will also
have tobeanalysed inthe light oftheexperience gained .Inparti­
cular ,itwill have tobedecided whether totransfer allresponsibility
forthemanagement ofjoint business toahosts' association ,inwhich
case theLaunch Taam would bedisbanded ,ortoinduce thehosts to
delegate certain joint functions totheLaunch Team ,which inthat
case would have toberestructured and reinforced .
Lonc :–terra consolidation
Euronethasbeen acontributing factor andastimulus toPTTs todefine
European standards andtoplan ,develop andprovide national packet -
switching networks .Asthese networks become available ,there will be
multi-national pressures and incentives for the PTTa toconnect them
internationally .This interconnection mayoccur onadirect country –to-
country basis orviaEuronet asatransit facility .Itisprobable that
foralengthy interim period both solutions will apply between different
parts ofcountries .Ineither case policy issues andpractical problems
will occur ,many ofwhich canonly besatisfactorily solved atCommunity
level (e.g. tariffs ).
Although newpacket –switching standards arenotforeseen (X25 ,X28,X75
being sufficient ),standards fornewequipment andservices using packet -
switching (e.g. Teletex ,Facsimile ,etc.)andforinterworking with
other types ofnetwork (e.g. X25-circuit switched data networks )oan
beanticipated .Inanyevent ,some kind ofCommunity involvement would
undoubtedly bedesirable .

ThoPTTawillalsoLavetobesuitablyencouragedtomake
euotainedeffortstopromotsthird-partytrafficonEurouet,inordar
toprovideabettorfinancialbalanceforthanetwork,duringits
transitiontocH.istatusofapublicnetworkby31December1$83at
thalatestvmdarU\opolemMiogisrial Bi>oa&ibi1ityofthePTTe®
Beforethon,itwillbeneeesstucytoensurethatthetariffagroecassia
arsextendedlongenoughtoprotecttheinterestsofU8«reof
£u.A'on.t?t,DIANEservices®

/ϊ·
-5-
*
Chapter 2:Accelerated development ofhigh quality services inEurope
Thoexperience with theinformation services offered within theframework
ofDIANE proves that there isanincreasing demand forhigh quality services ,
thefurther development ofwhich needs tobeaccelerated .There isan
obvious discrepancy between information supply ononeside andthesteady
progress ofinnovative industrial development ontheother side .Therefore ,
there isanurgent need forthecreation ofmore high quality information
services ,andthis need isafact which isrecognized byallMember States .
2.1 Aims
Inparticular ,future activities must aim at
-creating newservices orimproving existing ones especially inthe
provision ofdirect information and value added information which
finally provide abetter value tousers ;
-increasing cost efficiency and effectiveness inthe supply and
delivery ofinformation and services ;
-extending thescope ofinformation services topoorly developed ,
areas such aseconomic ,social and business information .
2.2 Principles
The creation and improvement ofinformation services must build ona
number ofagreed principles and procedures .Asfar assuch principles are
concerned ,thefollowing should particularly beemphasized :
-new services must respond t;>Community interest ,they should overcome
existing information barriers between Member States ,such aslinguistic
ortechnical obstacles ,orthey should bedesigned insuch away that
their realization requires aEuropean collaboration ,e.g. fordata col­
lection ;
-inrealizing andsupporting newservices ,existing national programmes
for thesupport ofinformation supply anddevelopment have tobecon­
sidered and inmany cases acombination ofnational andCommunity sup­
port may beappropriate ;
-newactions should.be based onacomprehensive analysis ofthemarket
andofuser needs ,especially inthearea ofspecialized information
which should becarried outthrough allmember states ;
-newdevelopments should beclosely linked with theestablished andproved
infrastructure ofsectoral working parties intheareas ofagriculture ,
bioinedicine andhealth ,andenvironment ;this infrastructure should be
extended toother areas ,where appropriate andifneed should be;

-newactivities should aufar at;possible becoordinated and linked
notonly with uctivi tioM onnational level ,butalso with currenpond –
inj ifi-Ufjrmiimea within thevarious Commission' oservices .'
Iti.iu^-.t beclear that any Coinii.uni tyaction inthis broad andcostly field
<>fnewandbetter information services ,beitattheanalytical level orim
t/ioimplementation phase ,cannot merely beseen asacomplement tonational
activities ,butshould also stimulate national actions inorder tocover
japs where this ispossible andnecessary .Vice versa ,national programmes
iji.ould betransferred toaCommunity level insuch areas ,where such an
extension increases theeconomics ,viability orthevalue of -theproject ,-
orwhere theresults ofthenational projects arevalid ortransferable
toother Member States .Inall such cases Community interest must prevail
over national programmes . ' , .
2.3Procedures . . -
During thecourse ofthe1stand2ndAction Plans ,thedevelopment ofCommunity
information services wasexclusively inspired andguided byspecialized working
ijroups ofSTIDC .-Considering thelimited capacity ofthese groups ascompared
tothegrowing demand forservices ,increased involume ,coverage andquality ,
which has tobedealt with within thefraanework ofthe3rdAction Plan ,SUDC
hasalready ,during the2ndAction Plan ,launched anewprocedure byintro­
ducing thecall forproposals which isintended tobecome themain tool for
the creation ofnew services . . .
<
2.3.1 Sectoral information systems
Within theframework oftheprevious Action Plans ,anumber ofsectoral in­
formation systems andservices have been developed ,implemented andoperated
onacooperative basis orunder contract .There will notonly beanecessity
ofcontinuing such projects ,butthere will also benewprojects which require
acooperative scheme fortheir realization .Therefore ,this mechanism must be
maintained ontheunderstanding that such systems areexclusively implemented
under theguidance ofthesectoral groups ofSTI^DC .Asdistinct from projects
originating from thecall forproposals ,thecooperative systems inmost cases
require long»-term funding from Community andnational sources .Sectoral SUDC
activities areunder wayinvarious fields ofapplied sciences .These were ,
during the2ndAction Plan ,focussed mainly onthree selected areas *agricul – ,
ture ,biomedicine andhealth oare ,an4environment .Additionally ,follow-up
actions have been oarried outinthefield ofenergy .

