OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE on the Europe' s Way to the Information Society. An Action Plan (Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament and to the Economic and Social Committee of the Regions)
Date: 1995-02-23
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: development policy, industrial property, information industry, information policy, information technology













EUR-Lex - 51995AC0193 - EN






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51995AC0193

OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE on the Europe' s Way to the Information Society. An Action Plan (Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament and to the Economic and Social Committee of the Regions)  


Official Journal C 110 , 02/05/1995 P. 0037 





Opinion on the communication from  the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament and to the Economic and Social Committee  and the Committee of the Regions - Europe's way to the information society: An action plan(95/C  110/11)On 29  July 1994 the Commission decided to consult the Economic and Social  Committee, under Article  198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the  abovementioned communication. 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  February 1995. The Rapporteur was Mr  Ramaekers. At its 323rd Plenary Session held on 22 and 23  February 1995 (meeting of 23  February 1995), the  Economic and Social Committee adopted the following Opinion by a majority with two votes against  and two abstentions. 1. Introduction 1.1. The Committee welcomes the Commission's desire to present an Action  Programme that will enable Europe to take up the challenge of the information society. The present  Committee Opinion is a preliminary effort in that the subject matter to be discussed is in a state  of flux and the Committee will have to follow up its work. The Committee firmly believes that plans  for the information society of the future must also cover requirements regarding job-creation,  protection of the environment, accessibility, and other social and societal aspects. It should be  emphasized that work in these areas is far from complete. 1.2. The Committee notes the Community's invitation to the private sector to 'play its  entrepreneurial role and launch without delay concrete initiatives for the prompt deployment of the  information society', whilst itself assuming its responsibilities for 'setting the appropriate  regulatory environment'. 1.3. It is very important in this connection for Community legislation to be implemented uniformly  and with the same effect. The public sector has an important role to play here and must therefore  be involved from the outset in the development of the information society. 1.4. In its communication, the Commission submits an action plan covering four areas: - the regulatory and legal framework; - networks, basic services, applications and content; - social, societal and cultural aspects; - the promotion of the information society. 1.5. The Committee considers that these are the four vital areas which will need to be addressed if  the challenges of the information society are to be met. However, the technical and industrial  aspects are also essential if the Community is to master this technological and societal  revolution. 2. Background 2.1. The Bangemann report2.1.1. The Committee is aware that, because the Commission's work programme  covers such a vast area, it will not be possible now to examine all the implications of every  single aspect; the Committee therefore intends for the time being to focus on those aspects which  it considers at this moment to be vital. 2.1.2. The recommendations presented to the European Council in the report entitled 'Europe and the  global information society' stress how important it is to adopt measures urgently. 2.1.3. This report proposes an approach based on the strict application of the rules on  competition. 2.1.4. One of the main threads running through the report is the proposal that monopolies should be  ended and that infrastructure should be liberalized, with public service obligations shared out  among all operators offering services to the public. This implies the creation of a new clear and stable regulatory framework that will permit the free  play of competition and allow the private sector to finance the launch of the information society.  (The introduction of the trans-European networks will cost ECU 150 bn over 10 years, an investment  to be borne exclusively by the private sector, whilst the EU is planning to pump-prime the  operation with a cash injection of ECU 5 bn between now and 1999). 2.1.5. According to the Bangemann report, different types of challenges will be encountered during  the launch of the information society: - technical challenges:    standardization: satellite, frequencies, cable, limited networks;    interconnection and interoperability of networks; - technological challenges:    development of a broadband communication system and an integrated broadband network centred on  EURO-ISDN (integrated service digital network for the transmission of sounds, visuals -  particularly images - and data);    mobile communication; - regulatory challenges:    tariffs;    media concentration;    competition;    convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting;    privacy;    legal protection and security;    intellectual property rights;    publishing. 