Communication from the Commission concerning the evaluation of the IDA programme and a second phase of the IDA programme
Date: 1997-12-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, exchange of information, public administration, telematics, trans-European network

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COMMISSION  OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  12.12.1997 
COM(97) 661  final 

97/0340 (COD) 
97/0341  (SYN) 

COMMUNICATION  FROM THE  COMMISSION 

concerning the evaluation of the IDA programme and a second phase 
of the IDA programme 

Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 

on a series of guidelines, including the identification  of projects of 
common interest, for trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 

Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 

adopting a series of actions and measures in order to ensure 
interoperability of and access to trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 

(presented by the Commission) 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE  COMMISSION 

concerning the evaluation of the IDA programme and a second phase of the 
IDA programme 

0.  DEFINITIONS 

A  telematic  network  is  a  comprehensive  data  communication  system,  comprising  not 
only the physical infrastructure  and connections, but also the service and application layers 
which  are built  on top  of this infrastructure,  thus enabling  the  interchange  of  information 
electronically between organizations and individuals. 

An  IDA  network  is  a  trans-European  telematic  network  for  administrations  established 
under the IDA programme. 

A sectoral  network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations, devoted  to 
the  implementation  or  the  administrative  support  of  one  particular  Community  policy  or 
activity which is hereinafter  referred  to as an administrative sector. 

The  Telematics  between  Administrations  Committee  (TAÇ)  is  the  committee  of 
Member  State Representatives  which  assists  the  Commission  with  the  implementation  of 
the  IDA  programme  and  ensures  coordination  within  and  between  Member  States,  and 
with the Commission. 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  purpose  of  this  Communication  is  to  inform  the  Council  of  the  results  of  an 
evaluation  of  the  achievements  of  the  existing  IDA  (Interchange  of  Data  between 
Administrations)  programme  and,  following  the  recommendations  of  the  evaluators,  to 
propose  an extension  of the programme  for  the future.  The new programme  described  in 
this document  will build  on the  strong foundation  established  during the past  three years, 
whilst addressing the weaknesses which have been identified  in the current programme. 

Following  the  Council  resolution  on  coordination  with  regard  to  information  exchange 
between  administrations1,  the  Council  decision  adopting  the  three-year  IDA  programme2 
determined  the  Community  contribution  to  certain  projects  in  the field  of  telematic 
interchange  of  data  between  administrations  with  a  view  to facilitating  cooperation 
between them. 

The  IDA  programme  has  already  carried  out  the  significant  first  steps  to  encourage 
administrations  to  interchange  information  electronically.  IDA  has  opened  up  new 
possibilities for administrations to improve, at a European  level, their overall  transparency, 
efficiency  and capacity to adjust  more easily and rapidly to future  change. 

In  so  doing,  IDA  has  implemented  a  number  of  important  trans-European  networks  in 
many  different  sectors.  These  systems  facilitate  the  Community  decision-making  process, 
combat  fraud,  improve  communication  and  understanding  between  Member  States 
and  between  Member  States  and 
serve  all 
European Agencies. 

institutions,  and 

the  Community 

1  Council  Resolution of 20 June  1994, OJ C  181, 2.7.1994, p. 1. 
2  Council  Decision  95/468/EC of 6 November  1995, OJ L 269,  11.11.1995, p. 23. 

2.  FUTURE REQUIREMENTS AND  DIRECTIONS 

2.1  The continuing need for IDA 

The  tools  and  technologies  which  are  used  today  in  information  technology  will  rapidly 
have become obsolete or have altered beyond recognition within a few  years. The pace of 
technological  change  is only  increasing,  as  evidenced  by  the  astronomical  growth  in  the 
use of the Internet  over the past  few  years, and  the wealth  of new  products  and  services 
which take  advantage  of  this  new  facility  arriving  on  the  marketplace  almost  daily.  The 
latest  estimates  forecast  a  huge  increase  in  the  use  of  the  Internet  and  intranets  by 
government  organizations in the US, to  almost ten times the current  level within the  next 
three years, according to a recent study by the Business Research Group. 

It is this changing environment  and these recent  developments, together  with the need  for 
European  administrations to take best  advantage of new technological  opportunities when 
realizing  the  internal  market,  which  make  a  new  phase  of  the  IDA  programme  essential. 
The use of the Internet  and  Internet-related  technologies,  although  greatly  facilitating  the 
establishment  of  telematic  networks  and  providing  global  connectivity,  also  create  new 
problems.  The  initial  implementation  of  a  network  has  now  become  a  relatively 
straightforward  matter,  but  the  issues  associated  with  the  administrative  use  of  such 
network  services,  such  as  security  and  legal  obstacles,  and  the  requirement  for 
interoperable  solutions  which  satisfy  multilingual  and  multicultural 
requirements, 
particularly  at  the  application  level,  cannot  be  addressed  on  a  sectoral  basis  but  must  be 
resolved by the Community. 

Furthermore,  as costs decrease  and new possibilities for  using telematics become  feasible, 
more and more communication  will take  place electronically,  thus the need  for  an  overall 
coordination  to  improve  interoperability  becomes  ever  more  imperative.  The  nature  of 
telematics  is  inherently  global.  However,  achieving  a  situation  where  information  flows 
seamlessly  between  European  administrations,  where  new  data  flows  can  easily  be 
established  and  new  organizations  can  rapidly  begin  to  communicate,  will  not  happen  by 
chance, but must be carefully  ensured by design. 

The  need  for  coordination  at  European  level  is not  only  a  matter  of  interoperability,  but 
also an issue of cost  reduction  and greater  efficiency.  The  harmonized  implementation  of 
technical  solutions  should  ultimately  lead  to  lower  costs  throughout  the  entire  telematic 
system  life-cycle,  from  the  development  phase  through  to  maintenance  and  operations, 
additionally  facilitating  the  exchange  of  information  between  sectors  and  permitting 
economies  of  scale  to  be  achieved.  Both  Member  States  and  the  European  institutions 
stand  to  benefit  equally  from  a  more  coherent  technical  approach,  avoiding  the  need  to 
install and support  a multitude of different  tools and products. 

to  providing  coordination  and  support 

A  new  phase  of  IDA  should  thus  shift  its  focus  from  the  development  of  network 
infrastructures 
the  various  sectoral 
administrations, devoting increasing resources to those actions which make IDA  networks 
easier to establish, better to use and maintain,  cheaper,  more efficient  and, above all, more 
interoperable.  IDA  should  be  capable  of  providing  guidance  and  assistance 
to 
administrations  throughout  the  entire  process  of  implementing  telematic  solutions,  from 
the  initial  definition  of  requirements,  the  decisions  concerning  the  appropriate  technical 
solutions,  the  procurement  of  telematic  services  and  products,  the  re-engineering  of 

to 

existing  organizational  practices,  and the  harmonization  of information  content,  including 
the ultimate management  of operational systems. 

For  the  foreseeable  future,  there  will  continue  to  be  a  need  to  implement  telematic 
networks  which  provide  an  essential  support  mechanism  for  the  administration  of  the 
internal  market  and  Community  policies.  The  activities  which  IDA  will  undertake  on  a 
horizontal  level  are  not  an  end  in themselves,  they  are  there  to  serve  a  need.  Their  only 
goal  is  to  assist  in  the  implementation  of  sectoral  networks,  which  are  where  the  real 
benefits  of  using  telematic  networks  are  achieved.  As  stated  previously,  it  is  critical  to 
ensure that  trans-European  telematic  networks  between  administrations  are  coherent  and 
consistent, both with each other, but  also with national networks. This type of activity can 
only be achieved  by action  undertaken  at  a Community  level,  and  will  require  the  strong 
and  continuing  involvement  of  the  sectors.  The  necessary  coordination  and  cooperation 
between  European  institutions  and  Member  State  administrations  must  be  ensured 
through a broad, comprehensive Community action, IDA 2. 

At the  same time, IDA 2 will  always  demonstrate  a  strong  concern  for  subsidiarity.  IDA 
actions  are  designed  to  encourage  interoperability  whilst  fully  preserving  individual 
Member  State administrations'  scope for  action  and freedom of choice.  IDA  can be most 
valuable  if  it  is  aware  of  national  initiatives  which  have  an  impact  on  administrative 
telematic  networks,  but  it  will  not  seek  to  influence  these  activities  but  rather  to  ensure 
that international networks take best advantage of them. The role of IDA is to  support  the 
competent  administration within each policy area and never to replace it. 

2.2  An 

enhanced 

programme: 

the 

impact 

of 

the 

midterm 

evaluation  recommendations 

Further  considerations  relating  to  the  objectives,  strategy,  and  management  of  the  new 
programme have been provided by the midterm evaluation of the current IDA programme, 
which was required  by Article 6 of the Council Decision.  The objective  of this  evaluation 
was  to  review  all  activities  encompassed  by  the  Decision,  taking  into  account  costs, 
benefits and return on investment. 

This  evaluation  was  carried  out  by 
Member  States, and assisted by independent  evaluators. 

the  Commission 

in  accordance  with 

the 

The evaluation  has concluded  that  the first phase of IDA has been  a valuable  programme 
which  has  stimulated  the development  of trans-European  telematics  systems  and  fostered 
administrative cooperation  among Member  State administrations and EU institutions. 

A  significant  proportion  of  IDA  projects  are  concerned  with  the  provision  of  telematic 
applications  for  specific  sectors.  The  projects  which  have  been  financed  during  the first 
phase of ID A are: 

Customs and taxation: 

VIES/Sites,  Excises  Control,  Quota,  Scent-CIS/Fiscal, 

Fisheries: 

Agriculture: 

Tarie, EBTI, and Transit 

FIDES 

Animo, Physan, and  Shift 

Social security: 

TESS (formerly  Sosenet) and EURES 

Public procurement: 

SIMAP 

Health: 

EUPHIN  (formerly  CARE),  EUDRA  (pharmacovigilance) 

and REITOX 

Statistics: 

-  SISR/DSIS, Extracom, and SERT 

Commercial policy: 

SIGL 

Competition policy: 

Fourcom 

Culture: 

ITCG (Illegal traffic of cultural goods). 

Through such projects, IDA has made a considerable contribution to: 
• 

the  development,  maintenance  and  operation  of  systems  which  support  the 
implementation  of  important  elements  of  EU  policy  concerned  with  the  four 
freedoms and the single market; 

• 

the  initiation  of  necessary  telematic  facilities  for  new  agencies  and  in  support  of 
interinstitutionaUcommunication and the Community decision-making process. 

Given  the  number  of  existing  projects  which  have  formed  the  core  of  IDA  from  its 
inception, their size, complexity, and the scope of what is being accomplished, it would be 
unreasonable to expect to achieve substantial results within a relatively short timescale of 
three years. It  can frequently  take  18 months from the initial conception  of a project  to 
reach  only  the  stage  of  contract  signature.  However,  the  evaluation  exercise  has 
established that clear progress has been made in all the projects which were reviewed, and 
many  projects  also  deliver  important  operational  benefits,  including  cash  savings  in 
certain instances. 

IDA has also carried out a number of non-sectoral projects, so-called horizontal activities, 
which provide results such as telecommunications services, generic applications, including 
the communication and management of official  documents and the introduction of e-mail 
on  the  basis  of  X.400,  and  architecture  and  legal  guidelines.  The  availability  of  these 
results has been limited thus far,  since many of these activities are still in their infancy. In 
particular, the TESTA project,  which will begin to provide services during  1997, is seen 
as  a  positive  development  because  it  concentrates  on  providing  telecommunications 
services, rather than putting in place physical networks. 

Improved programme management 

The  complexity  of  IDA  projects,  involving  the  implementation  of  telematic  networks 
between  at  least  15  different  Member  State  administrations,  and  the  high  degree  of 
coordination required between the many different  participants with their various priorities 
and  concerns,  have  contributed  to  make  the  programme  administration  thus  far  both 
complicated  and time-consuming. The results of the evaluation have suggested  a number 
of opportunities for improving the overall management of the programme in the future. 

The  management  of  the  programme  should  concentrate  on  programme  policy, 
objectives  and  strategy, and  avoid  a too detailed  involvement  in  the  procurement 
process  and  individual  contracts.  Management  participation  in  such  lower  level 
activities  requires great  effort  and  does not  substantially  improve the final results.  It  is 

in  preference 

to  a  regulatory  committee,  and 

therefore  in order to concentrate  managerial  activities at a level where they are of greatest 
benefit  that  the  proposals  for  IDA. 2  specify  that  a  management  committee  should  be 
implemented 
the  committee 
responsibilities  should  involve  the  approval  of  a yearly  work  programme  and  the  global 
implementation  plans for  individual IDA projects.  This ensures that the committee  will be 
fully  consulted  concerning  the  technological  strategy  and  choices  which  are  made  by 
projects.  Such  a management  committee  would  also  in  practice  have  greater  freedom  to 
act  than  the  current  one,  since  the  delivery  of  a  negative  opinion  would  not  entail  the 
potential risk of halting all activity for a particular  network. 

that 

It  has  been  recommended  that  IDA. 2  should  be  a  rolling  programme,  ideally  with  a 
duration  of five years.  This timescale  would  be  appropriate  when  taking  into  account  the 
life  span  of  projects,  the  horizon  required  in  order  to  encourage  investment  by  industry 
and to  establish  public-private  partnerships  as stated  in the  TEN-Telecom  guidelines,  and 
the  effort  and  elapsed  time  required  to  set  up  such  a  programme.  However,  the 
Commission  believes  that  there  is  a  need  to  examine  which  particular  projects  are 
supported  by the programme  on  a more regular  basis,  in  order  to  allow  new  priorities  to 
be established.  The Commission  proposal  is therefore  to  have the list  which  identifies  the 
projects  of common interest reviewed every three years. 

The evaluation has strongly questioned  the appropriateness  of continuing  to  fund  all IDA 
projects  and  systems  (including  both  development  and  operational  costs)  from  a  single 
budget, where individual allocations are subject to a regulatory committee procedure. 