The (mixncriteria furselection ofthese fields ares
–tlwexistence ofdefined Community policies ,e.g. inagriculture and
environment ,ortiiefact ,that Coininuni tyinterests have otherwise been
expressed ,,e.j.inbiomedicine andhealth care ;and
–the pretloiiii.ua noeofpublic sponsorship asopposed tothat ofprivate
industry .
AJaresult ,,there isalready anumber ofCouncil Decisions ,Regulations and
Resolutions which act ,explicitly orimplicitly ,aslegal basis forthese
activities .Thus thesupport intheTreaty ofRome foragricultural SHacti­
vities ,the.Environmental Action Programme andtheCouncil Decision onenvi­
ronmental inventories are ofparticular importance inthis regard .
jjnphasis iabeing laid ontheneed todevelop new services intheprovision of
information .These services are envisaged asbeing notonly bibliographic
data bases butalso services providing "value added information "such asin­
formation analysis services ,factual data banks andreview articles .
Whilst the "Call forProposals "aims tosupport commercial initiative mainly ,
existing sectoral information systems should befurther developed andnew
systems created where appropriate ,e.g. where data collection would otherwise
bevery difficult orwhere thecost/benefit ratio isoptimized atCommunity
level . _
Hence there are four lines ofaction :
-'Systems theoperation ofwhich iscompulsory byvirtue ofCouncil
Decisions orRegulations .These systems must obviously becontinued and
improved ,particularly with aview tomaking them available via Euronet .
They consist ofpermanent inventories covering research projects inagri­
culture (AGREP )andenvironment (ENREP ),aswell asinformati >nsources
(U'DOC )orlegal information (ENLEX )intheenvironment context .
–Systems which support Community policies inother sectors ,i.e. where
Council Decisions onSTI support donotyet exist butwhich also merit
Community assistance atleast in-theinitial RSc.Dphase (e.g. thepro­
posed information system onwaste management andrecycling ).
–Joint contributions tointernational systems .TheMember States andthe
Commission arecontributing tosome major international information
systems byrunning Community sub-systems .This cooperation ,exemplified
bythe link between EUR–ACRIS andAGRIS orthat between ENDOC andINFO-
TERRA (seeCouncil Decision nof6/l6lof8December 1975 ).

-a
-Tne Cotinrii on*aowninformation systems .Many ofthedata bases and
data UinlcH established oroperated bythe Coiiunisaion are ofinterest
tothe coi.mierujLal n.ndindustrial sectors and tothogeneral public ,
asl'orinstance CiJOWJS .Asthey were initially created tomeet internal
needs ,they arenotcompatible ,asyet ,with Euronet DIANE and/ordo
not lend themselves tocommercial exploitation .This major shortcoming
should beovercome inthe course ofthe 3rdAction Plan .
2.3.2 Call forproposals
Thj.s mechanism ,which hasalready been introduced asapilot scheme fortha
development ofnewinformation projects ,will constitute themain meohanism
forthecreation ofmore andbetter information systems andservices within
t.'iaframework ofthe3rdAction Plan .Onthebasis oftheexperience made
within theframework ofthepilot call forproposals ,this mechanism should
befurther developed andrefined .Inparticular ,anappropriate andeffective
management structure should bedeveloped andestablished inorder tomake the
most efficient use ofthepotential ofthis mechanism .This structure should
ensure that existing national policies areduly considered intheevaluation
and implementation ofproposals .Thus the call forproposals will comple­
ment national programmes ,butitwill also stimulate them where these need
further development .Furthermore ,theexisting sectoral groups shall bein­
volved intheareas oftheir competence forthedevelopment oftheideas sub­
mitted andtheinvestigation ofspecific conditions related tothesubject
matter and tothe situation intherespective Member States .Ontheother hand ,
STIDC anditsworking groups mayassist indefining subject areas forwhich
call6 forproposals should bepublished .
Selected projects shall besupported byCommunity funds through direct finan­
cial aidwhich ispresently generally 25%ofthedevelopment cost ,itbeing
understood that thelong-term viability isensured bytheproposer .Inspecial
cases ,theCommunity 'sfinancial aidmaybeupto49ofthedevelopment cost .
Community funds may supplement thenational support ofinformation projects ,
butmayalso constitute theonly public support available .Support bythe
Commission shall belimited toarelatively short period ,theduration of
which will bedetermined byanumber offactors such astheimportance ofthe
project andtheavailability ofother public funds .There will benorestrio -
tion asfarasthelegal status oftheproposer –private orpublio –iscon­
cerned .

-9-
Ataiatorstage,thepossibilityofcreatingacommonfundwithcontributions
fromCommunityandnationalbudgetsforthesupportofproposalsshouldbe
investigated asanalternative mechanismforfinancialsupport.
Finally.,itshouldbestressedthatthecallforproposalsisnotrestricted
todatabaseprojectsonly,butshouldalso.furtheralldevelopment suchas
accessmechanismsandsoftwarepackageswhichfacilitateaccesstoinformation ,
offerdatahandlingandmodellingdevices,increasetheefficiencyandreduce
thecostofsupplyaswellasthedelaysofavailability .
?.j»3r'ol.low-ui )ofthecallforproposals
l'ne"Palifor inochanisinwillmobilizeidO'Candresourcesinthe
.informationsector.Itislikelythatmanyproposalsarequalifiedfora
O'tiiiuurtitysupport,buttheCommissionwillbeablewiththeavailablefunds
10financeonlya.smallfractionoftheia(5or10"/_>).
ontheotheraide,theCommunityhasthedutyforachievingtheobjectiveof
■j.realpromotionofinformationsupply.
•thebasisoftheproposals;received,anoverallviewcanbegamed)1'the
Europeaninformation supply,anumarkettrends,opp-jrtunities ofcooperation ,
etc.canbeidentified.AssistedbySTIDCandnationalexperts,theCommission
couldur.apotiieinformation supplydevelopments accordingtoCommunityinterests
induurkutrequirements .
TaismoreactiveroleoftheCommunitywouldbecomplementary tothefinan­
cingschemeandwouldhaveasynergiceffectonit.
Areasofactivityares
–promotionofcooperation betweencomplementary proposals.TheCommission
willidentifytheproposalsthatcanbemergedorcoordinated ,willput
incontactsthepossiblepartnersandwillassisttheminsettingup
jointprojects,possiblycontributing tothecostsoftheestablishment
,ofthecooperation (contribution tomarketstudies,developmentstudies
etc.,logisticsupport);
–theCommissionwillusethetechnicalexpertiseavailableinitsstaff
anditsadvisorycommitteeforsuggestingimprovement andmodifications
ofprojects,thatcannotbeacceptedforafinancialsupportbutpresent,
nevertheless ,interestingfeatures;themodifiedprojectscanpossiblybe
supportedatalater6tage;
–forproblemsthatarecommontoasufficientnumberofprojects,the
Commissioncouldunderwritethefinancialstudiesandpositionreports,
e.g.inarea3suchassoftwaredevelopment ,marketresearch,selection
ofdissemination media,etc.
Inundertaking sucnactionsassistancewillbeprovidedbythesectoral
groupsofSTIDCwhichwilladviseonallactionsthatfallwithintheirfield
ofcompetence.