2.1.6. The success of the information society will however depend on whether the critical mass is  attained. The report would accordingly like to see cooperation between competitors and the  promotion of existing and future services. The information campaign in each Member State must focus  on the opportunities and threats for SMEs. As far as the individual citizen is concerned, the  Commission's intention to target young people is to be welcomed; in the Committee's view, however,  this group is already reasonably on the ball. The campaign should be directed rather at the public  at large - something which can only be achieved if the relevant organizations take an effective  part in drawing up and evaluating policies, as well as in determining the real needs to be  satisfied. 2.1.7. The report nevertheless takes the line that heightened competition will not be sufficient to  attain the critical mass and so proposes that a 'virtuous circle' of supply and demand be created  on the basis of a 'demonstration function' in order to fine-tune applications to consumer  requirements. The report envisages ten priority applications divided into two main blocks: - the personal home market (teleshopping, telebanking, entertainment, leisure); - business applications. The ten applications are: teleworking, distance learning, inter-varsity networking, telematic  services for SMEs, road traffic management, air traffic control, health-care networks, electronic  tendering, IDA (trans-European public administration network) and city information highways. 2.2. Action plan2.2.1. The information society will differ radically from present society in its use of  networks and provision of services. The application of new technologies will make it possible to  transmit any audiovisual, information processing or telephone service via any medium, be it cable,  Hertzian waves or satellite. These new possibilities pose a great number of challenges, most of them unforeseeable at the  present time. 2.2.2. The convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting and publishing constitutes one of the  crucial elements of the information society. The technical possibility of being able to transmit  any type of service via any medium will make it possible to circumvent unbalanced regulations and  is already rendering existing rules obsolete. 2.3. General comments2.3.1. The Committee welcomes the Commission's desire to set up a clear and stable  regulatory framework. It nevertheless considers it necessary to ensure that the transition to the  information society is accompanied by other policy measures, particularly in the technological,  social and employment fields. 2.3.2. The Committee considers however that the Action Plan submitted for discussion does not cover  all of the four areas in the same detail. 2.3.3. By way of illustration, Annex I (pending measures), Annex 2 (new measures under  consideration), and Annex 3 (possible partnerships) embody different orders of priorities. 2.3.4. The Committee regrets in particular that social, societal and cultural aspects are included  only among the 'new measures under consideration', and are not to be found among the 'measures  pending', particularly in the important areas of health, education, the environment, training, the  disabled and the cinematographic industry. 3. Comments area-by-area 3.1. Regulatory and legal framework3.1.1. General considerations3.1.1.1. The Committee welcomes the Commission's proposal to create a vast  regulatory framework that preserves public interest objectives and accords with the principles of  universality, equality and continuity in order to obviate the polarization of society. It also  notes that 'more specific Communications will follow, covering different areas outlined below'. 3.1.1.2. The Committee understands the need to propose rapid action but hopes that this action will  cover as broad a front as possible without underestimating those vital areas that require constant  attention. It would help in this respect to identify users' needs so that service providers can  adjust the services they offer. These topics are discussed more fully later on in the Opinion. 3.1.1.3. Standardization, privacy and intellectual property rights are important considerations of  the information society debate. However, EU objectives must be to steer rather than direct  development, taking into consideration market demand and technical and economic realities. 3.1.1.4. The Committee nevertheless finds it hard to examine the areas in question when it does not  have the relevant and necessary information at its finger tips. It would however recall past  Opinions covering the same areas and notes that some of the areas currently under examination are  or will be the subject of Commission referrals to the Committee. One such referral is the  'Follow-up to the consultation process relating to the Green Paper on pluralism and media  concentration in the internal market - An assessment of the need for Community action' (COM(94) 353  final). 3.1.1.5. The Committee will therefore only be able to deliver detailed Opinions as and when future  communications are published. 