There  are  arguments both  in  support  of and  against  such  a policy,  and  on  this  particular 
issue> the  participants  in the  programme  have expressed  quite divergent  views.  While  the 
current  situation  acts  as  a  useful  mechanism  to  encourage  coherency  between  rather 
heterogeneous  projects,  it  also  creates  a  certain  disassociation  between  the  sectoral 
management  of  policies  and  the  management  of  those  telematic  systems  which  support 
them.  Moreover,  having  IDA  projects  competing  for  a  limited  budget  can  tend  to  divert 
valuable effort  away from project  execution, and add further  delay to important  activities. 

It  is  essential  to  provide  a  financial  framework  which  facilitates  the  development  of 
sectoral  telematic  systems,  allows  a  swift  response  to  new  demands  for  the  electronic 
interchange  of  information,  and  finances  measures  which  encourage  interoperability 
between  and  access  to  networks.  Nevertheless,  it  is  also  necessary  to  specify  criteria 
which define the precise conditions under which a project  initially qualifies to receive IDA 
funding,  and  which  sets  clearly  defined  limits  on  the  duration  of  this  funding.  Future 
proposals  for  new  developments  should  therefore  always  be  accompanied  by 
statements of how their operational  costs will be met. 

Once  a  project  or  set  of  projects  related  to  a  specific  policy  or  activity  have  been  fully 
implemented,  and are thus considered to be in operational use, or otherwise have achieved 
a certain size which permits them to become a programme in their own right, the  required 
budget  should preferably  be allocated  by the budgetary  authority within the framework  of 
each policy or activity. In both cases common principles must be followed,  and it will thus 
be  critical  for  IDA  to  provide  a  strong  coordination  and  influence  over  the  technical 
choices which are made in administrative telematic networks. 

The transition to  sectoral  autonomy  in project  budgeting  and  management  cannot  happen 
immediately.  Appropriate  arrangements  must  be  made  to  cover  any  transitional  period, 
particularly in respect of the costs of running operational  facilities. 

In terms  of the precise wording  of any future  Decision,  the  evaluation  has  recommended 
that  references  to  the  use  of  specific  technological  standards  are  best  avoided,  thus 
permitting  a  more  flexible  approach  in  a  domain  with  a  rapidly  evolving  marketplace. 
Similarly,  within  the  framework  where  projects  of  common  interest  are  defined,  a 
degree  of flexibility in  terms  of  the  identification  of  projects  of  common  interest  is 
desirable, to permit critical new policy areas to be supported when required. 

Better project results 

Although only in existence for three years, IDA has already been able to identify  a number 
of  areas  where  improvements  in  the  quality  of  the  programme  results  can  be  achieved. 
Thus  positive  steps  have  already  been  taken  through  initiatives  to  implement  quality 
control,  provide  guidelines  and  common  telematic  services,  facilitate  people  networking 
and sharing of experiences) and increase the transparency and visibility of project  results. 

It  is recognized  that  the ultimate  success  of IDA  projects  depends  on  ensuring  that  user 
needs  are  well  understood  and  addressed,  and  on  having  the  early  and  continued 
involvement  of the appropriate users throughout  each project.  In particular,  it is critical to 
ensure  that  the  sectoral  requirements  for  and  the  benefits  of  horizontal  products  and 
services  are  clearly  identified  before  embarking  on  any  new  horizontal  developments. 
These  are  especially  challenging  tasks  in the IDA  environment,  and  major  efforts  will  be 
targeted  in the  next  programme  to  improve  requirements  definition,  consensus-building, 
and cross-fertilization  through the establishment  of user  fora. 

Future directions 

The  evaluation  has  concluded  that  IDA  should  take  as  its  principal  objective  the 
promotion  of  the  effective  and  harmonized  development  of  all  Community 
telematics-based  systems  for  the  interchange  of  data  between  administrations.  This 
implies that  a  successor  programme  should  unambiguously  extend  the  effective  scope  of 
IDA  to  all  relevant  networks  (i.e.  all  networks  between  administrations  that  support 
Community  policies and  activities),  not  only those  which  receive  funds  directly  from  the 
IDA  budget.  This  extension  is  proposed  in  order  to  provide  a  practical  mechanism 
whereby  a  better  coordination  and  cooperation  can  be  realized  between  the  numerous 
activities  relating  to  telematic  networks  and  administrations  which  are  carried  out 
throughout  the  Commission.  Concertation  with  other  Community  programmes,  and  with 
TEN-Telecom  in  particular,  should  be  pursued  in  order  to  optimize  efforts  and  the 
Community's resources. 

IDA's  pursuit  of  horizontal  projects  is  generally  supported,  and  is  regarded  ss  a 
basic focus for the future.  IDA should continue to emphasise the exploitation of services 
and products which are available from the marketplace  rather than developing  proprietary 
solutions.  IDA  will  also  need  to  concentrate  efforts  on  harmonizing  the  content  of  the 
information  which  is exchanged  over telematic networks.  During  the  evaluation  exercise, 
many participants  have observed  that  the  coordination  and  agreement  of  information 
exchange  standards  is  a  primary  need,  and  that  the  technology  employed  is,  in 
comparison, a relatively minor issue. 

The  evaluation  has  also  confirmed  the  ongoing  need  in  the  future  for  a  coordination 
mechanism between European administrative telematic networks and a source of relevant 
knowledge  and  expertise,  in  order  to  avoid  the  needless  proliferation  of  equipment, 
diversity of approach, and repetition of investigations. 

In addition to ensuring that sectoral networks are established or enhanced in order to meet 
the  requirements  of  Community  policies  and  activities,  the  evaluation  exercise  has 
recommended that the key objectives of the IDA. 2 programme should be the following: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

to determine the user requirements for technical policies and standards, and to define 
and  regulate the framework for  the  implementation  of these  technical  policies and 
standards within which the sectoral projects operate, 

to  ensure  that  common  services,  components  and  specifications  are  available  to 
European  administrations,  and  to  encourage  the  benefits  of  these  services  to 
be realized, 

to promote information harmonization, 

to  identify  new administrative  requirements  and new generic  services  which  satisfy 
these requirements, 

to  stimulate  coordination  and  cross-fertilization  between  projects  through  the 
collection, synthesis and dissemination of information. 

The administration of the internal market will continue to oblige European administrations 
to  communicate  information  with  their  counterparts  in  other  countries.  Although many 
administrations  are  already  exchanging  similar  information  on  a  national  basis,  the 
European dimension creates an entirely new set of problems which can only be resolved 
by  having  a  mechanism  in  place  which  provides  the  essential  coordination  at  an 
international level. 

Furthermore, the IT market  provides  an overwhelming  choice of products  and services, 
lacking a strong incentive to ensure interoperability between them, and providing results 
of varying relevance to administrative requirements. In order to ensure the availability of 
good choices, European administrations must speak as a single voice. This also reinforces 
the  need  for  strong  international  coordination  and  cooperation.  Through  its  experience 
and knowledge and the foundation which it has already established, the EDA. 2 programme 
is best situated to provide this coordination and ensure cooperation at a Community level. 

3.  THE POLITICAL CONTEXT 

3.1  Support for the internal market 

The  elimination  of  internal  borders  and  the  implementation  of  the  four  freedoms  of 
movement creates increasing demands for European administrations to improve, expand, 
coordinate  and,  in  many  cases,  integrate  much  of  their  information  exchange  and 
administrative processes. The key objective of any new IDA programme must thus remain 
in effect  - to provide practical support for  the functioning  of the internal  market by 
connecting  administrations  throughout  Europe  to  each  other  through  telematic 
networks, thus establishing a mechanism for the rapid, effective,  and secure exchange of 

information  and  better  administrative  cooperation.  As  such,  IDA.2  activities  will  be  of 
relevance to the Internal Market Action Plan. 

It  is  also  important  to  recognize  that  IDA  activities,  by  ensuring  the  availability  of 
comprehensive 
the  Union  and 
encouraging  service providers to  establish  such facilities  on an EU basis,  provide  support 
for economic and social cohesion. 

telematic  services  for  administrations 

throughout 

The need for  administrations to increase their  access to  and  provision  of information  as a 
result  of  the  requirements  of the  internal  market  has  not  remained  static.  New  demands 
arise and  priorities  are reyised as Community  policies are implemented.  A number  of key 
policy areas may already be identified  in which the next  phase of the IDA programme has 
an important role to play. 

3.2  Practical  implementation  of European Monetary  Union 

The  implementation  of  European  Monetary  Union  will  be  a  key  challenge  for  the 
Community  in  the  coming  years,  and  a  successful  result  will  require  the  support  of 
telematic  networks.  At  the  same  time  as  obligations  to  process  Euro-based  information 
will  multiply  enormously,  the  necessity  for  new  information  flows  and  supporting  data 
networks 
introduction  and 
administration of the Euro will also come to the fore. 

to  satisfy  additional  requirements  generated  by 

the 

3.3  Support for enlargement 

The  boundaries  of the  internal  market  are  expected  to  be  enlarged  in  the  near  future  to 
accommodate  the  integration  of  new  member  countries  in  Central  and  Eastern  Europe. 
There is a need to prepare for  their  integration,  both by stimulating the implementation  of 
interoperable  telematic  services  and  solutions 
improving 
information  flows.  The  coordination  of  activities  in  areas  ranging  from  trade  control,  to 
fraud  prevention,  health  care,  and  environmental  protection,  can  act  to  improve  the 
economic and social environments of these countries, as well as our own. 

in  these  countries  and 

In  its  "Agenda  2000"  Communication  of  16 July  1997,  the  Commission  has  recognized 
the  importance  of  reinforcing  the  institutional  and  administrative  capacity  of  applicant 
in 
countries 
Community programmes  and 
the 
acquis communautaire are essential components of a successful  pre-accession  strategy. 

the  enlargement  process.  The  participation  of 

their  use  of  Community  mechanisms 

these  countries 
to  apply 

to 

3.4  Emphasis on citizens and the private sector 

The  ultimate  customer  of  administrations  is  the  citizen.  To  ensure  greater  transparency 
and to  offer  new and better  services to  citizens, administrations  will require better  access 
to  information  and  lower  information  processing  costs.  Certain  areas  in  which  IDA 
is  already  active  are  of  particular 
the 
telematic networks  which  support  the  flow  of  information  relating  to  social  security, 
healthcare, and employment. 

to  citizens.  These 

relevance 

include 

In  a  similar  vein,  reinforcing  the  ability  of  European  administrations  to  increase  their 
efficiency  and  to  respond  swiftly  to  new  challenges  is particularly  critical  at  a time when 
the advent  of the Information  Society  and the adoption  of new technologies  and  practices 
is likely to revolutionise both public and private sectors alike. 

10 

As  part  of  this  revolution,  administrations  cannot  ignore  their  influence,  for  better  or 
worse,  upon  the  private  sector.  The  main  issue  is whether  administrations  choose  to  lag 
behind, in which case they will impose unnecessary  overheads in terms of costs and delays 
on the exchange of administrative data with the private sector, thus becoming the weakest 
links  in  the  information  chain,  or  instead,  decide  to  lead  by  example  to  encourage  and 
facilitate  the  improved  flow  of  information  between  sectors.  The  use  of  more  efficient 
mechanisms 
information  between  enterprises  and  administrations, 
(for  example  in  domains  such  as  customs,  taxation,  and  environmental  protection),  can 
greatly influence  an individual organization's capacity, responsiveness and costs, ultimately 
having  a positive  impact  on  the  overall  competitiveness  of European  industry  in general, 
and of SMEs in particular. 

to  exchange 

IDA also  has the potential  to  directly  influence  the  European  ITC  industry.  IDA  collects 
and  collates  the  common  telematic  requirements  of  administrations  throughout  Europe. 
By  feeding  these  requirements  directly  to  industry,  as  was  done  during  the  recent 
IDA Workshop  with  Industry,  IDA  provides  a  clear  description  of  administrative 
needs and  essentially  guarantees  a large market  for  the  products  and  services which  have 
been  specified. 

Thus,  IDA  measures  to  ensure  interoperability  must  also  help  eliminate  obstacles  to  the 
communication  between  administrations  and  the  private  sector.  Projects  must  be 
encouraged  to  take  into  consideration  the  needs  outside  the  public  sector  when 
administrative telematic  solutions  are designed  and  developed,  and  support  must be given 
for  projects  to  extend  their  benefits  to  industry  and  citizens  when  a  clear  requirement  to 
do  so  has been  identified,  and  this  is also  true  for  private  sector  projects  which  have  an 
impact  on  the  public  sector  domain.  In  this  particular  area,  care  should  be  taken  to 
establish a synergy between IDA, TEN-Telecom  and  SME-related activities, ensuring that 
the definition  of projects of common interest for citizens and SMEs is optimised. 

3.5  Institutional  reform 

The European  institutions,  like their national  counterparts,  are under constant  pressure  to 
provide  better  service to  citizens  and  the  private  sector  at  minimal  cost.  The  only  option 
available  to  them  is  to  adopt  new  means  of  processing  and  handling  information, 
supported  by  ICT  developments.  The  increasing  exploitation  of  telematic  networks  by 
administrations,  based  upon  the  use  of  readily-available  market  services  and  products, 
should  to  a certain  extent  address  the balance  between  the  need  to  reduce  costs  through 
outsourcing  of  administrative  processing,  and  the  consequent  loss  of  control  and  of 
application expertise and data. 

Currently,  working  procedures  in  EU  administrations  create  enormous  demands  for 
document  production,  handling,  distribution,  and  archiving,  most  of  which  is  still 
paper-based.  The distribution  of documents  is usually performed  via normal  courier,  telex 
or fax.  More than  1200 committees  are associated  with  Commission  work,  in addition  to 
the EU institutions and Member  State administrations. 

The primary objective within this area must be to ensure that the necessary telematic  tools 
and  techniques,  particularly  facilities  for  workflow  management  and  document  exchange, 
are made available to  support  administrative flows  of information  within the  Commission, 
between  the  institutions,  and  between  the  Member  State  administrations.  The  ultimate 

11 

goal  is  for  the  European  institutions  to  represent  a  leading  example  of  the  potential 
advantages of communicating and processing information  electronically. 

