No C 159/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 17. 6. 91 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision setting up a programme for an information 
services market (^ 
(91/C 159/06) 
On 13 February 1991 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 3 April 1991. The Rapporteur 
was Mr Nierhaus. 
At its 286th plenary session (meeting of 24 April 1991), the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. The Commission proposal for a Council 
Decision setting up a programme for an information 
services market (Impact. 2 programme) is a direct fol­
low-up to the Council Decision of 26 July 1988 on the 
implementation of a two-year action plan in this field 
(Impact. 1) and, as such, represents the continuation of 
Community policy on the establishment of a common 
information services market, which was initiated in the 
early 1970s by a Council Resolution on increasing the 
availability and use of information services through 
coordinated action at Community and national levels. 
1.2. Between 1975 and 1983, three successive action 
plans provided basic support for the creation of a 
network, the development of data banks and the 
removal of language barriers. The subsequent five-year 
programme (1984-1988) concerned the development 
and promotion of the European information services 
market, greater availability and accessibility of infor­
mation and promotion of the use of new technologies 
for the creation and application of information prod­
ucts and services. 
1.3. The Committee has repeatedly commented on 
this issue, and voiced its fundamental approval of the 
Community's goals and action in the Opinions of 
March 1984 and June 1986. The basic position outlined 
there remains valid and forms the background to the 
following observations. 
2. General comments 
2.1. The Committee strongly supports the present 
Commission proposal for a new Community pro­
gramme, since it regards an efficient information ser-
(!) OJ No C 53, 28. 2. 1991, p. 65. vices market as crucial to the maintenance and improve­
ment of the Community's international competi­
tiveness, particularly in the context of the completion 
of the internal market. This is true, as regards both the 
competitiveness of the information market itself, and 
the importance of information for virtually all sectors 
of the economy. 
It is also clear, as the Commission proposal notes, that 
almost all sections of society depend on information 
services. 
2.2. Community action is particularly necessary 
because: 
— the volume of information services produced in 
Europe is still smaller than in the USA, even if the 
gap has narrowed slightly, 
— the Japanese information services market is also 
expanding rapidly and could threaten Europe's pos­
ition unless special efforts are made, 
— the fragmentation created by linguistic, legal and 
technical barriers puts the European economic area 
at a particularly serious disadvantage which, in the 
final analysis, can be overcome only by the com­
bined efforts of all the Member States, 
— the marked North-South gap created by imbalances 
between advanced and disadvantaged Community 
regions must be eliminated, and whilst this will 
essentially entail national action, the Community 
must also play a part. 
3. Specific comments 
3.1. The Committee particularly welcomes the 
increase in funding from Community resources (to ECU 
100 millions) by comparison with Impact. 1. In conjunc­
tion with the cost-sharing contributions of individual 
project participants, this produces a programme total 
of approximately ECU 225 millions. In the light of 
17. 6. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 159/17 
the programme's ambitious objectives and the need 
to spread this amount over five years, however, the 
proposed aid appears rather modest. 
3.2. Experience gained under Impact.1 indicates that 
a reasonable balance must be struck between the level 
of assistance provided and the administrative expenses 
incurred by project participants. In the case of Impact. 
2, too, it seems unlikely that all acceptable applications 
can be approved; consultation aimed at precluding 
administrative expenditure should therefore precede the 
application procedure where, in particular, projects 
have little prospect of success. Some reimbursement 
of expenses incurred under the application procedure 
would also be particularly beneficial for small and 
medium-sized enterprises and other eligible non­
governmental organizations. 
3.3. Since the Committee regards the work of the 
European Information Market Observatory (IMO) as 
extremely important and valuable, it welcomes the con­
tinuation of its activities under Action Line 1. At the 
same time, its results must be far more efficiently dis­
seminated. The extension of the national correspon­
dents' network and closer relations with relevant Euro­
pean and national associations should facilitate this 
task. In this connection, it is absolutely essential to 
ensure that the annual IMO report is sent to the ESC 
as well as to the Council and Parliament. 
3.4. The Committee also regards the removal of 
legal and administrative barriers (Action Line 2) as 
an extremely important task, for which cooperation 
between the relevant Community and national bodies 
is indispensable. The retention of the Legal Advisory 
Board is therefore to be welcomed. Its terms of reference 
should, however, be extended beyond the provision of 
documentation on legal issues and general develop­
ments and the elaboration of contract guidelines; they 
should cover the drafting of amendments to the regulat­
ory framework as a means of promoting the harmoniz­
ation of national and European legislation, in order to 
eliminate barriers to the development of an efficient 
Community information services market. At the same 
time, priority must be given to such broader consider­
ations as the protection of personal data and of intellec­
tual property rights. 