3.1.1.6. The Committee is nevertheless unhappy about the order of priorities in which the  Commission has placed the different areas covered by the regulatory framework. 3.1.2. The Green Paper on the liberalization of infrastructure (COM(94) 440 final)3.1.2.1. In its desire  to create a regulatory framework that permits a competitive environment in accordance with the  recommendations of the Bangemann Group report, the Commission is seeking to obtain agreement on the  principle of totally liberalizing telecommunications infrastructure. With this in mind it has  brought out a Green Paper on the liberalization of infrastructures which will be the subject of  wide-ranging consultations. The Green Paper has however been split into two parts, the second part  only having been presented at the beginning of 1995. 3.1.2.2. The first part of the Green Paper sets out a number of principles and a timetable. The general principle is stated as follows: 'Provided that the necessary safeguards are in place,  the providers of telecommunications services which are open to competition should have a free  choice of the underlying infrastructure for the delivery of such services'. According to the Green Paper 'the best environment ... is an open and competitive one ... A  liberalized market ... will help unlock revenues vital to support the huge private investments  necessary ... It can thus free governments of enormous political and economic constraints,  generating new revenues, which can be used to invest in health, education and culture'. 3.1.2.3. The Green Paper therefore proposes that restrictions on the use of own or third party  infrastructure be removed immediately in the following areas: - the delivery of satellite communications services; - the provision of all terrestrial telecommunications services already liberalized (including the  use of cable television infrastructure for this purpose); - the establishment of links, including microwave links, within the mobile network, for the  provision of mobile communications services. 3.1.2.4. The second part of the Green Paper will cover: - criteria for the granting of licences; - universal service and public service tasks; - the interconnection regime; - restrictions on operators; - ensurance of access; - the social and employment dimension; - convergence between telecommunications, broadcasting and publishing. 3.1.2.5. However, the Green Paper's proposed timetable (first part, page 39) envisages the  liberalization of alternative infrastructure from 1995 when the proposed consultations will not  even have started. It seems rather paradoxical to first lay down a timetable and only afterwards  address fundamental questions. In the period up to 1  January 1998 attention should be focused on  resolving questions of principle, so that when the free market actually starts up in 1998 it will  be possible to keep one's finger on the pulse in order to be able to tackle any possible social  consequences. Before the Committee can endorse the Commission's approach, an analysis needs to be made of the  socio-economic impact of such a measure, and particularly the mechanisms for safeguarding and  developing the universal service. Such mechanisms are rooted in a process of levelling out which is  needed to avoid the polarization of society. Conditions of access to the universal service are of  fundamental importance and must be laid down throughout the whole of the European Union. The  Committee would also draw attention to the fact that the universal service might turn out to be a  huge market with benefits for industry and the telecommunications sector in general. The Committee  notes that the Council of Ministers' meeting of 17  November 1994 did not call for a liberalization  of alternative infrastructure before 1  January 1998. In this connection it is to be regretted that  on 21  December 1994 the Commission adopted a draft Directive on the liberalization of cable  distribution infrastructure from 1  January 1996. The Commission's initiative in applying Article   90 of the Treaty sets a dangerous precedent that may well call into question Europe's  decision-making procedures. This initiative changes the rules of the game regarding timetables, and  consequently industrial strategy. 3.1.2.6. With regard to the subjects dealt with by the Green Paper on the liberalization of  infrastructure, the Committee would recall the point made in its Opinion () on the 'Draft  Commission Directive amending Directives 88/301/EEC and 90/388/EEC with regard to satellite  communications' (SEC(93) 1891 final), namely that 'before liberalization of the entire voice  telephony service it is necessary to define the scope, organization and financing of the universal  service'. This reiterated what had been said in an earlier Opinion () on 'The situation in the  telecommunications services sector' (COM(93) 159 final). 3.1.2.7. The Committee notes that whilst the first part of the Commission's Green Paper proposes  the liberalization of services in general in 1995, with the exception of public voice telephony,  there is at the same time a desire to liberalize voice telephony (including alternative  infrastructure) for corporate communications and closed user groups. 