4.  THE FUTURE - OBJECTIVES, STRATEGY,  ACTIONS 

The market  circumstances  and technical  environment  which influenced  the formulation  of 
the  original  programme  policies  and  strategy  have  altered  dramatically  during  the  past 
three years. Unlike its predecessor,  IDA 2 is no longer facing  a "green field" situation  and 
is therefore  able  to  build  upon  the  existing  wealth  of  knowledge  and  experience  already 
acquired  and  the  current  sectoral  networks.  At  the  same time,  the  programme  must  also 
seek to  accommodate  an increasingly uncertain  future  in terms  of the  direction  and  speed 
of technological change. The strategy  and activities proposed  to be carried  out by EDA in 
a  second  phase  thus  place  greater  emphasis  on  interoperability  and  commonality, 
concentrating  less  on  individual  sectoral  project  requirements  whilst  ensuring  that  the 
needs of sectoral networks continue to be met. 

4.1  Objectives 

Community  activities  during  the  proposed  second  phase  of  the  IDA  programme  will  be 
focused  on achieving, within a period of three years, the following  concrete results: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

establishment  of  operational, 

the 
telematic 
communication  infrastructures  between  Member  State  administrations  and  between 
administrations  and  the  European  institutions  as  appropriate,  enabling  the  efficient 
and  cost-effective 
interchange  of  information  in  support  of  the  administrative 
requirements of the internal market; 

trans-European 

interoperable, 

the  use  of  telematic  solutions  fully  integrated  into  the  day-to-day  management  of 
European Union policies and activities and the Community decision-making process; 

the availability of trans-European  administrative  network  services,  characterized  by a 
high degree of interoperability,  within and across different  administrative  sectors and 
with  the  private  sector,  and  providing  cost-efficiency,  flexibility  and  adaptability  to 
technological change and market  evolution; 

ready  access  by  all - European  administrations  to  an  international,  up-to-date 
repository of knowledge and experience concerning telematic networks. 

4.2  Strategy 

•  Market  orientation:  Purchase  services  from  the  marketplace,  avoid  investments  in 
infrastructure,  specific technologies, and the development  of proprietary solutions. 

• 

Service  orientation:  Provide  support  and  guidance  to  administrations  in  the 
identification  and  implementation  of  solutions  for  information  exchange  which 
maximize functionality  and flexibility  and minimize cost. 

Focusing on interoperability:  Concentrate  on those activities which  lead  to  greater 
interoperability  between  networks  and  their  components,  and  the 
information 
communicated through those networks. 

12 

To  accommodate  an  environment  in  constant  evolution  and  to  manage  changing 
technology  to best  effect,  the only practical  direction  for  IDA in the  future  is to  promote 
the  purchasing  of  services  directly  from  the  marketplace  rather  than  investing  in 
proprietary  developments,  to  avoid  commitments  to  specific  technologies  and  products, 
and  to  focus  on  common  sectoral  requirements.  In  this  scenario,  IDA  will  assist  public 
administrations  to  select  the best  value-for-money  tools  and  products,  to  have  immediate 
access to the latest developments, to rationalize network management,  and to benefit  from 
the economies of scale which, as large organizations, they have the right to expect. 

The  foundation  for  improving  the  flow  of  information  between  administrations  in  the 
internal market is the adoption of telematics as a mechanism for  communication. 

By  definition,  any  communication  involves  at  least  two  participants,  a  sender  and  a 
recipient,  who  must  each  be  capable  of  understanding  what  is  being  communicated.  If 
communication  takes  place  between  a  small  number  of  closely  related  individuals,  the 
issue of interoperability  between the communication  mechanisms of each participant  does 
not  arise.  However,  the  large  number  and  wide  variety  of  prospective  partners  in 
combination  with  the  lack  of  stability  and  coherency  exhibited  by  the  technology  and 
marketplace  for  telematics,  has  obliged  all  EDA  network  users  to  concentrate  their 
attention on the issue of interoperability when investing in telematic solutions. 

Interoperability  between  the  various  network  system  components  is required  at  all  levels 
of  the  telematic  pyramid  illustrated  below.  The  physical  networks  which  represent  the 
essential  foundation  of every  network  system  must  be  interconnected,  the  services  which 
use  the  network  infrastructure  must  be  consistent,  the  information  which  is  exchanged 
through  the  services  must  be  harmonized,  and  the  applications  which  manipulate  this 
information  for  the  ultimate  benefit  of the  end  user  must  be  compatible,  both  with  each 
other and also with the paper- and human-based world in which they operate. 

The IDA Interoperability  Pyramid 

13 

In general, ensuring interoperability in practice goes far beyond the requirement to agree 
or harmonize the standards and specifications which are used, but also includes achieving 
compatible  implementations  of  these  standards,  coherence  between  legal  and  security 
systems, and the overall integration of the new electronic environment and processes and 
the conventional means of operating. 

The adoption of standards" is an important means for achieving interoperability at all levels 
of a network. EDA is therefore a major user, hence influencer,  of standards and a key role 
of the programme must be to recognize and promote the use of standards. EDA will serve 
as an intermediary for  standardization bodies and the large user cpmmunity in the public 
administration  domain.  In  so  doing,  IDA  can  contribute  to  the  publicizing  and 
dissemination of standards, and ensure that experiences and issues relating to the practical 
application of standards in IDA projects are fed back to standardization bodies, helping to 
improve particular standards and acting as an important link in the standardization chain. 

For  trans-European  networks  between  administrations,  a  further  consideration  is  the 
obligation to maximize interoperability with national network systems, thus facilitating the 
creation of international network infrastructures based upon connections between national 
networks.  Such  activities  have  the  potential  to  vastly  increase  the  overall  number  of 
administrations with access to a particular network at a relatively low cost. 

5.  THE CHOICE OF A LEGAL  BASIS. THE  CONTENT AND  STRUCTURE 

OF THE NEW IDA PROGRAMME 

The  legal  context  has  substantially  changed  since  the  original  IDA  proposals  were 
submitted in  1993. The Council adopted the original programme3, for the years  1995 to 
1997, on the basis of Article 235 of the EC Treaty. 

In March 1996, the European Court of Justice issued its judgment on the EDICOM case4, 
which  set  an  essential  precedent  for  trans-European  telematic  networks  between 
administrations. Also relevant  is the adoption of the so-called  TEN financial regulation5, 
which  lays  down  the  rules  for  the  Community  financial  contribution  to  projects 
in the domain  of 
trans-European 
telecommunication networks have also recently been adopted6. 

trans-European  Networks.  The  guidelines  for 

Inasmuch as: 

• 

IDA represents a Community contribution to the establishment  and development of 
trans-European telematic networks for administrations, and 

• 

aims to ensure the interoperability between and access to networks, 

then Title XII of the EC Treaty,  and in particular  Article  129d, is considered  to  be the 
appropriate legal basis for the new IDA programme. 

3  Council Decision 95/468/EC of 6 November 1995, OJ L 269, 11.11.1995, p. 23. 
4  Case C-271/94, European Parliament v Council, 26 March 1996. 
5  Council Regulation (EC) No 2236/95 of 18 September  1995, OJ L 228, 23.9.1995. 
6  European Parliament and Council Decision 1336/97/EC of 17 June 1997, OJ L 183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. 
14 

In  contrast  to  other  networks  such  as  railway  networks,  which  occupy  a  physical  space 
(under the sovereignty  of a Member  State), a telematic  network  is distinguished  by those 
who  have access to  the network  and  the purposes  which  are  served  by the  network.  The 
Community  thus  acquires  a  double  position  for  those  telematic  networks  which  directly 
support  its  policies  and  activities:  it  is  both  subject  to  the  mandate  of  Title  XII  to 
contribute  to  the  establishment  and  development  of  the  networks,  and  also  a  user  or 
beneficiary  of  these  networks,  in  a  position  which  is  largely  comparable  to  that  of  any 
other participant. 

Given this  special  position  of the  Community  in regard  to  EDA networks,  the  concept  of 
Member  States'  projects  is  insufficient  and  cannot  constitute  the  sole  basis  for  a 
Community financial contribution.  Furthermore,  the  Community  contribution  should  also 
be  targeted  towards  the  objective  of  facilitating  interoperability  between  and  access  to 
networks,  and  should  represent  a tool to  facilitate  coordinated  actions  of the  Community 
and the Member States. 

Consequently,  the  second  phase  of  IDA  creates  a  specific  financial  framework  which 
ensures that  an  aopropriate use  of  Community  resources  is made, that  action  is taken  to 
ensure  interoperability  between  networks,  and  that  costs  are  shared  between  the 
Community and the Member States in accordance with the principle of cui bono. 

The  Commission  proposes  the  adoption  of  the  EDA  programme  on  the  basis  of  two 
decisions,  which  reflect  the  structure  in  Articles.  129c  and  129d  EC,  in  light  of  the 
EDICOM judgment.  Together,  these  two  decisions  will  result  in  a  programme  that  will 
maintain  internal  coherence  and  synergy.  The  Commission  will  be  assisted  by  a  single 
committee  in the implementation  of both  decisions, which will concentrate  on the  overall 
programme  strategy,  supervising  horizontal  projects,  and  monitoring  sectoral  projects. 
The  committee  type  proposed  is  a  management  committee  (variant  2a),  in  line  with  the 
recommendations of the EDA midterm evaluation. 

Guidelines  and projects of common  interest 

It is crucial to establish  a coherent  framework  which  allows the Community  to  determine 
in which  priority  areas  networks  should  be  established,  and  to  ensure  that  networks  are 
implemented  on the basis of common principles. 

The  first  decision  proposed  concerns  the  adoption  of  a  series  of  guidelines  which 
determine  the objectives  to  be  met,  the  political  priorities  which  will be  applied,  and  the 
guiding  principles  (broad  lines  of  measures)  which  must  be  followed  by  all  telematic 
networks  supporting  Community  activities  and  policies.  These  guidelines  also  identify 
projects  of  common  interest  for  which  a  specific  Community  financial  framework  is 
deemed necessary, and provide such a framework. 

Measures to ensure  interoperability 

IDA  must  seek  to  maximize  the  degree  of  interoperability  between  administrative 
telematic  solutions  by  carrying  out  actions  which  address  the  issues  relevant  to 
administrative telematics at each specific level: 

15 

•  Use  network  infrastructure:  Promote  consistency  between  telematic  solutions  and 
encourage  the  innovative  use  of  telematics  in  administrations  by  the  spread  of 
knowledge and best practice. 

• 

Select  and  adopt  .generic  services:  Collect  and  consolidate  administrative 
requirements and select common solutions as generic services from the marketplace. 

•  Harmonize  information  content:  Ensure  maximum  coherency  and  automation  of 
information  processing by examining the flows  and  content  of the information  which 
is  exchanged  by  administrations, 
for  modelling, 
harmonization, and structuring. 

identifying  opportunities 

•  Develop  a  common  framework  for  applications:  Concentrate  on  common 

administrative application requirements, including legal and security needs. 

The  second  decision  proposed  thus  concerns the  adoption  of  a number  of  measures  of  a 
horizontal  nature  which  will  greatly  facilitate  interoperability  between  networks,  and 
network  components. On one hand, they form a complete body of measures of mandatory 
reference for the development  of EDA networks. On the other hand, these measures are an 
excellent  basis  for  trie  promotion  of  interoperability  between  existing  systems  within 
Member  State  administrations  and  the  facilitation  of  industry  or  citizen  access  to 
information provided by an existing network. 

6.  ACTIONS 

Promoting the spread of best practice and encouraging innovation 

The  public  sector  currently  faces  many  of  the  same  challenges  as  the  private  sector  in 
adopting  the  use  of telematics  into  their  daily  activities.  The  private  sector,  however,  is 
possibly  better  equipped  to  meet  these  challenges,  given  that  the  majority  of  the  new 
concepts,  products,  and  services  which  are  being  developed  in  this  domain  tend  to  be 
geared towards a competitive, commercial  environment. 

Administrations  often  use  telematic  networks  to  replace  existing  internal  manual 
processes.  Although the replacement  of manual information  processing by electronic  data 
communication  systems  generally  leads  to  increased  efficiency  and  reduced  costs,  the 
adoption  of  common,  interoperable  solutions  and  the  innovative  use  of  such  systems,  in 
conjunction  with  process  re-engineering,  can  provide  much  greater  benefits,  allowing 
information  to  be  processed  in  radically  different  ways,  permitting  communication  with 
new  organizations  or  customers,  and  providing  opportunities  to  offer  entirely  new 
services.  The key requirement  is therefore  for  administrations  to  have  access to  a  source 
of knowledge and inspiration. 

The  IDA  programme,  having  access  to  a  wealth  of  know-how  and  experience  acquired 
during  the  activities  of  the  past  few  years,  has  the  capacity  to  act  as  such  a  source. 
Administrations  will have  ready  access through  a central  point  to  information  concerning 
the  progress,  achievements,  and  experiences  of  the  many  IDA  telematic  projects  and 
applications,  of  similar  national  projects  in  Member  State  administrations,  and  of  the 
relevant  Commission  R&D  programmes  and  Information  Society  initiatives.  Similarly, 
European  administrations  will  be  informed  of  the  guidelines,  recommendations  and 
generic services which are available from EDA for their  benefit. 

16 

Promotional  activities  in  the  new  programme  must  also  concentrate  on  raising  the 
profile of  telematics  generally  within  administrations,  by  demonstrating  concretely 
in an international  administrative  environment  the  possible  applications  and  benefits 
of communicating  electronically  over 
the 
cross-fertilization  of results and experiences. 

telematic  networks  and  encouraging 

An  important  element  of  this  strategy  must  include  the  implementation  of  information 
collection,  monitoring,  and  feedback  mechanisms  to  ensure that  the  information  which  is 
provided is continually refreshed  and updated. 

Reducing costs and providing common solutions via generic services 

In the rapidly evolving world  of telematics, industry offers  an ever-increasing  portfolio  of 
solutions,  packaged  to users as readily-available  "generic"  services.  This has resulted  in a 
situation  where  the  implementation  of  a  telematic  network  becomes  essentially  a 
question of deciding which generic service best meets requirements, and adapting the local 
environment  accordingly. 

The  main  objective  of  the  EDA activities  associated  with  generic  services  is  to  provide 
continuous  cost  savings  for  Community  telematic  networks  by  rationalizing  and 
globalizing common solutions for  collective requirements. Administrations need to be able 
to  select the best value-for-money  services from the  market,  to  have  access  to  the  latest 
developments  as soon as they are available, to  rationalize the management  and  control  of 
their  operational  networks,  and  to  benefit  from  the  economies  of  scale  which,  as  large 
organizations with many users, they have the right to expect. 