•-10"-
•11 ~
Chapter3:Usersupportandmarketdevelopment
ThenotionsandprojectsenvisagedunderChapters1and2mustbeaccom­
paniedbyanumberofsupportingmeasuresinordertoensuretheeconomic
viabilityofinformationsupplyinEurope,toencourageuserstomakethemost
efficientandcoateffectiveuseofservicesofferedandtoguidesuppliers
toprovidetherightproducts.Thischapteracknowledgesthisvital
needandproposesaseriesoftargetactivitieswhichmainlyaim
attheeconomicsuccessofEuronetDIANEandatguidinguserstomake
themostbeneficialuseoftheservices.,
.3.1PromotionofDIANEservices - •-
Theaimofthepromotionaleffortduringtheperio.dofthe3rdAction
Planshouldbetwofold: # -
-towidenthecircleofusers,andhencetohelptoincrease
theinformation markets ,-
- > •>
-toencouragemoreintensiveuseofthefacilities amongexisting
'andfutureusers,makinguseinbothcasesoftheexistinghosts
andancillaryservices... -
Amongthespecificpromotionalactivitiesnecessaryduringthe3rdAction
Plan,willbe;launchingofEuronetDIANEinnewgeographical areas
-(e.g.Greece),anewanddetailedforecaststudyofSTIDtraffic(urgent­
lyrequestedbythePTTB)andparticipation inmajorexhibitions.
Theprogressive reductionintheproposedexpenditure onthepromotion
ofDIANEduringtheperiodofthe3rdActionPlanisbasedontheassump­
tionthatthevariouspartnersinDIANEwillgraduallytakeoverthepro­
motionactivitiesfinancedup.tillnowfromCommunityfunds,thesizeof
whichwillthusbereduced.Certainbasicsupportwillcontinuetobere­
quired,however,notablyfor:
-directoryandfactsheetupdates;
-publishingofbrochuresandgeneralinformation ;
^-EuronetDIANENewsletter ;
-coordination ofparticipation inexhibitions .
Inaddition,thereisaneedformoreinformationofamarketevaluation
kind,enablingDIANEhostsbettertoidentifymarketgaps,factorsaffect–
in,;;themarketability ofexistingnewproducts,pricesensitivity ,etc.
OuchinformationacquiredataCommunitylevelwouldcontributesubstan-
U'tUitiptl^ltyetdsthf&HrGrall strategicplanningofthepartnersinDIANEforthe;
^'"*?''"*A,^<Vvel-splkenCr#frservicesintheiljJiJOs.-1

ίο,
-11-
3.2MeasurestoimprovetheEuropeaninformation marketsituation
Witnintheframework -ofthe2ndActionPlantheCommissionhasalreadyunderta­
kenaseriesofstudiesinthefieldofspecialized information ,supply.
TheseshouldbecompletedwithinthisActionPlanwithregardto:
–theaccessufdatabaseproducerstounclassified dataandinforma­
tionaccumulated byministries andpublicinstitutions ;
–thelegislation andpracticesintheareaofcopyright ;
–MemberStates'educati;nalprogrammesconcerningtheeconomicuse
ofinformation ,anddevelopingcurriculaforintermediaries .
Onthebasi6oftheresultsoftheseinvestigations ,appropriateactions
shouldbeundertakenwithaviewtoimprovingthesituationforEuropean
information productionandmarket*
Particulartypesofactionwillbegearedtothedevelopment ofinterna­
tionalcooperation betweentheoperatorsintheinformation supplysector,
withtheemphasisonincentivesforprofessional organizations atCommunity
level;
–EuronetDIANEHostGroup; "
–EuropeanInformationProvidersAssociation (EURIPA);
–EuropeanSectionofIFLA(international FederationofLibrary
Associations ):
•ν
–Userfonunsandconférences »etc»
Anappropriate meansforimprovingthetransferofinformation notonlyto
small–andmedium-sizedenterprises (SMEs)butalsatoothertargetgroups
istheBettingupofaninterface(intermediaries )betweenspecializedin­
formationservicesandtheusers.Onthebasisofananalysismadethrough
variousstudies,whichwerecommissioned underthe2ndActionPlan,various
measurescouldbeundertakenatnationalorCommunity -levelsuchass
-trainingfacilitiesforinformationintermediaries ;
-promotionactivitiesfortheuseofnewtechnologies ;
–demonstration projects;
–pilotactionsinsomeareasofrelevanceforCommunityregional
policy.

3.3Ercnortofinformation
Thestimulationofworld-wideexportsofEuropeaninformation products
andservicesshouldenabletheEuropeansupplierstoattaintheprofit­
ableoperatingscalealreadyenjoyedbyAmericanproducers ,butachieved
inEuropebyanegligibleminorityonly.
Althoughitisrecognizedthattheprincipalresponsibility forextending
EuropeaninformationservicestooutsidemarketslieswiththePTTsand
thehostswhofinallyaresupposedtoearntheprofits,theCommunity
shouldgiveaninitialstimulating supporttotheexportexercisebyor­
ganizingworkshopswiththepartiesconcerned ,financingmarketresearch
andfeasibilitystudiesandprovidinginitialsupporttohostsandsup­
pliersinexportefforts.Inparticular ,thecreationofthetechnicaland
legalframeworkasabasicelementforsuchexportschemesshouldbesup­
portedbytheCommunity.
3.4Usersupportandneeds
TheincreasedrangeofservicesofferedbyEuronetDIANEmakesitmore
necessarythanevertohaveusersupportactioninadditiontothepro­
motionmeasuresdescribed above.
Aconsiderable proportionoftheusersupportmustclearlybeprovided
atnationallevelandbythehoststhemselves .Nevertheless ,Community
actionwillstillberequiredinanumberoffields,soastomakeavail­
abletoallusersarangeoftoolsforguidance ,referralandadvice.
Theactivities undertaken underthe2ndActionPlanmustbecontinued
andfurtherdeveloped ,withparticularreferencet<?theinformation and
referenceservice,makingcompletelyimpartialuseofallhostsinte­
gratedintoEuronetDIANE.
Relationswithintermediaries ,librarians ,informationspecialists and
brokersmustbestrengthened soastoestablish ,withtheirhelp,a
suitableframeworkfordevelopingalltypesofusersupportthroughout
theCommunity .