3.1.2.8. The Committee considers that the Commission's proposed timetable for the liberalization of  infrastructure cannot reasonably be introduced without having first clearly defined the concept of  universal service - including the reasons for it, the stakes involved, the safeguard mechanisms  that go with it, its development, and the financial arrangements. 3.1.2.9. The Committee supports the Commission's proposals on the introduction of a clear and  stable regulatory framework, but urges that measures designed to open up the field to competition  be adopted only after approval has been given to this framework and especially the rules governing  competition, media concentration, privacy, intellectual property rights, electronic protection and  the financing of a universal service that has been clearly defined beforehand and includes the  widest possible range of advanced telecommunication services. The Committee would draw attention to  the fundamental importance of the universal service concept - the key to European citizens' access  to new information and communication services. The wealth of information and communication services  on offer will depend on the definition of the universal service concept, which will decide whether  social exclusion can be avoided. 3.1.3. Convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting and publishing3.1.3.1. The Committee is aware that  the new technologies will bring about upheavals, particularly in the audiovisual sector, and  supports the Commission in its desire to revise the 1989 Directive on Television without  Frontiers. The Committee reaffirms the need to consider the cultural dimension of certain audiovisual  products, bearing in mind the convergence between telecommunications, broadcasting and publishing. 3.1.3.2. The Committee would underline the need to preserve and define public interest services  within the framework of an open and converging market. 3.1.3.3. The fact that television, and particularly PC-linked interactive television, would be the  ordinary citizen's main means of access to the information society has certainly not been proven  and needs further study. 3.1.3.4. Steps must therefore be taken to ensure that there is a regulatory framework within which  the new proposed services can be regulated and basic services, along with public-interest services,  defined. 3.1.3.5. In particular, mechanisms will have to be introduced to ensure compliance with fundamental  ethical principles such as: - protection of children and adolescents; - dignity of the individual; - privacy; - pluralism. 3.1.3.6. Media ownership is a key area in the audiovisual sector and needs to be regulated. The  Committee would recall here that in Opinion CES 1000/94 of 14  September 1994, it drafted replies  to, and made comments on, the Green Paper entitled 'Strategy options to strengthen the European  programme industry in the context of the audiovisual policy of the European Union' (COM(94) 96  final). This Opinion stated that 'by concentrating on the unimpeded operation of the internal market and by  endorsing the trend in the service sector towards worldwide liberalization and deregulation, the  Green Paper deliberately steers clear of the possible social consequences of unbridled competition  in the audiovisual field'. 'Unrestricted competition would undoubtedly lead to the European market being dominated by a small  number of media groups.''The diversity of services can be fostered as much by restricting  concentrations at both national and European level, as by introducing specific measures to promote  diversity.'3.1.3.7. The Committee recalls that in the same Opinion it underlined the dangers of  the Green Paper's proposal that financial incentives be provided for creation, production,  distribution or exploitation. 'The claim that providing incentives to companies, taking the whole  range of their activities into account, sparks growth could be a dangerously incorrect conclusion  ... giving everyone a slice of the incentive cake is not nearly as effective as providing specific  financial incentives for individual projects.'3.1.3.8. The Committee hopes that, when revising the  regulatory framework, the Commission will pay particular attention to the new services, as well as  to existing services destined for large-scale expansion in the wake of the new technologies. In  this respect priority will have to be given to examining the rules which should be applied in  particular to teleshopping so as to protect consumers' rights whilst at the same time ensuring that  competition can thrive. 3.1.3.9. The Committee considers that all necessary attention should be paid to questions regarding  intellectual property rights, the right to privacy, electronic protection, legal protection and  security. It would like to be consulted on these matters as soon as progress on the dossiers  permits. 3.2. Networks, basic services, applications and content3.2.1. The Commission affirms that the leading  role in the launch of the information society will be taken by the private sector. It also makes  the point that trans-European network and audiovisual applications will play a major role in the  development and implementation of the information society. 3.2.1.1. The Committee considers that it is necessary to be vigilant and make sure that not only  the private sector but also other operators play a role in the development of the information  society. The public sector should certainly be in a position to contribute to culture and education  since it would be inappropriate to leave developments in these areas solely in the hands of the  private sector. 