Generic  services  in  the  marketplace  will  be  constantly  identified,  specified,  verified,  and 
monitored.  These  activities  will  provide  administrations  with  simple,  generic  service 
descriptions,  classified  by  quality  and  selection  criteria  such  as  reliability,  availability, 
performance,  continuity, usability, and interoperability,  in order to allow all users involved 
in the procurement of telematic services to obtain an acceptable and comparable quality of 
service throughout the Union. 

At a more general level, this strategy  is expected  to  have a positive  impact  on the  market 
place for  telematic products  and  services,  acting  as an incentive for  the  harmonization  of 
services,  encouraging  interoperability  between  various  service  providers,  improving  the 
overall quality of the services which are offered,  and ensuring that pricing is competitive. 

One  initiative  which  may  be  of  particular  interest  in  this  domain  concerns  the  provision 
of  a  network  backbone  service  based  on  Internet 
the  use  of 
European administrations.  A  portion  of  this  network  capacity  could  be  devoted  to 
videoconferencing 
the  Member  State 
facilities 
administrations and the Community institutions. 

for  committee  meetings  between 

technologies  for 

Harmonizing information  content 

An important  barrier  to  the  effective  flow  of  information  is created  by  differences  in the 
actual  content  of  the  information  which  is  communicated  between  organizations.  These 
obstacles may be the result  of different  languages,  customs,  and  practices,  and while they 
often  occur  within  countries,  they  are  greatly  multiplied  at  an  international  level.  In 
telematics, greater efficiency  is frequently derived by reducing the effort  which is required 
to  process  certain  information,  and  by  processing  information  more  rapidly.  If  the  data 

17 

which is received  is not easily recognized  and processed  by computer  or is incomplete, the 
efficiency  benefits may be significantly  reduced. 

Such problems  require  solutions which  structure  information  in such  a way  that  it  can  be 
automatically  processed,  and  reaching  agreement  on  common  working  practices. 
in  such  solutions, 
Administrations  are  increasingly  investing  much  time  and  effort 
recognizing  that  the  composition  and flow of  information  is inherently  much  more  stable 
than the underlying  communication  technology,  and  substantial  benefits  can eventually  be 
realized.  Although many aspects will  remain  specific  to  sectors,  IDA  has a role to  play in 
terms  of  defining  the  general  framework,  direction  and  strategy  for  such  solutions, 
reaching  agreement  on the format  of  information  which  is used  across  sectors,  modelling 
common business processes, and specifying  common requirements for market  solutions. 

Developing common tools and techniques for applications 

Combining  telematic  applications  with  generic  services  offers  both  added-value  through 
the  use  of  state-of-the-art  ways  of  communicating,  and  cost-savings  through  the 
consolidation  of  requirements  and  associated  economies  of  scale.  This  implies  a  further 
need to ensure that for the future,  EDA networks  are capable of being easily modified  and 
developed  in terms of functionality  and  accessibility,  as well  as technology.  This  can best 
be  achieved  by  adopting  as  much  as  possible  a  modular  approach  to  network  and 
application  development,  integrating  products  and  services  from  the  marketplace  and 
other sectors whenever possible. 

There  will  always  be  a  need  to  develop  specialized  applications  which  meet  the  needs 
of particular  sectors,  however,  in  the  same  way  that  software  is  readily  available 
"off-the-shelf  from  software  providers  to  carry  out  basic  functions  such  as  accounting 
and  managing  human  resources,  certain  common  administrative  functions  which  are 
carried  out by IDA network  applications may also be capable of being performed  by more 
"generic" applications or modules. 

Opportunities may thus arise to centrally specify  and prototype solutions or services which 
overcome unique problems experienced  by administrations  and which can be exploited  by 
many  different  sectoral  telematic  systems.  The  key  constraints  for  such  activities  will  be 
the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  integrated  into  existing  systems  and  infrastructure,  the 
lack  of  appropriate  market  offerings,  and  the  reduced  costs  associated  with  having 
common,  customized  products  which  fulfil  specific  administrative  needs.  Generic 
applications may also be required  to act  as an interface  between IDA generic  services and 
the more specialized  sectoral application components. 

The  benefits  of  this  approach  include  rationalizing  the  design  of  technical  solutions, 
minimizing  certain  risks  by  using  well-established,  proven  solutions,  reducing  the  delay 
between  the  definition  of  user  requirements  and  the  implementation  of  an  operational 
system,  improving the quality of application  software,  and being able to  maintain  a single 
generic application rather than multiple different  applications. 

Common  tools  and  techniques  for  application  development  cannot  ignore  requirements 
relating to legal and security issues. IDA network  systems are not unique in terms of their 
requirements for  practical  solutions to overcome existing problems relating to the  security 
and legal validity of electronic  information  exchanges. However,  the confidential  nature of 
administrative  data  and  the  international  environment  in which  trans-European  networks 

18 

must  operate  both  serve  to  increase  the  difficulty  of  developing  such  solutions  and  the 
complexity of the solutions which must be found. 

The  philosophy  behind  the  formulation  of  a  legal  and  security  framework  must  be  a 
stepwise  evolution,  based  upon  a practical  assessment  of  existing barriers  and  needs  and 
acting  in  parallel  with  technological  developments,  rather  than  attempting  to  establish  a 
definitive,  wide-ranging framework which might  instead  have a counter-productive  effect 
of  impeding  the  progress  of  new  products  and  technologies.  A  pragmatic  approach  is 
required,  balancing the urgent  demand  for  action  in this area with the obligation  to  reach 
an agreed  common  position  which  guarantees  the  security  and  legal  validity  of  telematic 
exchanges of administrative data. 

Action  is needed  to  identify  and  remove  the  legal  and  contractual  barriers  which  impede 
the  smooth  exchange  of  data  between  network  users  and  to  create  a  legal  framework 
which ensures the evidential value of the data exchanged, the protection of data, the rights 
and responsibilities of the users, and enforces  security. 

7.  CONCLUDING  REMARKS 

Within  this  perspective,  IDA  must  become  the  means  through  which  European 
administrations can reap the benefits  of new technologies. Nevertheless, although IDA is a 
technological  programme,  it  is  clear  that  the  ultimate  success  of this  next  phase  of  IDA 
will  depend  on  its  ability  to  coordinate  and  communicate  between  the  numerous  parties 
concerned.  IDA must, first and  foremost,  ensure that  sectoral  needs  are  clearly  identified 
and that  consensus is reached,  both in order to be able to  establish  sectoral  networks  and 
to  meet  specific  sectoral  requirements,  and  at  the  same  time,  to  define  the  appropriate 
horizontal  activities which will  satisfy  common  sectoral  needs. EDA must  then  be  able to 
communicate these requirements to the marketplace. 

Particular  attention  must  be  paid  to  Community  activities  in  the  areas  of  R&D  and 
TEN-Telecom.  The  Telematics  Applications  Programme  has  a  number  of  successful 
projects  which  can  provide  innovative  solutions  and  new  opportunities  to  stimulate  and 
improve  the  use  of  telematics  in  administrations.  Similarly,  TEN-Telecom  promotes  the 
development  of generic services, thus laying a foundation  of products  and  services which 
the  EDA  interoperability  measures  can  build  upon.  Furthermore,  projects  of  common 
interest  under  the  TEN-Telecom  guidelines  include  areas  which  are  also  relevant  to  the 
implementation of Community policies and activities. 

It  is  therefore  essential  to  put  in  place  coordination  mechanisms  which  will  ensure  that 
optimal use is made of such complementary  Community instruments, taking full  advantage 
both  of their  synergy and of the flexibility provided by their areas of mutual  contact.  IDA 
is  a  unique  and  valuable  programme  which  benefits  in  particular  from  its  orientation 
towards  practical,  market-driven  solutions,  achieving cost  reductions, economies  of  scale 
its  emphasis  on  operational 
and  greater  efficiency  by  building  on  commonality, 
implementation  rather  than  research,  and  the  involvement  of  a  wide  variety  of  different 
sectors  with  central  coordination.  These  features  must  be  preserved  and  enhanced  for 
the  future. 

19 

97/0340 (COD) 

Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL  DECISION 

on a series of guidelines, including the identification  of projects of 
common interest,  for trans-European  networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations  (IDA) 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular  the 
first paragraph of Article  129d thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from  the Commission7, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee8, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions9, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article  189b of the Treaty10, 

(1)  Whereas  the  Council,  in  its  Resolution  of  20  June  199411  emphasized  the  need  for 

coordination with regard to information  exchange between  administrations; 

(2)  Whereas  the  Council,  in  its  Resolution  of  21  November  199612,  established  new  policy 

priorities regarding the information  society; 

(3)  Whereas the  Commission,  in its  communication  of  19 July  199413,  proposed  an  Action  plan 

for the Information  Society; 

(4)  Whereas the Commission has proposed  an Action plan for the Single Market14; 

(5)  Whereas  the  European  Parliament,  in  its  Resolution  of  12  June  199715,  invited  the 
European Union  and the Member  States to  take  action  with  regard  to  the  development  and 
application of new information  and communication technologies (ICT) in the next decade; 

(6)  Whereas the European  Parliament  and the Council,  in Decision  No  2717/95/EC16,  adopted  a 

series of guidelines for the development  of Euro-ISDN as a trans-European  network; 

7 

8 

9 

10 
11  OJC  181, 2.7.1994, p. 1. 
12  OJC  376,  12.12.1996, p. 1. 
13  COM(94) 347  final. 
14  COM(97)  184 final. 
15  OJC  200, 30.6.1997, p. 196. 
16  OJL282.  24.11.1995, p. 16. 

20 

(7)  Whereas the European Parliament  and the Council,  in Decision No  1336/97/EC17,  adopted  a 

series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunication  networks; 

(8)  Whereas,  in  order  to  establish  economic  and  monetary  union  and  to  implement  Community 
policies and activities, it is necessary for Member State administrations and the Community to 
access, exchange and process increasing amounts of information; 

(9)  Whereas, in order to exercise the powers conferred  upon them, it is necessary  for  Community 

institutions to access, exchange and process increasing amounts of  information; 

(10) Whereas  the  efficient,  effective  and  secure  exchange  of  processable  information  requires 
to  as 

the availability  of  integrated  data  communication  systems,  hereinafter  referred 
telematic networks; 

(11) Whereas  telematic  networks  linking  the  information  systems  of  the  Member  State 
administrations  and  the  Community  across  Europe  are  trans-European  telecommunication 
networks for  administrations; 

(12) Whereas  a  smooth  functioning  of  the  internal  market  and  the  elimination  of  obstacles  to 
communication  between  public  administrations  and  the  private  sector  are  important  factors 
for the prosperity and competitiveness of Community industry; 

(13) Whereas  use of telematic  networks  can contribute  to  the protection  of the financial interests 

of the Community and to the fight against fraud; 

(14) Whereas the modification  and enhancement  of telematic networks may be required  during the 

preparation for the enlargement  of the European Union; 

(15) Whereas  responsive  and  transparent  public  administrations  will  encourage  citizens  of  the 

European Union to reap the benefits of the Information  Society; 

(16) Whereas the Community is a user or a beneficiary  of those telematic networks which  support 
the  Community  policies  and  activities,  interinstitutional  communication  and  economic  and 
monetary union; 

(17) Whereas the task of establishing  such networks  is incumbent  on both  the Community  and the 

Member States; 

(18) Whereas it is essential to maximize interoperability  in order to achieve economies of scale and 

to increase the benefits of such networks; 

(19)  Whereas,  in  order  to  make  efficient  use  of  the  Community's  financial  resources,  it  is 
necessary to share the cost of such networks between the Member  States and the Community 
on  an  equitable  basis  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  avoid  needless  proliferation  of  equipment, 
repetition of investigations and diversity of approach; 

(20)  Whereas  there  is thus  a  need  to  define  specific  guidelines  of  general  application  to  all  such 
networks,  as  well  as  a  specific  financial  framework  for  projects  of  common  interest  under 
such guidelines; 

17  OJL  183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. 

21 

(21) Whereas  in  accordance  with  the  subsidiarity  and  proportionality  principles  established  by 
Article  3b  of  the  Treaty,  the  objective  of  establishing  such  networks  cannot  be  adequately 
attained  by the Member  States  and can therefore,  by reason  of the  scale  and  effects  of the 
proposed  action,  be better  attained  at  Community  level; whereas  the  proposed  action  does 
not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the said objective; 

(22) Whereas the implementation  of the  Agreement  on the European Economic  Area  and of the 
association  agreements  with  the  European  Community  requires  the  modification  and 
enhancement of the relevant telematic networks; 

(23) Whereas  there 

is  an 

inherent 

international  dimension  to  telematic  networks  and 

electronic communication; 

(24) Whereas the measures aimed at ensuring the interoperability  of telematic  networks  between 
administrations are in accordance with the priorities adopted in relation to the guidelines for 
trans-European telecommunication networks; 

(25) Whereas  the  Council  has  adopted  Decision  95/468/EC18  on  a Community  contribution  for 

telematic interchange of data between administrations in the Community (EDA); 

(26) Whereas  this  Decision  establishes  a financial framework for  the  entire  duration  of  the 
programme which should be the principal point of reference, within the meaning of point  1 of 
the  Declaration  of  the  European  Parliament, 
the  Council  and  the  Commission 
of 6 March 199519, 
for  the  budgetary  authority  for  the  purposes  of  the  annual 
budgetary procedure, 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 

Article 1 
Scope and objectives 

1.  The  Community,  in  cooperation  with  the  Member  States,  shall  act  in  the  field  of 
trans-European telematic networks for administrations and shall take the measures set out in 
Articles 3 to 6 and in Articles 9 and 11 with the following objectives: 

(a) 

(b) 

the  establishment  of  operational,  interoperable,  trans-European  telematic  networks 
between Member State administrations, whether national or regional, as well as between 
such administrations and the Community institutions and bodies as appropriate, enabling 
the  efficient,  effective  and  secure  interchange  of  information  in  order  to  establish 
economic  and monetary union and in order for the Member  States and the Community 
to  implement,  within  their  respective  areas  of  competence,  the  Community  policies 
and activities referred to in Articles 3 and 3 a of the Treaty; 

the establishment  of integrated telematic networks for the facilitation  of communication 
the  Community 
between 
decision-making process. 

the  Community 

institutions  and 

support  of 

in 

2.  This Decision forms part of the EDA programme. 

18  OJL  269,  11.11.1995, p. 23. 
19  OJC  102, 4.4.1996, p. 4. 

22 

Article 2 
Definitions 

For the purpose of this Decision, the following  definitions  shall apply: 

(a)  a  telematic  network  is  a  comprehensive  data  communication  system,  comprising  not  only 
the physical  infrastructure  and  connections,  but  also the  service  and  application  layers which 
are  built  on  top  of  this  infrastructure, 
thus  enabling  the  interchange  of  information 
electronically between organizations and individuals; 

(b)  an  IDA  network  is  a  trans-European  telematic  network  for  administrations  established  or 
continued  under  this  Decision.  Such  a  network  is  established  on  the  initiative  of  the 
Community  as  a user  of  or  a  party  to  the  network  or  as  a beneficiary  having  an  interest  in 
ensuring its implementation; 

(c)  a sectoral network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations, devoted to the 
implementation  or the  administrative  support  of one particular  Community  policy  or  activity 
which is hereinafter  referred  to as an administrative sector; 

(d)  an IDA  project is a set  of interrelated  actions which  are undertaken  or  continued  under this 
Decision,  as  identified  in  the  Annex,  and  concern  the  establishment  or  enhancement  of 
sectoral networks. 