ei.
13-
Abutter knowled-je ofuseru 1needs ismore important than ever forthe
development ofthe Counauni ty'srange ofinformation services .Inchoos­
ingbetween theucrvic.es offered ,users areundoubtedly guided bycon-
siderations ofprice –absolute andrelative –cost/effectiveness ,the
coGt/satiof action ratio ,etc .However ,next tonothing isknown about
the value these very users attach tothevarious elements ofacomposite
service ranging from telecommunications facilities toon–line informa­
tion ,source listing ,delivery ofcomplete documents ,etc .
In-depth studies are therefore necessary ,and these arenowfeasible with
theemergence ofnational user groups ,theestablishment oftheEuronet
DIANL network andformal PTTinvolvement inSTItraffic management .These
analyses canthus bebased onstatistics onthereal usemade ofthe
service .
Inthis context ,aspecific user group must betaken care ofwith parti­
cular attention ,i.e. thesmall~and medium –sized enterprises (SHE).The
transfer ofinformation toSMEs hasrepeatedly been emphasized without
concrete results sofar .Therefore ,itisurgent toinvestigate thereal
requirements within the framework ofstudies andsymposia and todevelop
ontheresults oftnese investigations therequired services ,preferably
within the frawework ofthe call forproposals .
3.5 User aspects ofstandardization
Thegeneral field ofstandardization naturally lies outside the scope of
the 3rd Action Plan .
Nevertheless ,there isfrequent interaction between thevarious bodies
involved instandardization ,and some ofthework done under the 1stand
2ndAction Plans made asignificant contribution ,especially asregards
network interfaces andacommon command language .
Close attention should therefore bepaid tostandardization work at
European andinternational level andevery effort made –inthevarious
bodies andintheface ofpowerful industrial interests –toensure thnt
theSTIuser 'spoint ofview prevails ,inparticular asfollows :
–theproposed standards must beasuser–friendly aspossible ;
–speeding upthestandardization process when this appears useful ;
–identifying sectors neglected uptill now .

VVI
-14-
Withintheperiodofthe3rdActionPlan,aroaswhichwillneedtobo
tackledinclude:contentdescription ofdatabasesanddatabanks
(refinementjfworkalreadyinitiated),extensionofthecommoncommand
lan,;uagetodatabanksinamultilingual context,andtheinterfaces
necessaryfortheintroductionofnewservices(e.g.Videotex)on
EuronetDIANr>.
WhetheritrelatestoVideotex,toTeletex,totheestablishment of
relationsbetweenX21andX25devicesortointegrateddigitalnetworks,
-thestandai -dizationworkofthePTTsisofextremeimportance ,andthe
Commissionshouldparticipateactivelyintheworkoftherelevantwork­
inggroupsofCCI'ITandCJLIPT,nottomentiontheISOandotherbodies.
There,islittlestandardization workinthisfield-at
.nationallevelandaconsiderable impactcouldbemadebytakingaccount
oftheusers'interestsatCommunitylevel.
3.6Documentdelivery
Thisproblemisconstantlyraisedbyuserswhowantquickandlow-cost
accesstoprimaryinformation .Itisinherenttoallbibliographic informa­
tionsystems,butitiaobviouslymuchmoreacuteinthecaseofon–line
services.Thecreationofdocumentdeliveryserviceswouldthusconsider­
ablyenhancethemarketimageoftheEuronetDIANEhosts.
Thereisnodoubtthatnewtechnologies willhaveanimpactonthedelivery
offulltexts.However,thereisanumberofissuestobeexaminedsuchas
copyright,dispatchingofdocumentsorderedthroughEuronet,tariffswhich
donotnecessarily dependonthetechnologies appliedandwhichweremade
moretransparent withtheadventofEuronet.
DieframeworkforsuchasystemisalreadywelldevelopedintheCommunity
–bettertnanintheUSAforinstance–sincetheMemberStateshavea
numberofcentreswhich,supplylargenumbersofprimarydocumentsefficiently
Inordertoprovideforabasisforfurtherdiscussion ,anumberofrelevant
itemsarealreadybeinginvestigated withintheframeworkofthe2ndAction
PlansuchasthecurrentpracticeinMemberStatesforordering,supplying,
invoicingandpayment,andtheimpactofon–lineservicesoninter–library
loanrequests,aswellasthelibraries'acquisitionpoliciesandthevarious
costelements,N ^
Itishuweveressentialtoproceedbeyondthestageofstudies.Themain
t.mim.-shouldbetoestablish,beforetheendofthe3rdActionPlan,the
beginningsofaCommunitydocumentorderanddelivery -systemwhichmeets
theusers'needsnsreprardsnneed.sirnDlicitvandcost.

*</.r
<1.t>Multilingual aspects
Although there iaaseparate programme forthehuge area covering Community
needs inthis field ,ST1DC hasexpressed itswish toremain involved in
the o'li aspectcr oftheCommunity multilingual policy and its
applications *The3rdAction Plan ,hasthus been oriented towards widening
themarket forSTI ,inparticular byapplying multilingual tools andby
making iteasier touse thesystems already developed orbeing developed .
Efforts will bemade toimprove themultilingual tools and thenew techno­
logies involved !andoare will betaken toensure that allthosa linked
toEuronet DIANE can derive benefit from itunder fair conditions .
Toensure thenecessary complementarity between thevarious Community
activities inthefield ofmultilingualism ,there should beregular h&r–
monization oftherespective multi-annual programmes ,encouragement of
consultations between theworking groups ,andarequest toMember States
tomake known their own projects inthis field .
The measures envisaged under the3rd Action Plan for STID areaimed at
thefollowing i
–thecreation andupdating ofmultilingual terminologioal tools
(thesauri andother reference lists ,lexical databases ,etc.),of
use totheusers ofEuronet DIAHE andother services ;improvement
oftheinfrastructure needed forinformation retrieval }technical
and exploratory studies ;
–pilot projects aimed atovercoming thelanguage barriers .Two
different approaches areenvisaged hare ;
(a)thesetting up,onabilateral basis ,o-fagroup ofintermediaries
inbilingual information retrieval ,tohelp users atthetechnical
andlinguist iolevels ;
(b)theuseofsome existing system forthetranslation ofdata bases
(abstracts and/orfull texts ),taking into account theeffeot on
translation quality ofamoderately restricted syntax ;
–afeasibility studs' -into theproduction ofunrevised machine translations
forcertain -categories ofEuronet DIA1E users ;
1-
–collaboration with qualified translation centres within theComma ty,
tohelp them i-15-
*