3.2.2. Networks3.2.2.1. EURO-ISDN3.2.2.1.1. The Committee would refer here to its Opinion on ISDN () and in particular its  view that: - the Commission should define the scopes of norms and licences; - the concept of basic services should be spelt out more clearly; - agreement should be sought between Member States on a more precise definition of the terms single  network, basic service and multimedia terminal. 3.2.2.1.2. The Action Plan however sheds no light on these questions. What the Commission does do  is undertake to 'initiate a European Forum for basic services, aiming at closer cooperation on  common services and functional specifications and on the timing of their introduction'. 3.2.2.1.3. In the abovementioned Opinion the ESC had already voiced its concern 'about the slippage  vis-à-vis the original schedule for the introduction of the aligned ISDN services'. 3.2.2.2. Mobile communicationsThe Committee notes that the Commission is to present a report on the  consultations relating to the Green Paper - which proposes further liberalization of the mobile  communications sector - and would refer to Opinion CES 1007/94 of 14/15  September 1994 pending the  publication of the Commission report. 3.2.2.2.1. In this Opinion the Committee 'welcomed the Green Paper and congratulated the Commission  on having produced clear suggestions for the way ahead in this sector'. The Committee nevertheless  felt that the Commission needed to give further consideration to the following points: - licensing procedures; - service provision; - interconnection; - infrastructure; - radio frequencies; - numbering; - fair competition; - data protection; - health, physical safety and the environment; - economic and social issues. 3.2.2.3. Satellite communicationsThe Committee is awaiting the outcome of the different phases indicated by  the Commission in its action plan, and the presentation of an overall conceptual framework. In this  connection the Committee would recall its Opinion on the draft Commission Directive regarding  satellite communications (), and its Opinion on satellite licences (). 3.2.3. Basic services, applications and content3.2.3.1. Whilst the universal service concept needs to be  defined, the Committee considers that it is also necessary to establish links between the ideas of  'basic service' and 'universal service'. This means that the latter will have to evolve and keep  pace with technological developments. 3.2.3.2. The Bangemann report's view that the whole of society will be subject to upheavals means  that it will be necessary to consider all the applications proposed in that report, including their  future trends. 3.2.3.3. The policy adopted by the Commission and proposed in the Action Plan, as well as the  varying degrees of progress made in individual areas, raise a number of questions regarding the  imminent arrival of the information society. 3.2.3.4. The delays and difficulties encountered in developing the EURO-ISDN network and IDA ()  programme give cause for concern about possible future applications. 3.2.3.5. The Corfu Summit approved the areas of application proposed by the Bangemann Group:  teleworking, distance learning, networking between research centres, telematic services for SMEs,  road traffic management, air traffic control, health care networks, trans-European public  administration networks, electronic tendering, city information highways. The Commission therefore proposes that research projects and experimental work be applied in the  field in order to create new markets and new job opportunities. 3.2.3.6. The Committee notes that teleworking, distance learning, research networks and health care  will form the subject of discussions aimed at identifying needs and evaluating costs before 'field  trials' are launched. Areas such as telematic services for SMEs, transport, IDA and electronic tendering are already well  under way. The Committee points out the dangers inherent in such an approach since it is primarily service  providers who should propose services to users after having identified needs. Only then should  field trials for users be held in order to avoid the risk of creating artificial needs when there  is no user demand. The Committee would draw attention to market uncertainties, the problem of being able to identify  real demands, and the need to develop networks that can meet such demands. It is consequently only  after holding consultations with industries, service providers and users that it will be possible  to develop services meeting public interest needs. 3.2.3.7. The Committee endorses the Commission's initiatives but fears that there is hardly any  chance of the areas mentioned above making rapid advances, given the delays in developing the  EURO-ISDN network. 3.2.3.8. The Committee accordingly has doubts about the urgency of some of the measures proposed by  the Commission and draws its attention to the dangers of speeding up some processes when others are  only developing slowly. 