18. 4. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 102/13 
APPENDIX 
to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
The following amendment, which received at least one quarter of the votes cast, was rejected during the 
course of the discussion: 
Point 5 
Amend the first paragraph as follows: 
'Since the Council decision in 1987, the Commission, with the support of the European Parliament, has 
endeavoured to persuade the Council to apply procedures vesting it with the widest possible executive 
powers.' 
Reason 
Self-explanatory. 
Votes 
For: 15, against: 18, abstentions: 23. 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision establishing the second phase of the TEDIS 
programme (Trade Electronic Data Interchange Systems) 
(91/C 102/06) 
On 18 December 1990 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing 
the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 6 February 1991. The Rappor­
teur was Mr Nierhaus. 
At its 284th plenary session (meeting of 27 February 1991) the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. At the end of 1986 the Commission submitted 
a proposal for a Council Regulation introducing the 
preparatory phase of a Community programme on tra­
de electronic data interchange systems (TEDIS). The 
Committee issued an Opinion in February 1987 in 
which it supported the draft in principle, but drew 
attention to the low level of funding relative to the 
large number of planned actions. The Committee made 
its further assessment of the programme dependent on 
additional information on the priorities and financing 
of the next phase of TEDIS. 1.2. The Council of Ministers adopted the pro­
gramme on 5 October 1987. The Commission's orig­
inally planned starting date was postponed by a year 
to 1 January 1988 and the funds were cut by about 
10% to ECU 5,3 million. 
1.3. In its Opinion of 15 December 1988 the Com­
mittee gave its support to a proposal for an amendment 
designed to enable the countries of the European Free 
Trade Association (EFTA) to participate in the TEDIS 
programme. And in an Opinion of 19 December 1989 
the Committee welcomed the proposal for a corre­
sponding agreement as highly favourable to the further 
development of TEDIS. 
No C 102/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 4. 91 
2. General comments 
The interim report submitted by the Commission in 
accordance with Article 8 of the Decision concludes 
that TEDIS has set a process in motion which had to 
be carried through to its conclusion in order to ensure 
complete success. The Committee endorses this assess­
ment in full and therefore supports the present proposal 
for a Council Decision establishing the second phase of 
the TEDIS programme. The Committee in particular 
welcomes the increase in programme funding and the 
clear definition of priorities, not to be found in the first 
phase. 
The Committee is also very conscious of the strategic 
importance of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) as a 
vehicle with considerable ramifications for increased 
productivity and qualitative change in society. EDI on 
a European—and world-wide scale—can greatly assist 
market integration. The Commission's search for inte­
grative Community-wide solutions is therefore strongly 
endorsed, for new barriers to trade would be created 
by not going beyond national confines. TEDIS is the 
principle Community programme aimed at obtaining 
optimal benefits from EDI for the Internal Market and 
as such deserves full support. 
3. Specific comments 
3.1. The Committee considers the further coordi­
nation of sectoral electronic data interchange projects 
to be both necessary and likely to yield results: 
— necessary in order to counteract incompatibilities 
between individual systems which would act as a 
barrier to trade, and 
— likely to yield results as it can build on existing 
infrastructure and know-how. 
This also justifies the fact that nearly 50% of the 
available funds are earmarked for sectoral, intersectoral 
and pan-European projects. 
3.2. The Committee is pleased to note that the banks 
are also participating in the TEDIS programme, even 
if they could show still greater commitment to the 
standardization of electronic data interchange. With a 
view to simplifying and accelerating payments in the 
Community, inter-bank electronic data interchange sys­
tems based on an EDIFACT standard can be expected 
to become increasingly important. 3.3. In its Opinions the Committee has repeatedly 
highlighted the need to do more, as a matter of 
priority, to extend the existing telecommunications 
network infrastructure, the aim being to establish a 
Community-wide integrated services digital network 
(ISDN) based, if possible, on a uniform world-wide 
standard. The Committee is therefore pleased that 
the TEDIS programme will include support for the 
establishment of a uniform network infrastructure, 
and that a new priority dealing with interoperability 
measures is to be included in the programme budget. 
This objective is also served by Article 4, which 
requires coordination with other corresponding Com­
munity programmes. It is important, particularly with 
a view to the involvement of small firms, that hitherto 
isolated data networks should be made as far as 
possible compatible via compliance with common 
standards for user interfaces, EDI messages and 
telecommunications services. 
3.4. The TEDIS programme can do no more than 
identify and document the legal problems associated 
with electronic data interchange. In parallel with this 
work the Council and the Commission should consider 
what needs to be done to bring the laws of the Member 
States into line and ensure that appropriate action is 
taken speedily. 
3.5. If electronic data interchange is to be accepted 
by users it is important that the security and confiden­
tiality of the data be guaranteed. The increasing inte­
gration of networks and services makes this problem 
ever more acute. Whilst this aspect is covered by the 
programme, a decision to make it a priority would be 
welcome. 
3.6. The introdution of electronic data interchange 
in firms is of course only worthwhile if their business 
partners also have it—and use a uniform standard. 
Company briefings and management and staff training 
must be provided to make industry more aware of the 
results of technical development work and the work of 
the standards bodies, so that a critical mass is reached 
as soon possible which will make introduction seem 
economically attractive. This will in the main have to 
be a job for national trade associations, although they 
should be helped in their work by the development of 
basic training materials as part of TEDIS. The plan to 
set up national information centres is thus particularly 
welcomed. Information and advice should concentrate 
on changes in management and organization and the 
18. 4. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 102/15 
social repercussions of the introduction of electronic 
data interchange. 
3.7. It is particularly important that the Com­
munity's structurally weak regions be involved in the 
programme to a greater extent in order to prevent them 
becoming even more disadvantaged. To this end, a 
prompt and detailed analysis is needed of the effects of 
conditions typical of the regions; this aspect should be 
incorporated into the programme too. 
3.8. The introduction of electronic data interchange 
has a considerable impact on the number and nature 
of jobs in the firms affected. Socially acceptable restruc­
turing of firms' organization is therefore needed to 
Done at Brussels, 27 February 1991. make introduction as trouble-free as possible. Ways of 
involving social groupings working at Community level 
in the implementation of TEDIS, if only by providing 
them with information, need to be studied. The group 
of independent experts which, under Article 8, is to 
draw up the final report should also include specialists 
in the social effects of corporate restructuring, so that 
the socio-economic aspect of TEDIS is given due atten­
tion in the final assessment of the degree to which the 
programme's objectives have been achieved. 
3.9. The Committee is very pleased to note that, 
in contrast to the usual procedure, the Committee is 
specifically mentioned alongside the Council and the 
European Parliament in Article 8 of the document as a 
recipient of the final report. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francis STAEDELIN