(a)toextendtheiractivitiestotranslations betweenEuropeanlanguages
(b)tosupply,onrequest,thofulltextof{selected ,translations :.;
* '
-thecreationofatranslation fundallowingpublishersofSTIDmaterial
toobtainloanstocoverthecostoftranslating documents(articles,
monographs ,books,etc.).
Incombination ,allthesemeasureswouldhelptQ^alleviatetheeffectsof
thelinguisticbarriercurrentlyhamperingtheuseoftheSUDresourcesin
theCommunity. ,

17-
ti.-r 4:Application u1'new technologies aridmethodologies
Inthenear future there will befar-reaching andunavoidable changes inmethods ,
ofnif'ui'ination handling and transfer inthewake ofthetechnological
developments .Within theframework ofSTID policies andactivities ofthe
Community itisimportant that developments canbeintroduced inanappro­
priate way soastoenable both information providers andusers toshara
intheeconomic andother benefits ofnewtechnology .Lastly ,this will be
adecisive factor notonly forthefuture viability o£STID produots and
services intheCommunity ,butalso for itssuccess onextra-European mar­
kets .
Within the3rdAction Plan the intention isnot todevelop new information
technologies but toadapt andapply these inanoptimal wayand asrapidly
andeffectively aspossible within theCommunity .For that purpose ,a
sustained effort iplanned toensure among other things thatj
-attention isfocussed onapplications and adaptations ofnew
technologies that open upnewmeans ofaccessing information ,
especially tonon-inforrnation experts ;
-thecomponents ofSTID "transfer (production ,storage ,trans­
mission andinterrogation ofdata )arefully developed forthe
benefit ofusers aswell asofproducers and hosts ;
-thestandardisation work currently being carried out atEuropean
level ,particularly bythePTTs ,isreinforced ;
-thedevelopment ofnational andCommunity activities ,inthis
field iscarried out inaharmonized andincreasingly coordi­
nated manner .
4.1 Monitoring ofdevelopments
Theaimhere istopromote acommon market ofideas ,topool studies of
theimpact ofnewtechnology andtomobilize andconcert theefforts made
byMember States onhowtoputthenewinformation technologies atthe
service ofsociety .Both this activity andthestrategic analysis which
isproposed areseen asleading totheidentification andconcentration
ofeffort ontopics where Community and/orcollaborative initiatives will
beuseful andtimely *Theframework ofthis action will bevath <

-18-
\
-Componente ,i.e.massStorage(videodisco,opticaldiscs,bubble
memories,microforms)
Transmission (opticalfibres,satellites)
Processing (microprocess >rs,vocoders(voice-
coders),digitizers)
-Techniques, (digitizingoftextandgraphics
includingfacsimileandcharacter
recognition ;telesoftware )
rSystems,,'. (digitalnetworks,wordprocessing ,
Videotex,intelligentterminals ,
highspeedfacsimile,voicerecog­
nition,man-machine communication,
tele-conferencing )
-Applications , (electronicjournals,micro-publishing ,
, electronicaccesstodocuments)
»' Ν
Twomainmechanismsareenvisaged:workshopsandstudies.Workshopsonse­
lectedtopicsshouldbringtogetherpeopleexpertinagiventechnologywith
potentialusersofthe-technologyforinformationpurposesandwithpolicy
makers,thusmobilizingandmutuallyfertilizingexpertisespreadoverMember
StatesoftheCommunityandconfrontingsuchexpertisewith(potential)user
needs.Inordertoprepareandfollow-upsuchworkshops ,appropriate studies
willbeneeded.Thesestudiesshouldcompriseadescription ofthestateof
development oftheselectedtopicsintheMemberStates.Illustrative ofthe
νactivitiesplannedareworkshopson(l)newtechnologiesforcharacters,-/
graphicsandspeechinputendoutput,and(2)documentdigitization andtele­
transmission .
4.2Strategicanalysis 1 ,
Theobjectiveofthestrategicanalysisistoestablishaconsensusonthe
relativeimportance ,timescaleandrepercussions ofnewinformationtransfer
technologies duringthe1930's,Thisconsensuswillprovideaframeworkwith­
inwhichcoordinatedactionsintheMemberStatesoftheCommunitycanbe
implemented ,thusprovidingafirmbasisforanypilotprojectsagreedtobe
desirableandtimelyattheCommunitylevelandforanyotherappropriate
supportactions. '

-19-
Thegeneralaimofthestrategicanalysiswillbenotonlytogiveacoherent
overallviewofthemaintrends,putalsotoarriveat;
-anindicationofhowmarketresourcesshouldbeexploitedtocreate
informationserviceswhichcanbeaccesseddirectlybyamuchwider
rangeofendusersthanisgenerallythecasewithpresentsystems
(forexampleEuronetDIANEinitspresentform);
-anidentification ofprioritymarketswhereimmediateactionseems
justifiedineconomicterms;
r-aconsensusonthemostappropriatepointsonwhichapolicyof
launchingandsupporting newservicesshouldform.
4.3SDecificatmlications
Therearetwoimportantareaswheretheopportunityofapplicationofnew
technologiesisalreadyidentified now:user-oriented informationretrieval
systemsandelectronicpublishing(thestorage,processing ,transmission ,
translation ,retrieval,etc.offulltextsforthebenefitofauthors,edi­
tors,referees,publishers ,librarians ,""documentali'sts andusers)".-Tnthese
fieldsanumberofspecificstudiesmustbeundertaken ,whichthem-aay.be
followedbypilotimplementations .Furthermore ,adequatefollow-upofthose
studieswhichhavealreadybeenundertakenunderthe2ndActionPlan,hasto
betakencareof.