3.2.3.9. The testing of applications with high growth potential has in fact involved the  amalgamation of audiovisual and telecommunications technology. Teleshopping and pay-TV services are especially likely to develop rapidly. (Pay-TV will enable the  TV viewer to pay for programmes selected à la carte.) The Committee would nevertheless ask the  Commission to carry out detailed studies of this topic since this type of service was initially  quite successful when launched in the USA but is currently facing enormous difficulties. 3.2.3.10. The Committee would draw the Commission's attention to the need for a policy of  infrastructure liberalization in line with actual needs and developments, but without endangering  basic services and the universal service. 3.2.3.11. Whilst aware of the need to achieve the critical mass needed for the development of the  information society, the Committee believes that this objective should not be pursued to the  detriment of the public interest services approved at the Corfu Summit. What is needed are  mechanisms which ensure that private-sector funding is not directed solely at commercial  applications that offer immediate financial returns. 3.3. Social, societal and cultural aspects3.3.1. The Commission is aware that the advent of the  information society involves certain risks, such as the creation of a two-tier society. This was  pointed out in the Bangemann report. 3.3.2. The Commission proposes that appropriate measures be taken to deal with the changes inherent  in the launch of the information society so that essential social concepts such as universal  service can be preserved. 3.3.3. The Committee emphasizes this fundamental point and would point out once more that it is  absolutely essential to define the concept of universal service, and put in place the mechanisms to  safeguard and develop this concept throughout Europe. 3.3.4. The Commission intends to set up a high-level group of experts to advise it on areas of  priority. Priority will be given to: - employment and the working environment; - societal aspects; - cultural aspects; - linguistic issues. 3.3.5. The Committee welcomes the Commission's plan to study basic problems created by the social  changes which the information society will bring about. It regrets however that these studies have  not received the same priority as other aspects such as infrastructure liberalization. The  Committee calls upon the Commission to pay more attention to social and employment problems and to  reflect this important priority by carrying out special studies. The findings of such studies  should be taken into account in the social dialogue on the future blueprint for the launch of the  information society. 3.4. Employment and the working environment3.4.1. The Committee would refer back to Opinion CES 1007/94  of 14/15  September 1994 on the Green Paper on Mobile Communications in which it is stated that  'initiatives by the Council and the Commission aimed, not only at harmonizing and liberalizing  services, but also at studying the economic impact and consequences of these decisions, would be  greatly welcomed... A necessary pre-requisite for these initiatives is an in-depth study of the  economic and social consequences for the telecommunications sector as a whole'. 3.4.2. The Committee looks forward to the report which the Commission intends to prepare in the  near future on the employment and wider social consequences of the development of the 'flexible  firm'. However, it is essential to study the impact on employment in business as a whole, and not  just concentrate on firms which opt for teleworking. Equally, it is important to assess the impact  of liberalization on both job gains and job losses in firms in general. It is also necessary to  take into consideration the impact of new technologies on sectors outside telecommunications, e.g.  the retail trade, and look at the influence teleshopping will have on employment in this sector. 3.5. Societal aspects3.5.1. The Commission points out that the information society will 'profoundly  change everyday life and leisure time, promote new forms of urban and rural development and improve  the quality of the education and health systems. However, the accelerated diffusion of new  technologies may also give rise to rejection and isolation'. 3.5.2. The Committee notes that the Commission emphasizes everyday life and leisure activities.  This approach confirms the analyses which claim that the information society will come about in  several stages. The first stage would be the attainment of a critical mass in the consumption of  private services. Only after this stage could more ambitious public interest goals be envisaged  (e.g. telemedicine, traffic control, etc...). 3.5.3. The Committee is concerned about this line of approach and fears that it might lead to the  creation of a multi-speed society. The Commission remarks that the 'accelerated diffusion of new  technologies may also give rise to rejection and isolation'. This risk is only real if priority is  given to the introduction of private services and leisure activities. The accelerated introduction  of new technologies in services of public interest would scarcely lead to rejection. In this particular case the concept of universal service (and its future development) assumes  absolute priority. 3.6. Cultural aspects3.6.1. Measures to be proposed by the Commission 'will aim at making audiovisual  policy a key element in the content strategy' for developing the information society. The promotion of European cultural products should be supported with due regard to their  distinctive features. 