Article 3 
Projects  of common interest 

1. 

2. 

In  order  to  achieve  the  objectives  laid  down  in  Article  1,  the  Community  and  the 
Member States shall implement projects of common interest as identified  in the Annex. 

Implementation  of  such  projects  shall  be  carried  out  in  accordance  with  the  EDA  work 
programme and with global implementation plans as described in Article 5. 

3.  The  Community  and  the  Member  States  shall  mobilize  the  financial,  technical  and 
management  resources  and  introduce  the  organizational  measures  necessary  for 
the 
implementation of EDA projects. 

Article 4 
Priorities 

For  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  EDA work  programme,  and  in  the  allocation  of  Community 
financial  resources to EDA projects,  priority shall be given to those projects which, by means of the 
establishment  or enhancement  of a sectoral  network: 

(a)  directly  contribute  to  removing  the  obstacles  to  the  free  movement  of  goods,  persons, 

services and capital; or 

(b)  directly contribute to the successful  implementation  or the satisfactory  operation  of economic 

and monetary union; or 

(c)  support  communication between the Community institutions; or 

23 

(d)  contribute to the protection  of the financial interests of the Community or to the fight against 

fraud; or 

(e)  otherwise facilitate the preparation for the enlargement  of the European Union; or 

(f)  otherwise facilitate  industrial  competitiveness  in the Community,  with particular  emphasis on 

SME competitiveness; or  . 

(g)  otherwise provide a direct benefit  to the citizens of the European Union. 

Article 5 
Broad lines 

1. 

In implementing IDA projects, the principles set out in paragraphs 2 to 8 shall be observed. 

2. 

IDA  projects  shall  comprise  all  actions  necessary  for  the  establishment  or  enhancement  of 
sectoral  networks,  including  feasibility  studies  and  demonstrators,  the  establishment  of 
working groups of Member  State and Community experts, and the procurement  of goods and 
services for the Community,  as appropriate. 

3.  EDA  projects  shall  include  a  preparatory  phase,  a  feasibility  phase,  a  development  and 

validation phase, and an implementation phase. 

The preparatory  phase  shall  lead  to  the  establishment  of the  objectives,  scope  and  rationale 
for  the  project,  and  the  achievement  of  the  necessary  commitment  and  understanding 
amongst the participants through appropriate  consultation. 

The  feasibility  phase  shall  lead  to  the  establishment  of  a  global  implementation  plan  which 
shall comprise: 

(a) 

a description  of the network  or networks intended to be established  under the project  in 
terms of their objectives, functionalities,  participants and technical approach; 

(b) 

the  assignment  of  roles  and  tasks  to  the  Community  and  to  the  Member  States 
throughout  the subsequent  development and validation and implementation phases; 

(c) 

a  detailed  description  of  the  expected  benefits  which  includes  assessment  criteria  for 
measuring those benefits beyond the implementation phase; 

(d)  a  schema  which  defines  an  equitable  sharing  between  the  Community  and  the 
Member  States  of  the  operational  and  maintenance  costs  of  the  networks  concerned 
upon conclusion of the implementation phase. 

During  the  development  and  validation  phase,  the  solution  proposed  for  the  network  or 
networks  concerned  shall  be  constructed,  tested,  evaluated  and  monitored  on  a  small  scale, 
and the results shall be used to adjust  the global implementation plan accordingly. 

During  the  implementation  phase,  the  fully  functional  network  or  networks  concerned  shall 
be established  in accordance with the global implementation plan. 

24 

4. 

IDA  projects  shall  build  on  the  horizontal  actions  and  measures  undertaken  by  the 
Community  within  the  framework  of  Decision  98/XXX/EC20  [adopting  a  series  of  actions 
and  measures  in  order  to  ensure  interoperability  of  and  access  to  trans-European  networks 
for  the  electronic  Interchange  of  Data  between  Administrations  (IDA)],  in  particular, 
common generic services and applications shall be used where appropriate. 

5.  The  definition  of  user  requirements  for  a  sectoral  IDA  network  shall  be  made  within  the 
framework of the  Community  policy  or  activity  concerned  and,  in  particular,  in  accordance 
with the applicable committee procedure within such policy or activity, if any. 

6.  Each  IDA  project  shall  be  technically  specified  with  reference  to  European  standards  or 
publicly  available  specifications,  as  appropriate,  in  order  to  ensure  a  high  degree  of 
interoperability  between  national  and  Community  systems  within  and  across  administrative 
sectors and with the private sector. Particular account  shall be taken of Community guidelines 
and  support  tools  in the  area  of  standardization  in  public  procurement  for  ICT  systems  and 
services, such as SPRITE - S2. 

7. 

In  the  definition  and  implementation  of  each  IDA  project,  care  shall  be  taken  to  build  on 
suitable results achieved by other  relevant  Community  activities, in particular  the  Community 
research  and  technological  development  programmes  and  the  Community  activities  in  the 
field  of trans-European  telecommunication  networks. 

8.  A  post-implementation  review  of  each  EDA  project  shall  be  carried  out  within  one  year 
following  the end of the implementation phase. The findings of such reviews shall be reported 
to the Member States. 

Article 6 
Community financial  contribution 

1. 

In  the  implementation  of  EDA  projects,  the  Community  shall  bear  costs  in  proportion  to 
its interest. 

2.  The  financial  contribution  of  the  Community  for  each  IDA  project  shall  be  determined  in 

accordance with paragraphs 3 to 7. 

3. 

4. 

In the  preparatory  and feasibility  phases of a project,  the Community  contribution  may cover 
the full  cost of the necessary studies. 

In  the  development  and  validation  phase  and  in  the  implementation  phase  of  a  project,  the 
Community  shall  bear  the  cost  of  those  tasks  which  are  assigned  to  it  in  the  global 
implementation plan of that  project. 

5.  The  Community  may contribute,  by  means  of  direct  grants,  to  the  costs  incurred  by  one  or 

more Member States, in order for  such Member  States to carry out; 

(a) 

activities  relating  to  an  IDA  project  or  network  which  are  deemed  to  be  of  benefit  to 
other participants or to other sectoral networks, 

20  OJ 

25 

(b)  an enhancement  of a national  system  which  is deemed  necessary  in order  to  improve  or 

simplify  the overall implementation  of a particular network  system. 

The intended  grants will be  specified  in the  IDA work  programme  for  the  current  budgetary 
year.  Other  than  in  exceptional  circumstances,  grants  shall  not  exceed  one  half  of  the 
expenditure actually incurred  by each beneficiary  Member  State in implementing the tasks  for 
which the grant is given. 

6.  Community  funding  under  this  Decision  shall  cease  upon  completion  of  the  implementation 
phase  of  an  IDA  project;  however,  further  funding  may  exceptionally  be  granted  under  this 
Decision in order to cçver all or part  of the cost  of the operation  and  maintenance  of an IDA 
network until the end of the year following  the year in which its implementation  is completed. 

7.  The Community  may also, within  the framework  of this Decision  and  until  the  end  of  1999, 
bear the  cost  of the  operation  and  maintenance  of those  IDA networks which  are  continued 
under  this  Decision  and  which  are  already  operational  on  the  date  of  entry  into  force  of 
this Decision. 

Article 7 
Implementation 

1.  The Commission shall implement the Community action set out in Articles 3 to 6. 

2.  The procedure  set  out  in Article  8 shall  apply in respect  of the  approval,  on the basis  of the 
priorities  established  in Article  4  and  the  principles  laid  down  in Article  5,  of  the  section  of 
the  EDA  work  programme  concerning  the  implementation  of  this  Decision,  which  the 
Commission shall draw up at yearly intervals. 

3.  The  procedure  set  out  in  Article  8  shall  apply  in  respect  of  the  approval  on  the  basis  of  its 
compliance  with  the  principles  laid  down  in  Article  5  of  the  global  implementation  plan  of 
each  EDA project  at  the  end  of  the  feasibility  phase  and  at  the  end  of the  development  and 
validation  phase,  as well  as  the  approval  of  any  subsequent  substantial  amendments  to  that 
implementation plan. 

Article 8 
Committee procedure 

1.  The  Commission  shall  be  assisted  by  a  committee  composed  of  representatives  of  the 
Member  States  and  chaired  by  a representative  of  the  Commission.  This  committee  shall  be 
called the Telematics between  Administrations Committee (TAC). 

The representative  of the  Commission  shall  submit  to  the committee  a draft  of the  measures 
to be taken.  The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft  within a time-limit  which the 
chairman  may  lay  down  according  to  the  urgency  of  the  matter.  The  opinion  shall  be 
delivered  by the  majority  laid  down  in  Article  148(2)  of  the  Treaty  in  the  case  of  decisions 
which the Council is required  to  adopt  on a proposal  from  the Commission.  The votes of the 
representatives  of the  Member  States  within  the  committee  shall  be weighted  in  the  manner 
set out  in that Article. The chairman shall not vote. 

The  Commission  shall  adopt  measures  which  shall  apply  immediately.  However,  if  these 
measures  are  not  in  accordance  with  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  they  shall  be 
communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith.  In that  event: 

26 

The Commission  may defer  application  of the measures  which  it  has decided  for  a period  of 
not more than one month from the date of such communication. 

The Council, acting by a qualified  majority,  may take a different  decision within the time-limit 
referred  to in the previous  subparagraph. 

2.  The Commission shall regularly report to the TAC on the implementation  of this Decision. 

Article 9 
Review and evaluation 

1.  The  Annex  shall  be  reviewed  by 

the  European  Parliament  and 

the  Council  at 

three-yearly intervals. 

2.  Two  years  after  the  entry  into  force  of  this  Decision  or  any  subsequent  amendment  of  the 
Annex, and at three-yearly intervals thereafter,  the Commission  shall, in coordination with the 
Member States, carry out an evaluation of the implementation of this Decision. 

3.  The  evaluation  shall  establish  the  progress  and  current  status  of  the  projects  of  common 

interest identified  in the Annex. 

It  shall  also  examine,  in  the  light  of  the  expenditure  incurred  by  the  Community,  the 
benefits  yielded  by  EDA  networks 
the  Member  States, 
Community industry  and citizens  of  the  European  Union  and  dentify  areas  for  potential 
improvement  and  verify  synergy  with  other  Community  activities 
the  field  of 
trans-European telecommunication networks. 

the  Community, 

to 

in 

4.  The  Commission  shall  forward  its  evaluation  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council 

together with its proposal for the amendment  of the Annex. 

Article 10 
Extension to the EEA and associated  countries 

1.  The  IDA  programme  may  be  opened,  within 

the  framework  of  their  respective 
agreements with  the  European  Community,  to  participation  by  the  countries  of  the 
European Economic  Area  and  the  associated  countries  of  central  and  eastern  Europe  and 
Cyprus in projects of common interest which are relevant to such agreements. 

2. 

In  the  course  of  implementing  projects,  cooperation  with  non-member  countries  and  with 
international organizations or bodies, as appropriate,  shall be encouraged. 

Article 11 
Other sectoral  networks 

1.  With regard to the establishment  or enhancement  of all other  sectoral  networks which are not 
IDA  projects  (hereinafter  "other  sectoral  networks"),  Member  States  and  the  Community 
shall,  in  accordance  with  the  relevant  provisions  of  Community  legislation  governing  the 
implementation of those sectoral networks, ensure that paragraphs 2 to 6 are complied with. 

27 

2.  The  other  sectoral  networks  shall  make  usé  of  the  horizontal  actions  and  measures 
undertake^ by  the  Community  within  the  framework  of  Decision  98/XXX/EC  [adopting 
a series  of  actions  and  measures  in  order  to  ensure  interoperability* of  and  access  to 
trans-European  networks for the Interchange of Data between  Administrations (IDA)], to the 
extent  that  those  actions  and  measures  are  appropriate  to  meet  the  user  requirements  of the 
other sectoral networks. 

3.  Each of the other  sectoral  networks  shall be technically  specified  with reference  to  European 
standards or publicly available specifications,  as appropriate, in order to  ensure a high degree 
of interoperability between national and Community  systems within and  across  administrative 
sectors and with the private sector. Particular account  shall be taken of Community guidelines 
and  support  tools  in the  area  of  standardization  in  public  procurement  for  ICT  systems  and 
services, such as SPRITE - S2. 

4. 

In  the  definition  and  implementation  of  each  of  the  other  sectoral  networks,  care  taken  to 
build  on  suitable  results  achieved  by  other  relevant  Community  activities,  in  particular  the 
Community  research  and  technological  development  programmes  and  the  Community 
activities in the field of trans-European telecommunication  networks. 

5.  A post-implementation  review of each of the other sectoral networks shall be carried out. 

6. 

In  the  implementation  of  the  other  sectoral  networks  the  Community  shall  bear  costs  in 
proportion to its interest. 