"»v,1
AnnexI •■•;
junctions'ofceotnralworking (groups .. .v
Sectoral.'WorkingGroupslorthesubjectfieldsmentionedunderchapter2.3.J
abovwhavebeensetup.Theyarecomposedofrepresentatives ofcompetentministries
ordepartmentsandofexpertsfromI&Bcentrestomakesurethattheresults
ofGIDiiT'sactionsfindmaximumapplicationatnationallevelinthese
fieldsandthatCommunityandnationalactivitiesareinlinewitheach ■;
other.,._ '/
ThusbeinganintegralpartofSTIC,thesectoral WG*shavefourmain
functions :
-toassisttheCommissioninformulatingacommonSTIpolicyinselected >^j
subjectfieldsandinharmonizingthecorresponding nationalactivities.j
TothisendtheWGsactas'forumsfortheexchange ,ofup-to-datein-
fonnationonpertinentnationalandCommunitypoliciesandprogramme "
Furthermore ,theyoutliheproposedpoliciesandprogrammesforsub- !
missiontotheCommissionandtoCIDSTwhilepresentingthepossible ■. •
activities6fagivensectorinthebroaderframeworkofunderlying
andrelatedpoliciesandgeneralorientations ;
-toassisttheCommissionintheapplicationofnewmechanisms ,e.g.the
"CallforProposals",forthedevelopment ofinformation services. :,
Functionsofthesemechanisms wouldbetostimulate ,receiveandassess ~
proposalsfor,neworupgradedservices,toensurethatthereis.ageo­
graphicaldistribution ofservicesprovidinginformationabletoen­
.hunceregionaldevelopmentwithintheCommunity;
-toassisttheCommissionandSHC'intestingnewinformationtechnolo­
gieswheretheseareofspecificinteresttogivensectors,e.g.-
VIDcOTLXforagricultural extensionservice;and
-toadvisetheCommission "indrawingupandmanagingappropriate study
andactionprogrammes.Thisincludesstudiesfordecisionmakingwhere \
necessary,thedraftingofshort-andmedium-termworkingprogrammes,the !
definitionofpriorities ,theselectionofprojectsandprojectdevelop–
ment. "..
... ■■ . ■- r
~; '• »■'• • .> •-. 'i
' (\ ■'1
' '··" · '' * < ' ' '■1
ν. *" *

PROPOSAL FOR ACOUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A
THIRD THREE-YEAR PLAN OFACTION INTES FIELD
OFINFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION INSCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
-Proposal foraCouncil Decision
BâtimentJ#anMonnet.PlataauduKirchberg,Boit#postai»1907,UuMambourg-Tél.43011
Tà»a«3423.3446COMEUR LU-2752EUfiDOC LU

PROPOSAL FOR A
COUNCIL .DECISION
adopting athird plan ofaction (1981-1933 )inthefield ofscientific
andtechnical information anddocumentation (STID )
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,and
inparticular Article 235 "thereof ,
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
Having regard totheopinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,
Having regard totheopinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ,
Whereas ,under Article 2oftheTreaty ,theCommunity shall have asoneofits
tasks that ofprotecting throughout theCommunity theharmonious development of
economic activities andacontinuous and "balanced expansion ;
Whereas itisimportant ,since theuse ofinformation isemerging asoneof
theprime factors ineconomic activity andinnovation andinscience ,education
andadministration ,that current action with regard toscientific and
technical information should "beactively extended toinclude thesocio-economic
field byencouraging andsupporting both public andprivate initiatives
ofallkinds ;
Whereas theHeads ofStatfc andofGovernment ,meeting inStrasbourg on21and
22June 1979 »declared that "thedynamic complex ofinformation industries ,
based onthenewelectronic technologies offered amajor source ofeconomic
growth andsocial development ";

Whereas theconcurrent development oftheproduction anduseofinformation
intheCommunity must permit theprogressive attainment ofareasonable "balance
"between ingoing andoutgoing flows ofinformation ,inparticular "between the
Community andnon-member' countries ,on"abasis ofreciprocity ,which will inter
aLia ensure freedom ofaccess byCommunity users tosource 'sofinformation and
data outside theCommunity ; • t • .
Whereas theScientific and Technical Information andDocumentation Committee
(STIDC )andtheScientific andTechnical Research Committoe (CREST )have
delivered their opinions ontheCommission propooal ;,
Whereas theneed tostrengthen andconsolidate activities intheSTU )field ,
already commenced under thefirst twoaction plans forST3D ,justifies the
implementation ofathird plan ofaction which should contribute effectively
towards achieving theabove-mentioned objectives oftheTreaty ;
Whereas theTreaty hasnotprovided tkenecessary powers ;
Whereas ,inaddition ,itisnecessary todefine thelines along which suitable
coordination ofactions atthenational andCommunity levels inthis field
could beeffected ;
.
HASDECIDED ASFOLLOWS * 1
1 i
• : : ι
• V
* Article 1 '
Athird plan ofaction inthefield ofscientific ,technical and
related specialized information anddocumentation assetoutinAnnex Iis
hereby adopted foraperiod ofthree years with effect from 1January 1981 .
Theceiling forexpenditure commitments necessary for t-herealisation ofthis
plan isestimated at-16.5 million European units ofaccount ,theEuropean unit of
account being defined bytherelevant -Financial Regulations .This amount consti­
tutes only anindication .
;" Article 2
\
TheCommission shall implement the .plan ofaction ,assisted bySTIDC ,the
duties andmethod ofoperation ofwhich were defined inAnnex IIoftheCouncil
Decision of9October 1978 adopting -asecond three-year plan ofaction inthe
field ofsc-'entific andtechnical information and documentation' .This Committee
and Cf;ESTshall be !:eptregularly informed bytheCommission oftheprogress of
the work inthis field and inassociate-i fields ,-The Commission shall al?o sub­
mit .each yewr totheCouncil snd theEuropean Parliament afull report onthe
subject ,

Article 3
Inaccordance with Article 228oftheTreaty ,theCommunity mayconclude
cooperation agreements withnon-member -countries participating intheEuropean
Conference ofPostal andTelecommunications Administrations (CEPT ).
TheCommission shall "beauthorized tonegotiate cooperation agreements under
theconditions defined intheCouncil Decision of9October 1978 ,"andparticu­
larly inArticle 3thereof .andAnnex IIthereto . <-
Done at
For the Council
The President*