3.6.2. To ensure this, the Committee stresses the need to set up a regulatory framework which will  take account of the convergence of broadcasting and telecommunications. It is particularly vital to  introduce rules covering ethical standards in the handling of information. 3.6.3. The possibility of being able to transmit information via any medium, along with the  proliferation of user information sources, point to the need to develop and introduce mechanisms  for applying ethical standards in order to avert any risk of manipulation or disinformation. Care  should be taken to promote the greater freedom of expression made possible by the new technologies,  whilst making sure at the same time that the various actors involved bear their responsibilities. 3.6.4. The ease with which European cultural values can be disseminated in the information society  means that there should also be a programme for a) improving access to cultural products and b)  defining basic audiovisual services. 3.6.5. Hence the need to propose, inter alia, education and training services, whilst also  guaranteeing a full range of services for all users. An evolutive approach to universal service  would make it possible to incorporate basic audiovisual services. 3.6.6. The Committee would refer here to Opinion CES 1000/94 of 14  September 1994 on the Green  Paper on audiovisual policy in which it regrets that 'numerous comments and suggestions it has  submitted in recent years concerning the future prospects for a democratic, European media culture  have yet again been ignored'. Just as the Committee's fears regarding media concentration have failed to be dispelled, so too  have its fears that the policy of providing incentives for audiovisual productions might be geared  solely to supporting producers who are successful and distributors who can offer guarantees. 3.7. Linguistic aspects3.7.1. The Commission will be publishing a communication identifying ways of  meeting the European linguistic challenge and stimulating the emerging language-based industry. 3.7.2. Pending publication of this communication the Committee would emphasize that the subject  needs to be studied carefully. The Committee considers that it is perhaps time to promote the  dissemination of European-wide information in the Union. 3.8. Promotion activities3.8.1. The Committee endorses the information dissemination programme proposed  by the Commission. It nevertheless hopes that, in the interest of users, the programme will be implemented in a clear,  transparent manner, will provide information on the risks and opportunities involved in the  transition to the information society and will highlight the importance of the new information and  communication services for overcoming economic, social and ecological problems. 3.8.2. This implies the existence of a clear and reliable regulatory framework, recognized  standards, and public-interest services. Promotion activities, which are a fundamental aspect of the information society's launch, will need  to be coordinated with public and private service providers. In carrying out this work, it would be  well-advised to involve those associations whose job it is to educate and inform the public so that  the whole of society can learn of the new possibilities. Only if there is wide-ranging consultation of, and cooperation with, all social and economic  interests will the information society be able to avoid the pitfalls of a two-tier society. 4. Conclusions on priority issues of central importance 4.1. Given the convergence of the  telecommunications, audiovisual and publishing sectors, the question of media concentration should  be regulated before there is any further move in the direction of liberalization. 4.2. Adoption of the Commission's proposal for a programme to liberalize services and  infrastructure must depend on certain pre-conditions first being fulfilled in such fields as: - The establishment of a stable and legal regulatory framework, particularly with regard to:  - media concentration and ownership;  - the definition and preservation of the concept of universal service;  - privacy;  - intellectual property rights;  - legal protection and security;  - the audiovisual sector:    ethical considerations;    information;    culture;  - standardization, interoperability;  - tariffs (equalization, cross-subsidization). - The harmonization and development of EURO-ISDN, an integrated broadband network, and IDA so as  not to compromise the development of public-interest and other applications. 4.3. The Committee believes that an immediate start must be made on analyses of the social and  economic risks and challenges involved in the transition to the information society (analyses which  are considered by the Commission to be necessary) and on measures to obviate and limit such risks.  In particular, it calls for: - the immediate establishment of a Group of Experts, which will include all social and economic  interests; - studies to evaluate the investment needed to set up and operate information highways and new  services, and to assess the effect on employment; - studies of the structural impact and effect on employment of new information and communication  services, with particular regard to possible new applications in banks, commercial enterprises,  mail-order firms, travel agents, transport firms and enterprises in the media industry; - the development and testing of rules governing layout and security in connection with the  regional pilot projects. 