Article 12 
Financial framework 

The financial framework for  Community  action under this Decision for the period  1998-2000  shall 
be ECU 38.5 million. 

Annual  appropriations  shall  be  authorized  by  the  budgetary  authority  within  the  limit  of  the 
financial  perspective. 

Article 13 
Entry into  force 

This  Decision  shall  be  published  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities.  It  shall 
enter into force on the third day following that of its publication. 

This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 

Article 14 
Addressees 

Done at Brussels, 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

28 

Projects of common interest in the sphere of trans-European networks for the Interchange of Data 
between Administrations 

ANNEX 

The following projects shall be projects of common interest under the IDA programme: 

A.  In general 

1.  Continuation 

of 

sectoral 

under 
Council Decision 95/468/EC  of  6  November  1995,  with  the  exception  of  the  following 
networks  previously  funded  by  the  IDA  programme,  which  are  now  specifically  excluded 
from  the new programme: 

and  measures 

undertaken 

projects 

SIGL 

VEES 

TRANSIT 

QUOTA 

EBTI 

TAFJC 

SCENT CIS/FISCAL 

SEED - EXCISE CONTROL 

CCN/CSI; 

2. 

3. 

Implementation  of those  networks  required  for  the  functioning  of  the  European  Agencies, 
and in support of the legal framework arising from the creation of the European agencies; 

Implementation  of those networks which,  within  the framework  of the  Community  policies 
and activities and in unforeseen  circumstances, are urgently required to support the action of 
the Community and the Member  States in protecting the life  and health of humans, animals 
and  plants,  the  rights  of  the  European  consumers,  or  the  fundamental  interests  of 
the Community. 

29 

B.  Enhancements  to existing IDA projects: 

1.  Extension  of  the  Communication  and  Management  of  Official  Documents  project  to  all 
exchanges of information  between the European  institutions and Member  State  Governments 
and administrations and for the dissemination of Commission autonomous acts; 

2.  Enhancement  of the SIMAP project  to provide a telematic  service which comprises the entire 

procurement  process; 

3.  Extension  of the EUPHIN (formerly  CARE) healthcare network  architecture to the exchange 
of  new  health-related  information,  such  as  the  blood  transfusion  chain,  new  diseases,  and 
home and leisure accidents; 

4.  Extension  of  the  TESS  framework  to  exchange  information  concerning  new  social  security 

sectors, such as unemployment  and family  benefits; 

5.  Expansion  and  further  development  of  EURES  focusing  on  crossborder  vacancy  exchange 

and jobseeker information,  decentralization,  and improved public access; 

6. 

Interchange of environmental  data and information  for EIONET; 

7.  Extension of access to environmental information to citizens; 

8.  Extension  of  the  EMCDDA-REITOX  drug  monitoring  system  to  include  new  national 

partners and topics such as drug-related  urban crime; 

9.  Promotion and awareness activities for agricultural networks; 

10.  Extension  of existing pharmaceutical  networks to other  scientific  and regulatory  areas and  to 

other user communities, such as Industry and the citizen. 

C.  Specific new networks supporting EMU and Community policies and  activities 

1.  Telematic  networks to  facilitate  the monitoring  of compliance with  convergence  criteria,  the 

introduction  of the EURO, and economic and monetary policy; 

2.  Telematic  networks  for 

the  exchange  of  statistics 

in  accordance  with  Community 

political priorities; 

3.  Telematic networks for the provision of statistical information  to the citizen; 

4.  New telematic network  systems for the collection and dissemination of statistical  information; 

5.  New  telematic  projects  in  support  of the  management  of agricultural  markets  and  structure, 
more efficient financial management,  and the fight against fraud  in the agricultural  sector; 

6.  Telematic  networks  for  the  exchange  of  farm  accounts  data  (RICA)  between  national 

agencies and the Commission; 

7. 

Improvement  of horizontal telematic interchange systems in the agricultural  sector; 

30 

8.  Telematic networks to facilitate  the collection,  management  and dissemination  of  information 
at the level of central  and  regional  administrations concerning the implementation  of regional 
and cohesion policies; 

9.  Automobile  Type-Approval  Data  Interchange  between  Administrations, 

incorporating 

interactive database for Technical  Services (LISTEC) and Directive  referencing; 

10.  Telematic  network  for  the  exchange  of  information  between  Industrial  Authorities,  and 

between Industrial Authorities and Industry Federations; 

11.  Telematic network interface to existing Commission databases in order to facilitate  the access 

of European organizations, and particularly  SMEs, to Community  sources of  funding; 

12.  Telematic network for the exchange of information  on cosmetics; 

13.  Telematic services for industry to alleviate the burden of administrative forms  filling; 

14.  Telematic  services for an early warning system on new synthetic drugs (EMCDDA); 

15.  Telematic  services  for  the  exchange  of  information  concerning  content  issues  on  open 
networks,  to  promote  the  development  and  free  circulation  of  new  audio-visual  and 
information  services. 

16.  Telematic  network  in  support  of  the  exchange  of  data  between  Member  States  on  driver, 

vehicle and transport  operator  information. 

17.  Telematic  networks  in support  of the  enlargement  of the  EU  through  the  implementation  of 
efficient  electronic  communication  between  the  translation  services  of  the  Commission  and 
the  Council  and  the  temporary  translation/revision  offices  which  may  be  set  up  in  each 
candidate country. 

D.  Globalization of the IDA  networks 

1.  Extension  of the TESS architecture for  information  exchange concerning  old age pensions to 

countries to which many citizens of Member States have emigrated; 

2.  Extension  of  access 

to 
to  EU  healthcare  and  pharmaceutical 
international organizations; to  the  EEA,  EFTA,  CEECs  and  other  Associated  countries,  and 
to G7 countries; 

telematic  networks 

3.  Ensure  interoperability  of  environmental  networks  with  third  countries'  Environmental 

Protection  Agencies and international  organizations; 

4.  Extension  of  access  to  the  EMCDDA-REITOX  telematic  network  to  CEECs,  EFTA  and 
Mediterranean  countries,  as  well  as  to  third  countries  and  international  organizations 
exchanging information  with the EMCDDA and the REITOX  system. 

31 

E. 

Inter-institutional projects: 

1.  Implementation of a telematic link between the Commission, Council, institutions and the site 

of the EU Presidency; 

2.  Networking and document  sharing between the European Agencies and bodies and between 

those and the European institutions; 

3.  Telematic  network 

services 

in  support  of 

interinstitutional  exchanges 

in 

the 

agricultural sector; 

4.  Telematic  support 

for  communication  between 

the  Community 

sharing/exchanging  multilingual 
terminology databases; 

resources 

and  organizing 

institutions  by 
to 
access 

common 

5.  Support for interinstitutional exchanges by improving translation workflow  management and 

translation support tools. 

32 

Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 

97/0341 (SYN) 

adopting a series of actions and measures in order to ensure 
interoperability of and access to trans-European networks for the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (EDA) 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular  the 
third paragraph of Article 129d thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission21, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee22, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions23, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article  189c of the Treaty in cooperation 
with the European Parliament24, 

1)  Whereas  the.  Council,  in  its  Resolution  of  20  June  199425,  emphasized  the  need  for 

coordination with regard to information exchange between administrations; 

2)  Whereas  the  Council,  in  its  Resolution  of  21  November  199626,  established  new  policy 

priorities regarding the information society; 

3)  Whereas the Commission, in its communication of  19 July  199427, proposed  an Action plan 

for the Information Society; 

4)  Whereas the Commission has proposed an Action plan for the Single Market28, 

5)  Whereas  the  European  Parliament,  in  its  Resolution  of  12  June  1997,  invited  the 
European Union and the Member States to take action with regard to the development and 
application of new information and communication technologies (ICT) in the next decade29; 

(6)  Whereas the European Parliament  and the Council, in Decision No 2717/95/EC,  adopted a 
series of guidelines for the development of Euro-ISDN as a trans-European network30; 

21 

22 

23 

24 
25  OJC  181,2.7.1994, p. 1. 
26  OJ C 376,  12.12.1996, p. 1. 
27  COM(94) 347 final. 
28  COM(97)  184 final. 
29  0 10  200,30.6.1997,^196. 
30  OJL282,  24.11.1995, p.  16. 

33 

(7)  Whereas the European Parliament  and the Council, in Decision No  1336/97/EC31,  adopted a 

series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunication networks; 

(8)  Whereas,  in  order  to  establish  economic  and  monetary  union,  to  implement  Community 
policies and activities and to support communication between the Community institutions and 
bodies,  there  is  a  need  to  establish  integrated  data  communications  systems  between 
administrations, hereinafter referred to as telematic networks; 

(9)  Whereas  such networks  must  link the information  systems,  both  existing  and future,  of the 
Member  State  administrations  and  the  Community  across  Europe  and  are,  therefore, 
trans-European telecommunication networks for administrations; 

(10) Whereas  the  effective  linkage  of  such  information  systems  requires  a maximum  degree  of 

interoperability between the various systems and their components; 

(11) Whereas it is essential to maximize interoperability in order to achieve economies of scale and 

to increase the benefits of telematic networks; 

(12) Whereas  an  enhanced  interface  with  public  administrations  will  encourage  citizens  of  the 

European Union to reap the benefits of the Information Society; 

(13) Whereas  the  elimination  of  obstacles  to  communication  between  public  administrations 
and the  private  sector  is  an  important  factor  for  the  prosperity  and  competitiveness  of 
Community industry; 

(14) Whereas the Community is a user or a beneficiary of those telematic networks which support 
Community  policies  and  activities,  interinstitutional  communication  and  economic  and 
monetary union; 

(15) Whereas the task of establishing such networks is incumbent on both the Community and the 

Member States; 

(16) Whereas,  in  order  to  make  efficient  use  of  the  Community's  financial  resources,  it  is 
necessary  to  avoid  needless  proliferation  of  equipment,  repetition  of  investigations  and 
diversity of approach; 

(17) Whereas cost-efficiency,  responsiveness, flexibility and adaptability to technological change in 
the  establishment  and  operation  of  such  networks  can  best  be  achieved  by  embracing  a 
market-oriented approach; 

(18) Whereas  any  measures  to  ensure  interoperability  between  and  access  to  such  networks 
must maintain  a judicious  balance  between  satisfying  common  requirements  and  preserving 
national  specificities; 

(19) Whereas there is thus a need to carry out specific  horizontal actions and measures in order to 

ensure interoperability between such networks; 

31  OJL  183,  11.7.1997, p. 12. 

34 

(20) Whereas  in  accordance  with  the  subsidiarity  and  proportionality  principles  established  by 
Article  3b  of the  Treaty  the  objective  of  carrying  out  such  horizontal  actions  and  measures 
cannot be adequately attained by the Member  States and can therefore,  by reason of the scale 
and  effects  of  the  proposed  action,  be  better  attained  at  Community  level;  whereas  the 
proposed  action does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the said objective; 

(21) Whereas  the  implementation  of the  Agreement  on  the  European  Economic  Area  and  of  the 
the  European  Community  requires  a  high  degree  of 

association  agreements  with 
interoperability within and across the relevant telematic networks; 

(22) Whereas 

there 
electronic  communication; 

is  an 

inherent 

international  dimension 

to 

telematic  networks  and 

(23) Whereas the  measures  aimed  at  ensuring the  interoperability  of telematic  networks  between 
administrations  are in accordance with the priorities  adopted  in relation  to the  guidelines  for 
trans-European telecommunications  networks; 

(24) Whereas  the  Council  has  adopted  Decision  95/468/EC)32  on  a  Community contribution  for 

telematic interchange of data between administrations in the Community (IDA), 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS : 

Article 1 
Scope and  objectives 

1.  The  Community  shall  act 

for 
administrations and. shall take the measures  set  out  in Articles 3 to  10 and in Article  13 with 
the following  objectives: 

the  field  of  trans-European 

telematic  networks 

in 

(a) 

the  achievement  of  a  high  degree  of  interoperability,  within  and  across  different 
administrative  sectors  and  with  the  private  sector,  between  the  telematic  networks 
established in the Member States and between the Commumty and the Member States in 
order  to  establish  economic  and  monetary  union  and  to  implement  the  Community 
policies and activities referred  to in Articles 3 and 3 a of the Treaty; 

(b) 

the achievement  of greater  cost-efficiency,  responsiveness, flexibility  and  adaptability  to 
technological  change  and  market  evolution  in  the  establishment  and  operation  of 
such networks; 

(c) 

the extension of the benefits  of such networks to Community industry and citizens of the 
European Union; 

(d) 

the promotion of the spread of best  practice and the encouragement  of the  development 
of innovative telematic solutions in administrations. 

2.  This Decision forms part of the IDA programme. 

32  OJL  269,  11.11.1995, p. 23. 

35 

Article 2 
Definitions 

For the purpose of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply: 

(a)  a telematic  network  is a comprehensive  data  communication  system,  comprising  not  only 
the physical infrastructure  and connections, but also the service and application layers which 
are  built  on  top  of  this  infrastructure,  thus  enabling  the  interchange  of  information 
electronically between organizations and individuals; 

(b)  a sectoral network is a trans-European telematic network for administrations, devoted to the 
implementation or the administrative support of one particular Community policy or activity 
which is hereinafter  referred to as an administrative sector; 

(c)  generic  services  are  telematic  network  functionalities  which  meet  common  user 
requirements,  such  as  data  collection,  data  dissemination,  data  exchange,  and  security. 
The characteristics of each service are clearly specified and associated with a guaranteed level 
of quality. 

Article 3 
Horizontal actions and measures 

1. 

2. 

3. 

In  order  to  achieve  the  objectives  laid  down  in Article  1, the  Community  shall  undertake 
horizontal actions and measures, as provided for by Articles 4 to  10, in accordance with the 
IDA work programme. 

* ' 

Implementation  of the horizontal  actions  and  measures  shall  include  feasibility  studies and 
demonstrators,  the  establishment  of  working  groups  of  Member  State  and  Community 
experts, and the procurement of goods and services for the Community, as appropriate. 

In implementing the horizontal actions and measures, care shall be taken to build on suitable 
results achieved by other relevant Community activities, in particular the Community research 
and  technological  development  programmes  and  the  Community  activities  in  the field of 
trans-European telecommunication networks. 