ANNEX1
THIRDACTIONPLANINTHEFIELDOPSCIENTIFIC ANDTECHNICAL
INFORMATION ANDDOCUMENTATION FORTHETEARS
1981-1983
InordertobuilduponEuronetDIANEandotherachievements ofthe
firsttwoActionPlansbetween1975and19^0,andtoreinforceand
complementnationalmeasuresoftheMemberStates,theThirdAction
Planaims:
1)toconsolidateandenhanceEuronetandtoextendandimprove
DIANEservices ?
2)tocontributetothecreationoffurtherhighquality
informationservicesinEurope,tomeetawidevariety
ofneedsandtostimulatebothpublicandcommercial
activitiesinthisarea;
3)tosupportusersandintermediaries ,andthedevelop­
mentoftheinformation marketintheMemberStates
oftheCommunity;
4)toencouragetheapplicationofnewtechnologies andmetho­
dologiestoinformationservices,z.
Oftheseobjectivesthefirsttwohavehighpriorityatpresent;the
remainingtwoarecomplementary andwillmainlyconsist,forthe'period
oftheThirdActionPlan,ofmonitoringandassessingdevelopments ,
carryingoutexploratorystudies,coordinating nationalviewsandacti­
vities,identifyingactionswhichmightbeappropriateatCommunity
levelanddefining .projectsthatcanensuresuchactions®
Ingeneral,significanteffortsmustbemadewithintheThirdActionPlan
inthefieldofscientific,technicalandother/specializedinformation
anddocumentation toachievealltheobjectiveslaxddownbytheCouncil
initsResolutionof24June1971&na"tohelppreparetheCommunity,its'
economyandindustry,science,researchanda&ministration,tofacethe
challengesofthe1980so

w2»
TheThirdAotianPlancomprisesfourprincipalchapters?
1.Euronetasapublicnetwork "by1933
TheEuronetnetwork.,,whichhasbeenoperationalsinceNovember1979&*idhas
&substantially largercapacitysincjemid-1980s m
–willbemanageduntiltheendof1983bythenationalPTTadministrations
underthesupervision oftheCommissionwhichwillcontinuetoco-finance
anyoperatingdeficit.Themeansofaccountingforthedeficitmustbe
renegotiated onthebasisofmaintenancecostshavingdueregardtothe
delayinbringingthenetworkintoserviceandtheemergenceofparallel
nationalnetworks;
–mustbeextended,particularly tonewMemberStatesandwithinallMember
StatesoftheCommunity,inordertorespondquicklytotheevolving
demandforSTID.Theresponsibility foranynecessaryextensionsshould
increasinglyrestwiththePTTs,andCommunityfundsshouldnotbeused,
forregionalextensionswithinMemberStates;
–shouldbeinterconnected withothernetworksinEurope,onthebasisof
thecooperation agreementsforeseeninArticle3ofthisdecision;con­
nectionswithnetworksofindustrialised countriesoutsideEuropeshould
beapproachedonthebasisofreciprocity andguaranteeoftrafficinboth
directions,respectingthebasicprovisionsoftheTreatyandtakinginto
accountthebestinterestsoftheDIANEhosts;opportunity shouldbetaken
wheneverpossibletoextendth®servicestodevelopingcountriesincluding
LOMEConventioncountries;
–.oustcontinuetobenefitfromtheactivesupportoftheLaunchTeamas
longasnecessary;
; N
–willrequiremeasures,particularly fromthePTTs,topromotethirdparty
trafficinordertoguaranteeabetterfinancialbalance;
–mustmakeasmoothandgradualchangetothestatusofapublicnetwork
bytheendof1983atthelatest,whenitwillbecomethesolemanagerial
responsibility ofthePTTs.Thischangewillrequiretheextensionof
tariffagreementsforaperiodlongenoughtoprotecttheinterestsof
theusersandtohelpinpromotingtheservicesoftheDIANEhosts.

-3-
Accelerated development ofhip;hqualityservicesinEurope
Thefurtherdevelopmentofinformation supplyofbothprivateandpublio
originforEuropeanusersisamajortargettobeachievedintheThird
ActionPlanwithaviewtopreparetheooriditionsforthecreationoffarther
valueaddedinformation services.Measurescarriedoutinthisareashould:
–contributetothecreationoffurtherhighqualityservicesand
coverexistinggapswherethisisofimportancefortheCommunity }
–respondtoCommunityinterestand,whereappropriate,contain
elementswhichrequireEuropeancooperation ;
–takeaccountofnationalprogrammesandcombineCommunitysupport
withactivitiesinthemembercountrieswheneverthisispossible
andappropriate «,
Twomechanismscanbeeffectiveforthispurpose:
–thestudy,definition andimplementation ofspecificactionsthroughtask
forcesorsectoralgroups,particularly inthoseareaswhereaCommunity
policyorapriorityCommunityinterestexists(e«g»agriculture,environment,
energy,healthcare);twodifferentprocedurescanbeappropriateforthe
financingandimplementation ofsuchactions:
–theexecutionofprojectsundercontractsbeingfinancedbythe
Community,withpossiblecontributions fromothersources;
.–thecreationofnewsystemsandservicesthroughthecooperation
ofspecializedcentresintheMemberStatesbeingcoordinated by
theCommissions
1
–thecallforproposalsvjhichwasfirstimplemented underthesecond
ActionPlanandwhichhasthepotentialtobesteadilydevelopedand
reorientedinaccordancewithpreviousexperienceandactualrequirements
inordertopromotenewideas.andstimulateinterest *,TheCommission
.shallgrantdirectshort-termsubsidiestoprojectsofCojmunityrelevance
proposedbypublicorprivateorganisation ?inMemberStatesandshall,
oombi»«,wheneverpossibleanddesirable,Gosmvoitjactionwith,-similar
existingorproposed !recha;yi>^f >~r>thanation*.!level-..Thr.Community's
directfinancialsupportis£-e;i>sra.ljy2cjfcofth?development
cost,butmayb©upto49^" SITODOTTisgivenorth.*?under–
Hv0210of29Novsirber1Q"''9