4.4. The findings of the studies, and the lessons learnt from the projects, must be made public and  applied when further measures are drawn up to ease the transition to the information society. The  findings and experiences must also be submitted to the European institutions and to all social and  economic interests, for their opinions, before final decisions are taken on appropriate measures. 4.5. At the same time as getting to grips with the social consequences of the new technologies,  there is also a case for studying needs so that the information society can satisfy the real  demands of European society and not merely supply services that offer immediate financial gain. 4.6. A detailed timetable should be fixed for debating these crucial questions in advance of the  proposed deadlines for the liberalization of all services whilst the deadlines in question should  be adjusted in the light of the studies that need to be carried out into the social implications. 4.7. In view of the uncertainties surrounding current changes, governments and civil society should  be allowed a reasonable length of time for reflection and the possible endorsement of a democratic  regulatory body at Community level. The Committee would emphasize that it might itself have a  democratic role to play in such a body. 4.8. The Committee would emphasize that it is necessary for Member States to ensure that  legislative provisions (such as directives or regulations) adopted by collective agreement within  the Council are implemented at national level within the deadlines set and are then applied  effectively. 4.9. The way in which the transition to the information society is organized is of great importance  to the further economic and social modernization of Europe and will play a decisive role in helping  to a) safeguard and strengthen European firms' ability to innovate, b)  determine future production  and employment, and c)  further develop working and living conditions. In the view of the Committee  it is necessary: 1) To use industrial, research, technological, and training policy measures to further corporate  restructuring and satisfy new skill requirements. Measures adopted under the current Fourth  Framework Programme, as well as Structural Fund support programmes (particularly Objective  4),  must be problem-oriented. 2) To make sure that, when setting up and operating new communication and information networks  (information highways), attention is focused not only on technical and economic aspects but also  on:  - ensuring that the public has access to basic information services and that there is no  discrimination regarding access to new systems and services,  - ensuring a sufficient diversity of information,  - making allowance for the special protection which cultural and democratic values should enjoy,  - guaranteeing the confidentiality of personal data and information security and preventing the  misuse of economic power for political ends. For these reasons there is a case for adopting 'traffic rules' for information 'highways'. The  prerequisite for this is the existence of a basic information and communications service to which  all citizens have access. 3) To ease the transition to the information society of the future by creating new areas of  potential demand. This will involve the development and operation of new information and  communication systems and services that tap the interests of society at large and serve labour-,  employment-, social- and environment-policy objectives. 4) To use the development of communication and information infrastructure within the framework of  local pilot projects as an opportunity to initiate responsible economic and social developments. By  means of social dialogue, social and economic interests must also be involved in shaping the future  information society with a view to a) drawing up and testing the social acceptability of traffic  rules for new networks and services, and b) promoting basic and advanced vocational training  related to the application of new information and communication equipment, systems and services. 5) To take account of the globalization of information. This is why the Committee emphasizes the  need to draw up clear, stable rules that will pave the way for the worldwide exchange of  information with due regard to the requirements governing fair competition, the protection of  privacy, security, and intellectual property. 4.10. The Committee would urge that the studies and consultations called for in its present Opinion  be carried out speedily and resolutely - taking due account of the priorities mentioned earlier -  so that the Union can share in the on-going real-time development of the information society in an  appropriate manner. Done at Brussels, 23  February 1995. The Presidentof the Economic and Social CommitteeCarlos FERRER() OJ No C  127, 7. 5. 1994.  () OJ No C 34, 2. 2. 1994.  () OJ No C 52, 19. 2. 1994.  () OJ No C 127, 7. 5. 1994.  () OJ No C 295, 22. 10. 1994.  () IDA = Trans-European data communication networks between administrations.