4.  Horizontal  actions  and  measures  shall  make  reference  to  European  standards  or  publicly 
available  specifications,  as appropriate,  in order to  ensure  a high  degree  of  interoperability 
between national and Community systems within and across administrative sectors and with 
the private sector. Particular account shall be taken of guidelines and support tools in the area 
of standardization in public procurement for ICT systems and services, such as SPRITE - S2. 

Article 4 
Generic services 

1.  The Community  shall adopt  all necessary  measures in order  for  a wide  choice  of common 
generic  services  that  meet  sectoral  user  requirements  to  be  made  available  to  sectoral 
networks by telematic service providers on a competitive basis. These measures shall include 
the continuation of suitable measures undertaken under Decision 95/468/EC as appropriate. 

2.  With the aim of enabling sectoral network  users to identify  their technical requirements and 
making  available  the  wide  choice  of  common  generic  services  that  meet  sectoral  user 
requirements, the Community shall, in particular: 

36 

(a)  define  architecture  guidelines  for  the  sectoral  networks  designed  to  encourage 

interoperability between the various physical infrastructures and services; 

(b)  define  and  publish  the  specifications  of  the  generic  services  which  are  commonly 
required by telematic networks between administrations, including the quality of service 
and the relevant interoperability requirements imposed by a multi-vendor environment; 

(c)  define  and  implement  a  mechanism  through  which  the  degree  of  interoperability 
between  the  services  offered  by  the  telematic.  service  providers  can  be  assessed 
and published, 

(d) 

identify  and/or  specify  appropriate  standard  interfaces  to  encourage  portability  and 
replicability of application developments; 

(e)  ensure a sustained evolution of common requirements and a continued monitoring of the 

telematics services offered by the said providers. 

Article 5 
Generic applications 

The  Community  shall  ensure  that  common  tools  and  techniques  are  developed  for  sectoral 
network  applications  with  the  aim  of  reducing  the  overall  costs  associated  with  application 
development,  rationalizing and improving technical  solutions, decreasing the time required for the 
implementation of operational systems, and streamlining system maintenance. 

For this purpose, the Community shall identify  and specify,  within sectoral networks,  fundamental 
and recurring functionalities which can form the basis of generic applications or modules. 

It  shall  also  encourage  the  development  and  use  of  such  generic  applications  and  modules  by 
sectoral networks; in particular, the proliferation  of suitable solutions which are developed within 
a sectoral network shall be ensured. 

Article 6 
Information content interoperability 

1.  The  Community  shall  encourage  interoperability  in terms  of  the  content  of  the  information 
which  is  exchanged  within  and  across  administrative  sectors  and  with  the  private  sector. 
For this  purpose,  and  subject  to  the  legal,  security,  and  confidentiality  requirements  of 
the sectoral  users,  the  Community  shall  adopt  appropriate  measures  and,  in  particular, 
the following: 

(a)  support  for  the  efforts  of  the  administrations  of  the  Member  States  to  ensure  such 
interoperability, simplify administrative procedures and improve information flows; 

(b)  coordination  of  the  requirements  of  sectoral  networks  for  formatted  information 

exchange, and the ensuring of the proliferation of suitable solutions; 

(c)  the  monitoring  of  suitable  technological  developments  in  the  field  of  electronic  data 
communication,  including  innovative  data  collection  and  presentation  mechanisms, 
investigation of their impact and encouragement of their adoption by sectoral networks. 

37 

2.  For  the  purpose  of  paragraph  1,  solutions  facilitating  interoperability  between  different 
message  formats  shall  be  preferred  to,  but  not  exclude,  the  development  of  harmonized 
message formats. 

Solutions  allowing  the  private  sector  to  integrate  administrative  requirements  easily  into 
business processes shall also be favoured. 

Article 7 
Legal and security  framework 

The Community shall contribute to the identification  and elimination of the legal and contractual 
barriers  that  impede  the  smooth  exchange  of  data  between  network  users  and  shall  ensure  an 
appropriate degree of security within sectoral networks. In particular, the Community shall, 

(a)  formulate, in cooperation with the Member States, a model legal and security framework for 
the trans-European interchange of data between administrations and between administrations 
and the private sector, in order to facilitate a common approach; 

(b)  support the efforts  of the Member States to adhere to the framework referred to in (a) within 
their own administrative environments and, in particular, issue appropriate recommendations; 

(c)  ensure, with regard to  sectoral  networks and in accordance with the framework referred  to 
in (a):  the  recognition,  within  the  administrative  environment  of  the  Community,  of  the 
evidential value of the data exchanged; the establishment of a methodology for the protection 
of  personal  data;  the  definition  of  the  rights  and  responsibilities  of  the  users;  the 
confidentiality,  integrity, authentication and non-repudiation of the information exchanged, as 
well as measures to control access to networks; 

(d)  identify  and analyse the different  levels of security depending on the nature and purpose of 

sectoral networks; 

(e)  formulate  guidelines  and  provide  common  solutions  for  the  choice  and  implementation  of 

tools, components and systems that ensure the identified levels of security. 

Article 8 
Quality assurance and control 

The Community shall define, implement, and continuously update a quality programme which shall 
apply to the horizontal actions and measures under this Decision and to the projects  of common 
interest under Decision 98/XXX/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. That quality 
programme shall include the necessary actions to: 

(a)  improve the manner in which user requirements and project specifications are established; 

(b)  improve  the  quality  of  project  deliverables,  both  in  terms  of  compliance  with  project 

specifications and in terms of satisfaction of user expectations; 

(c)  ensure that the experiences gained are learning experiences and are disseminated through the 

spread of best practice described in Article 10. 

38 

Article 9 
Interoperability with national and regional initiatives 

In implementing the IDA programme, the Community shall endeavour to facilitate interoperability 
and  cross-fertilization  with  similar  initiatives  relating  to  the  interchange  of  data  between 
administrations within the Member States. 

Article 10 
Spread of best practice 

1.  The  Commumty  shall  ensure  coordination  and  the  exchange  of  views,  knowledge,  and 
experiences  within  and  across  sectoral  networks,  with  a  view  to  encouraging  the  wider 
adoption of good solutions and encouraging innovation. 

2.  The Commumty shall ensure general awareness of the achievements and benefits  of the IDA 
programme, the dissemination of EDA guidelines and recommendations, and the coordination 
of  user  requirements  and  experiences  with  standardization  bodies  and  Community 
standardization-related initiatives. 

Article 11 
Implementation 

1.  The Commission shall implement the Community action set out in Articles 3 to 10. 

2.  The  section  of the  IDA work  programme  concerning  the  implementation  of this Decision, 
which the Commission shall draw up at yearly intervals, shall be approved in accordance with 
the procedure set out in Article 12. 

3.  The  common  rules  and  procedures  for  bringing  about  technical  and  administrative 
interoperability shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 12. 

Article 12 
Committee procedures 

1.  The  Commission  shall  be  assisted  by  a committee  composed  of  representatives  of  the 
Member States and chaired by a representative of the Commission. This committee shall be 
called the Telematics between Administrations Committee (TAC). 

The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft  of the measures 
to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft  within a time-limit which the 
chairman  may  lay  down  according  to  the  urgency  of  the  matter.  The  opinion  shall  be 
delivered by the majority  laid  down in Article  148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions 
which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the 
representatives of the Member  States within the committee shall be weighted  in the manner 
set out in that Article. The chairman shall not vote. 

The  Commission  shall  adopt  measures  which  shall  apply  immediately.  However,  if  these 
measures  are  not  in  accordance  with  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  they  shall  be 
communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In that event: 

The Commission may defer  application of the measures which it has decided for  a period of 
not more than one month from the date of such communication. 

39 

The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different  decision within the time-limit 
referred to in the previous subparagraph. 

2.  The  Commission  shall  regularly  report  to  the  TAC  on  the  implementation  of  the 

present Decision. 

Article 13 
Evaluation 

1.  Two years after  the entry into force  of this Decision  or  any subsequent  amendment  of this 
Decision, and at three-yearly intervals thereafter,  the Commission shall, in coordination with 
the Member States, carry out an evaluation of the implementation of this Decision. 

2.  The evaluation  shall establish  the progress  and  current  status of the  horizontal  actions and 

measures provided for in this Decision. 

It shall also examine, in the light of the expenditure incurred by the Community, the benefits 
yielded  by  such  horizontal  actions  and  measures  to  the  Community,  the  Member  States, 
-  Community  industry  and  citizens  of  the  European  Union,  and  identify  areas  for  potential 
improvement  and  verify  synergy  with  other  Community  activities  in  the  field  of 
trans-European telecommunication networks. 

3.  The Commission  shall forward  its evaluation  to  the  Council  together  with  any appropriate 

proposals for the amendment of this Decision. 

Article 14 
Extension to the EEA and associated countries 

1.  Trie  IDA  programme  may  be  opened,  within  the  framework  of  their  respective 
agreements with  the  European  Community,  to  participation  by  the  countries  of  the 
European Economic  Area  and  the  associated  countries  of  central  and  eastern  Europe  and 
Cyprus in the horizontal actions and measures under this Decision. 

2. 

In the  course  of implementing  this  Decision,  cooperation  with  non-member  countries  and 
with international organizations or bodies, as appropriate, shall be encouraged. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 
The President 

40 

FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1.  TITLE OF OPERATION 

Trans-European Telematic Networks for Administrations (IDA) 

1.1  Projects  of Common Interest for trans-European  networks for  the Interchange of 

Data between Administrations in Europe. 

1.2  Actions  and  measures  in  order  to  ensure  interoperability  of  and  access  to 
trans-European  networks  for  the  electronic  Interchange  of  Data  between 
Administrations (IDA). 

2.  BUDGET HEADING INVOLVED 

B5-7210. Trans-European Telematic Networks for Administrations (IDA) 

3.  LEGAL BASIS 

Proposal for a EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION on a series of 
guidelines,  including  the  identification  of  projects  of  common  interest,  for 
trans-European  networks  for 
the  electronic  Interchange  of  Data  between 
Administrations (IDA) 

Proposal for  a  COUNCIL  DECISION adopting a series of actions  and measures  in 
order to  ensure interoperability  of  and access to  trans-European  networks for  the 
electronic Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) 

4.  DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATION 

4.1  General objectives33 

4.1.1 Establishment of trans-European networks for the Interchange of Data 

between Administrations in Europe 

(a)  establishing operational, interoperable, trans-European telematic networks between 
Member  State  administrations,  as  well  as  between  such  administrations  and  the 
Community institutions and bodies as appropriate, enabling the efficient,  effective 
and secure interchange of information in order to establish economic and monetary 

33  Other  Community  initiatives  related  to specific  policy areas, e.g.  in the field of Customs  and  Indirect 
taxation,  also concern  the  establishment  of  telematic  networks  between  administrations  in  support of 
Community policies and activities. In order to avoid unnecessary duplications and foster synergy between 
these  initiatives,  the  necessary  coordination  mechanisms  are  envisaged.  Similar  coordination 
mechanisms  will  be  established  between  IDA  and  other  related  activities,  notably  in  the fields of 
TEN-Telecom and R&D. 

41 

union and in order for the Member States and the Community to implement, within 
their respective areas of competence, the Community policies and activities; 

(b)  establishing  integrated  telematic  networks  for  the  facilitation  of  communication 
between  the  Community  institutions  and  in support  of the  Community  decision 
making process 

4.1.1.1. Measures proposed 

(1)  New  projects:  preparation,  Feasibility  studies,  development,  pilot  projects  and 

implementation of networks. 

(2)  Continuation  and  enhancement  of  existing  IDA  telematic  systems.  Complete 
projects  initiated  in the first phase  of the  IDA programme  and  migrate  existing 
systems towards the use of common generic telematic services. Where applicable, 
provide an interface with industry and citizens. 

(3)  Globalization  of  IDA  networks:  identification  and/or  development  of  common 
requirements,  standards,  rules  and  guidelines  for  new  participants;  assisting  the 
connection of individual countries/organizations to certain networks. 

(4)  Interinstitutional  systems  to  ensure  that  the  necessary  telematic  tools  and 
techniques,  particularly  those  providing  facilities  sucji as workflow  management, 
electronic  messaging  and document  exchange,  are made available to  support  the 
administrative flows of information  within the Commission, between the European 
institutions, and between them and Member State permanent representations. 

4.1.1.2.Types of action 

(1)  Feasibility  studies  and  demonstrators,  meetings  of  experts  and  procurement  of 

goods and services for the Community. 

(2)  Grants to the Member States. 

4.1.2  Interoperability  measures 

for 

the 

interchange  of  data  between 

administrations in Europe 

(a)  achieving  a  high  degree  of  interoperability,  within  and  across  different 
administrative sectors and with the private sector, between the telematic networks 
established  in  the  Member  States  and  between  the  Community  and  the 
Member States to implement the Community policies and activities; 

(b)  achieving  greater  cost-efficiency,  responsiveness,  flexibility  and  adaptability  to 
technological  change and market  evolution  in the establishment  and  operation of 
such networks; 

(c)  extending 

the  benefits  of  such  networks 

to  European 

industry  and 

European citizens; 

(d)  promoting  the  spread  of  best  practice  and  encouraging  the  development  of 

innovative telematic solutions in administrations. 

42 

4.1.2.1. Measures proposed 

(1)  Continue  the  provision  of  common  telematic  generic  services  under  the  TESTA 
initiative.  Formulate  architecture  guidelines.  Evolution  of  common  generic 
telematic  services,  rationalize  and  globalize  common  solutions  to  common 
requirements;  identify  and  select  generic  services from the  marketplace,  support 
system administrators and end-users. Assist existing networks to migrate to the use 
of  generic  services.  Implement  a  methodology  for  telecommunication  services 
certification  in  a  multi-vendor  environment.  Identify  and/or  specify  appropriate 
standard  interfaces  to  encourage  portability  and  replicability  of  application 
developments. 

(2)  Spread  of  best  practice:  encourage  the  development  and  proliferation  of  ideas, 
techniques  and  solutions  which  could  ease  the  adoption  process,  and  stimulate 
cross-fertilization between sectoral projects. 