-4-
standingthatthelong-termviabilityofprojectsisguaranteedwithout
recoursetofurtherCommunitysubsidies.
Additionalmeasuresofindirectsupportshouldbeconsideredinorderto
followupproposalswhichmaynotbefinancedundertheabovemechanism,
butwhichdeservefurtherattentionandmaycallforappropriateassistance.
-Usersupportandmarketdevelopment
Incomplementtothepriorityactivitiesunderchapters 1and2,aseriesofaccom­
panyingmeasuresaretobeundertakenwhicharerequiredatCommunitylevelto
evaluatethesituationandtopreparefuturesupportivepoliciesandactions:
-tostimulateawiderandmorediscerningmarketforEuropeaninformationservices
andinparticularthoseofEuronetDIANE,whereanincreasinginvolvement ofand
aprogressivetransferofresponsibility tothehosts,'databaseproducersand
otherinterestedpartiesisplanned;
-toimprovetheinformation marketinEuropeonthebasisofsystematicanalyses;
-tostimulatetheexportofinformation productsandon-lineservicesfromwithin
theCommunitiestootherindustrialized countriesandtodevelopingcountries
includingthoseoftheLOMEConvention,inparticularthroughseminars,studies,
workshopsandotheractions;
-toevaluateuserneedsandtosupporttheminanappropriate way,inparticular
throughguidanceandreferralservices;
–toencourageefficientdocumentdeliveryservices,takingaccountofexisting
arrangements inmembercountries;
–todevelopsuitablemultilingual toolsinordertolowerlanguagebarriersfor
theusers;
–toconsiderespeciallytherequirements ofsmall–andmedium-sized enterprises
andtoencouragethefurtherdevelopmentofintermediary andotherservices
whichwouldtakecareofthepaxticularneedsandconstraintsoftheseenterprises ^
–toconsiderusers'interestswhenEuropeanorinternational standardsaredefined
orimplemented8
Ncwtechnologies andr,s1hodol&qrf.es needtobemonitoredanddesignedinaselective
waywithaviewtoimprovingquality,increasingefficiency,loweringcost,deve­
lopingcompetitiveness ofinformationsystemsandservicesinEuropeanabroadening
theirscope,Jtisparticularlyimportantthatsuchdevelopments beintroducedinan

appropriate waysoastoenablebothinformationprovidersandusersto
shoreinthebenefitsofnewtechnology.WithintheThirdActionPlanthe
intentionisnottodevelopnewtechnologies buttopromotetheapplication
andadaptationoftheseasrapidlyandeffectivelyaspossiblewithinthe
Community#Initiallythisshouldbeachievedthroughthe;
–monitoringofevolvingtechnologies andtheirapplications ;
–establishment ofacoordinatedstrategicviewondevelopments whichhave
apotentialimpactonSTIDj
«•executionofspecificstudies,forexampleinthefieldsofmoreuseri-
orientedinformationretrievalsystemsandelectfoniopublishing;
–identification anddefinitionofactionsthatwouldbeappropriateat
Communitylevel*

Plan d'action
IDST .
FICHE FINANCIERE •
Liçjne budgétaire concernée Î "
poste 3620 :Plans d'action -triennaux
3eme Plan d'action enmatière d'infor­
mation etdedocumentation scientifiques
ettechniques .(IDST ) -
Base "juridique :
Proposition cedécision duConseil relative au
3ème Plan d'action enIDST (enpréparation dans les
services celaCommission )
Description de •1-'actio n :
voir proposition dedécision duConseil ci-jointe et
communication deMonsieur DAVIGNOH àlaCommission .
Justification de l'action :
voir proposition dedécision duConseil ci-jointe et
communication ceMonsieur DAVIGNON' àlaCommission .
Incidence financière ce ;l'actio »sur -lescrédits d'interven ¬
tion :
5.1 .Coût total del'action :
16,5 MUCEàrépartir sur trois exercices budgétaires .
5.2 .Dépense .intégralement supportée par lebudget communau­
taire .

Ho .
5.3 .Echéancier ces crédits nécessaires :
5.3.1 .Crédits -associés
(enm.u.c.e .)
crée its
'd'engagementcrédits depaiement
1981 1932 1983 ι1984 ι 1935
exercice 1981 :
2,000! : i
0,500 ;1,000 0,500 ! - !
1 1
exercice 1582 :
8,000!
! > ; I
!3,500 2,500 :2,000 ; - i
! :
exercice 1933 :
0,500!– ! , '
! i i
- - '2,500 '2,500 1,500 ·
!
total :
16 ;500i
; ' ' 1
0,500 4,500 .5,500 4,500 1,500 !
1
..... . ....... _ 1
5.3.2 .l'ocie decalcul
L'estimation des crédits destinés àfinancer le
3ème plan d'action est basée sur i
-les coûts réels delamise enplace euré­
seau EURO :;ET-DIANE ;
-l'expérience acquise etles coûts réels ces
systèmes actuellement opérationnels ,complétés
sur les indications fournies par les experts -
nationaux ;
-les estimations faites par ces experts natio­
naux oudans lecadre d'études defaisabilité
détaillées ,concernant enparticulier les
coûts dedéveloppement ceservices dehaute
qualité etdumarché européen del'IDST ;
-les tarifs envigueur notamment dans certains
contrats d'études etdeprestations ehmatière
documentaire etinformatique ;
-les taux d'inflation constatés ouprévus pour
les années ultérieures à1930 .

Incidence financière sur les crédits c!epersonnel etdefonc :
tionneraent courant :
6.1 .Personnel nécessaire 12l'exécution del'action :
Enplace ,(action demandée encontinuité des deux
précédents plans ).
1 ' . - '
Financement des dépenses d''intervention :
Crédits àinscrire dans les budgets futurs .
Incidences sur les ressources :
néant . '
Régime decontre leprévu : .
9.1 .Lamise enoeuvre duplan d'action est subordonnée à
l'avis préalable duComité pour l'Information etla
Documentation Scientifiques etTechniques -(ÇIDST ),aux
conditions définies par leConseil dans sadécision
duSoctobre 1978 (annexe II),portant adoption d'un
2ème plan d'action (JOn°L 311 du4.11.1978 ).
9.2 .L'état d'avancement des travaux ainsi les résultats
obtenus feront l'objet d'uncontrôle périodique c";e
lapart euParlement etduConseil àl'occasion de
laprésentation par laCommission deson rapport annuel
d'activité .