With a view to even more efficient use of the LAB's 
results, its modification to involve public bodies and 
important market operators is also welcomed. 
3.5. The user-friendly development of information 
systems is a major component of an overall Community strategy to promote the information market. The Com­
mittee thinks that, in addition to the Impact Pro­
gramme, priority must be given to: 
— the development of a Community-wide integrated 
services digital network (ISDN), 
— the standardization of interfaces and terminals with 
a view to the provision of uniform equipment for 
the maximum number of services, 
— the simplification of access to information by the 
development of ergonomically optimum software 
which will enable non-experts to make direct use 
of existing data sources, 
— the simplification of settlement procedures, particu­
larly for small-scale users, for example using Kiosk 
information services, 
— the extension of existing videotex systems and the 
harmonization of standards, in particular to ensure 
inexpensive access to electronic data bases by small 
and medium-sized businesses (SMB) and by individ­
uals, 
— the provision of facilities designed to remove lan­
guage barriers in particular linguistic areas (e.g. 
multi-lingual glossaries, machine translation sys­
tems, etc.). 
3.6. The Committee also welcomes the special 
importance attached to initial and further training in 
the electronic supply of information under Action Line 
3. Inexpensive access to data bases for target groups 
such as teachers, instructors, students and schoolchil­
dren, together with written teaching and information 
materials, would help to increase demand and users' 
skills. Appropriate financial assistance from Com­
munity funds, possibly in conjunction with other Com­
munity aid programmes, should be made available for 
this purpose. 
3.7. Experience gained under Impact. 1 suggests that 
the involvement of small and medium-sized businesses 
and non-governmental organizations (e.g. employers' 
and workers' organization, consumer organizations and 
associations representing the handicapped) should 
receive greater support. This could take the form, in 
particular, of quicker processing and more advice and 
assistance in connection with the preparation of pro­
posals and the search for project partners. 
In this connection, the Committee would confirm its 
approval of the impact statements. 
3.8. The Committee notes with regret that the pre­
sent programme, like its predecessors, fails to define a 
coherent overall Community strategy approved by the 
Member States with regard to the status and creation 
of a Community information services market. 
3.9. The Committee also regrets the failure to take 
greater account of such broader questions as the protec­
tion of personal data, the growing dependency of infor­
mation services (e.g. in the event of breakdown), the 
No C 159/18 Official Journal of the European Communities 17. 6. 91 
effect of different data-collection procedures on edu­
cation and training and the relative social importance 
of the different information services (provided for by 
Action Line 4 and aimed, for example, at employers' 
and workers' organizations, consumer associations and 
associations representing the handicapped), which the 
Done at Brussels, 24 April 1991. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. In 1986 the Commission put forward a docu­
ment (*), concerning the elimination of distortions in 
competition in goods transport: Survey of vehicle taxes, 
fuel taxes and road tolls. The Economic and Social 
Committee (2) agreed in principle to the objectives of 
the Commission with regard to the future taxation of 
goods vehicles such as: 
— elimination of distortions in competition within and 
among modes of transport, 
— charging of the overall economic infrastructure 
costs to the user, 1984 Opinion identified as crucial to the definition of 
assistance priorities. 
3.10. The Economic and Social Committee expects 
the Commission to take due account of these comments 
when taking further action. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois STAEDELIN 
— sufficient tax yield for Member States, 
— free flow of goods and passengers within the Com­
munity, 
— acceptable transit agreements with Non-Member 
States. 
In its report, unanimously passed, the Committee 
emphasized inter alia that: 
— distortions in competition must be eliminated by 
1992, Opinion on the modification of the Proposal for a Council Directive on the Charging of 
Transport Infrastructure Costs to heavy goods vehicles 
(91 /C 159/07) 
On 13 March 1991, the Council asked, under Article 198 of the Treaty, the Economic and 
Social Committee for an Opinion on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Transport and Communications, which was responsible for the preparatory 
work, adopted its Opinion on 10 April 1991. The Rapporteur was Mr. Moreland. 
At its 286th plenary session (meeting of 24 April 1991), the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following Opinion by a majority vote, with 3 abstentions. 
(!) COM(86) 750 final. 
(2) OJ No C 232, 2. 7. 1987, p. 87. — in this context an agreement on tax structures must 
be reached, covering at least the marginal costs,