(3)  Interoperability  with  national  and  regional  initiatives:  establish  a  mechanism  to 
collect  and  disseminate  information  about  the  various  national  initiatives  in  the 
foster 
area of  telematic  networks  between  administrations 
widespread interoperability. 

in  order 

to 

(4)  Application  development  policy:  development  of  generic  applications  in  order  to 
achieve  economies  of  scale.  Identify  and  specify,  within  sectoral  networks, 
fundamental  and  recurring  functionalities  which  can  form  the  basis  of  generic 
applications 
among 
sectoral networks. 

or  modules.  Proliferation 

solutions 

suitable 

of 

(5)  Action 

to 

content 

improve 

information 

interoperability:  Establish 
commonly-agreed  specifications  where appropriate for the  exchange  of  electronic 
documents,  database  querying  and  ?ccess  and  direct  application-to-application 
communication;  develop  guidelines  and  examples  relating  to  administrative  re-
engineering  and  the adoption  of  new  working  practices  and  innovative  data 
collection  and presentation  mechanisms,  investigate  their impact,  and foster  their 
adoption by sectoral networks. 

(6)  Removal of legal barriers: Carry out relevant study of existing networks the aim to 
define through a pragmatic approach the legal and contractual  issues hindering the 
smooth  operation  of  the  networks;  derive  guidelines  for  improving  the  legal  and 
contractual environment in which the networks operate. 

(7)  Security  measures: Establish  a coherent  set  of  measures,  to  be  implemented  as a 
first step  to  reduce  the  immediate risks to  acceptable  levels;  define  the  security 
profiles,  status  and  the  corresponding  security  processes  which  need  to  be 
implemented; examine the feasibility  of having access to certification  authorities to 
implement certain data security mechanisms. 

(8)  Quality assurance: design and implement a quality programme for all measures and 

project development. 

43 

4.1.2.2. Types of action 

(1)  Feasibility  studies  and  demonstrators,  meetings  of  experts  and  procurement  of 

goods and services for the Community. 

(2)  Publications, dissemination of information by electronic means, conferences. 

4.1.3.0perational  expenses  of  telematic  networks  between  administrations. 

Specific operational expenses 

The  services  required  for  the  normal  operation  of  IDA  networks,  including 
maintenance,  user  support  and  transmission  costs,  will  be  provided  as 
generic services. 

Provision of generic services will already be necessary during the implementation 
of a project. 

Upon  completion  of  the  implementation  phase,  the  Community  share  of  the 
operational costs will be covered by sectoral budgets. However, in order to allow 
for the necessary budgetary arrangements to be made both in the Member  States 
and in the Community, coverage of the operational expenses under the IDA budget 
is foreseen for a transitional period not exceeding two years for each network. 

A transitional period is also foreseen for those networks which are continued under 
IDA  II  and  which  are  already  operational  at  the  time  the  second  phase  of  the 
programme  enters  into  force.  For  technical  and  contractual  reasons,  these 
networks can only gradually be migrated towards the use of generic services. Thus, 
"old" operational  expenses (i.e.  specific  to  each network  concerned  and in many 
cases  leaving  scarce  room  for  cost  sharing  between  the  Community  and  the 
Member States) will be phased out by the end of 1999. These costs are hereinafter 
referred to as "Specific operational expenses". 

4.2  Duration 

From 1998 to 2000 

4.3  Target audience 

Community institutions and Bodies, Member State administrations. 

5.  EXPENDITURE CLASSIFICATION 

DNO; CD. 

6.  TYPE OF EXPENDITURE 

The  IDA  budget  shall  support  the  actions  included  in  the  IDA  work  programme, 
whether new or continued from the work  programme  1997. They include all relevant 
studies  (in  particular,  feasibility  and  evaluation  studies),  meetings  of  experts, 
conferences, paper-based and electronic publications and, in general, the procurement of 

44 

goods  and  services  to  the  Community  for  the  establishment  of  networks,  for  the 
implementation of horizontal measures and in support of the programme management. 

Co-financing  of  projects  concerns  only  the  public  sector,  i.e.  Member  State 
administrations. However,  a strongly market-oriented  approach  will have the effect  of 
shifting to the private sector investments and risks that in the past have been undertaken 
by the Community - in particular, where generic services are concerned. 

Partnership  with the public  sector  is implemented  by means of a cooperation  schema 
based  upon the assignment  of tasks to  every project  participant  (i.e.  Community and 
Member  State  administrations)  under  individual  project  implementation  plans.  The 
annual  IDA  work  programme  contains  the  ensemble  of  tasks  assigned  to  the 
Community for the current year, which are primarily fulfilled  by means of procurement. 

Member State administrations carry out at their cost the tasks assigned to them in each 
project 
the 
telecommunication costs, maintenance costs, purchase/leasing of equipment, etc. 

include  supporting  all  or  part  of 

implementation  plan,  which 

However,  subsidies to Member State admimstrations are also envisaged (up to 50% of 
the cost of the tasks concerned) in case they prove a more efficient  means to  facilitate 
overall  network  implementation  or  to  reduce  the  associated  cost.  Any  grants  thus 
envisaged and the associated tasks will be specified in the annual work programme. 

7.  FINANCIAL IMPACT 

7.1.  Method of calculating total cost of operation 

Assessment  of  the financial needs  for  the  period  1998/2000  has  been  made  on  the 
following basis: 

• 

• 

It  has been  estimated  that,  in  addition  to  the  necessary  continuation  of  existing 
projects,  some  15 to  25  new  sectoral  projects  will be launched  during  the  new 
phase of IDA in order to attain the programme objectives. The cost of each project 
ranges between ECU 0.5  and  3 million (depending  on the functionality  required) 
until  they become  fully  operational  after  a  pilot  phase. Part  of the  total  cost  of 
these projects will be covered by the use of generic services (about 30%). 

It has also been estimated that the cost for the implementation of interinstitutional 
projects  capable  of  supporting  the  Community  decision  making  process  and  the 
exchange  of  information/documents  between  European  institutions  amounts  to 
ECU 11.5 million over three years, of which ECU 3.7  million will be devoted  to 
telematic  services,  thus  covered  by  the  generic  services  line.  The  remaining 
ECU 7.8 million will cover the establishment  of the basic interinstitutional  system 
and  three  to  five  additional  actions  concerning  translation  facilities,  or 
interinstitutional  communication  in  specific  sectors.  The  additional  actions  are 
estimated at ECU 1.8 million spread over three years given that they will be based 
on generic services and build  on the basic  system, which will  allow to  incur low 
development costs in the region of ECU 0.4 or 0.5 million each. The basic system 
is estimated  at ECU 6 million spread over three years, and includes the  following 
elements: further  development and implementation of the production  of electronic 

45 

(ECU 2 million), 

documents  in  the  institutions  (ECU 1  million),  the  set-up,  customization  and 
implementation  of  workflow  management  systems  within  and  between  the 
institutions 
the  set-up  of  reference  and  dissemination 
environment in  the  institutions  (ECU 1.2  million),  the  further  enhancement  of 
the  parliamentary 
and  finally 
operational support  (ECU 0.4 million) and user-training (ECU 0.8 million) for the 
SEI-LEG application. 

(ECU 0.6 million) 

application 

questions 

• 

• 

The interoperability  measures proposed  have been estimated  on the basis of past 
experience.  The  main  part  of  the  expenditure  will  be  the  provision  of  generic 
services, which will grow as new projects are being implemented and new services 
are provided to networks. The growth in constant ecus is about 20% per annum, 
taking into account the foreseen decrease in the price of telematic services. 

The  specific  operational  expenses  of  existing  networks  are  estimated  at 
ECU 8.7 million  in  total,  based  on  past  expenditure.  It  is  envisaged  that  these 
specific  operational  expenses  will  be  phased  out  by  the  end  of  1999,  as  and 
when migration  towards  the  use  of  generic  services  and  cost  sharing  with  the 
Member States permit. 

7.2.  Breakdown by programme elements (current ECU million) 

Project 
New  sectoral projects 
Inter-institutional 
Globalization 
Continuation/enhancement of 
existing projects 

Generic services 
Spread of best practice 
Application development 
Interop with national and regional 
Information  content interop. and 
standardization 
Legal barriers 
Security measures 
Quality assurance 

Type 

Projects of  common interest 

Subtotal 

Interoperability measures 

Subtotal 

Specific operational costs 

TOTAL 

1998 
2.50 
2.50 
0.50 

3.70 
9.20 

4.80 
0.50 
1.00 
0.30 

0.80 
0.40 
0.40 
0.50 
8.70 

1999 
3.80 
2.50 
1.00 

2.00 
9.30 

5.50 
1.00 
3.00 
0.30 

0.60 
0.40 
0.40 
0.50 
11.70 

2000 
5.50 
2.80 
1.00 

TOTAL 

11.80 
7.80 
2.50 

2.00 
11.30 

7.70 
29.80 

6.50 
1.00 
3.00 
0.30 

0.60 
0.40 
0.40 
0.50 
12.70 

16.80 
2.50 
7.00 
0.90 

2.00 
1.20 
1.20 
1.50 
33.10 

5.70 

3.00 

0.00 

8.70 

23.60 

24.00 

24.00 

71.60 

46 

7.3.  Indicative schedule of appropriations 

7.3.1. 

Schedule for proposed new operation (numbers in million) 

Commitment 
appropriations 

Payment 
appropriations 

1998 

1999 

2000 

1998 

1999 

2000 

2001 

2002 

TOTAL 

:,- ,24M 

}MJ&fr] 

**  : 

-71,450 

r 

% 

' 

: 

4.00 

5.00 

5.00 

5.50 

14.50 

9.60 

4.00 

-

-

23.60 

24.00 

-

5.50 

14.50 

4.00 

24.00 

-

-

TOTAL 

L',- **** 

mm 

,25,00 

h  n.m 

|  ,  -W 

7ÏM 

For  every  yearly  bqdget,  23%  in  payments  are  allocated  for  the  current  year  n,  62% is 
allocated to year n+1 and  15% for year n+2. This follows from the current model of project 
type and behaviour of the sectors. 

7.4.  Multiannual actions schedule: 

INDICATIVE PLAN 

ECU million 

1998 

1999 

2000 

TOTAL 
1998-2000 

23.60 

24.00 

24.00 

71.60 

47 

8. 

ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES 

Strict  compliance  with  the  rules  and  procedures  governing  procurement  of  goods  and 
services to the Communities is ensured, in accordance with the financial regulation applicable 
to  the  general  budget  of the  European  Communities,  the  regulation  on  modalities  for  the 
implementation  of the financial regulation  and  thé  internal  rules  of  the  Commission.  The 
relevant  protective  clauses  are  included  in  all  agreements  and  contracts  between  the 
Commission and the beneficiaries of payments. Only officially  approved contract models are 
used  and  multiple  controls  are  made  on  the  procurement  process  in  order  to  ensure 
correctness and transparency.  Control  measures are  systematically  included  in all contracts 
and agreements, such as periodic reporting and production  of predetermined  deliverables at 
predetermined  contract  milestones. Verification  of subventions and effective  performance is 
made  before  any  payments  are  authorised;  this  is  carried  out  by  means  of  visits  on  site, 
establishment and verification of performance metrics, etc. 

9.  COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 

IDA's  strategy  to  achieve  a  high  degree  of  efficiency  is  based  on  three  elements: 
procurement of generic telematic services from the market and use of generic applications as 
opposed  to integral, tailored  network  development;  spread  of best  practice  among sectoral 
networks; implementation of a quality and evaluation programme encompassing all sectoral 
projects. It is thus intended to reduce the overall costs associated with the establishment and 
operation  of  networks,  rationalize  and  improve  technical  solutions,  decrease  the  time 
required for the implementation  of operational  systems, streamline system maintenance and 
facilitate network enhancement, while ensuring the highest degree of interoperability. 

Generic services are already provided through the TESTA initiative. It is envisaged that there 
will be a shift towards a competitive schema in the second phase of EDA. Generic services in 
the  marketplace  will  be  constantly  identified,  specified,  verified,  and  monitored.  These 
activities will provide administrations with simple, generic service descriptions, classified by 
quality and selection criteria such as reliability, availability, performance, continuity, usability, 
and  interoperability,  in  order  to  allow  all  users  involved  in  the  procurement  of  telematic 
services to obtain an acceptable and comparable quality of service throughout  the Union. It 
will then be a straightforward  process to  select the best offer  for the lowest  price among a 
wide  range  of potential  contractors  while guaranteeing  the  required  level  of  performance, 
security and interoperability.  Continuous cost  savings can thus be achieved by rationalizing 
and globalizing  common  solutions to  common requirements, minimizing risks and  creating 
economies  of  scale.  Similarly,  action  will  be undertaken  in  order  to  identify  and  specify, 
within sectoral networks, fundamental  and recurring functionalities  which can form the basis 
of generic applications  or modules; development  and use  of  such generic  applications and 
modules by sectoral networks shall be fostered. 

The IDA programme management will define a quality assurance and control policy which, 
as a horizontal activity, involves all IDA projects,  and will design a quality programme that 
implements  this  policy  during  the  project  developments.  This  policy  will  encompass 
continuous monitoring and revision of the IDA QA Methodology  which will apply to each 
project with regard to: system integration, provision of telecommunication services, software 
development, system operation, user support. 

48 

A global  implementation  plan  for  each  project  will  provide  a  detailed  description  of  the 
expected  benefits  including  assessment  criteria  (such  us  quality  and  readiness  of 
implementation,  speed  of  information  processing,  speed  of  transmission,  availability, 
customer  satisfaction,  cost,  etc.)  for  measuring  these  benefits  beyond  the  implementation 
phase. A post-implementation review of each IDA project  shall be carried out within a year 
following  the end of the implementation  phase. The findings of such reviews shall be form 
the basis for the periodical evaluation of the entire programme at three-yearly intervals. 

Spread  of best  practice is also a key factor  in reaching technical  consistency  and  avoiding 
needless overlaps and diversity of approach/It is envisaged to undertake all necessary actions 
in order to encourage the development and dissemination of ideas, techniques and solutions 
which  could  ease the  implementation  process  and  maximize  the  possible  applications  and 
benefits  of  communicating  electronically  over  telematic  networks,  foster  proliferation  of 
suitable  solutions  and,  in  general,  facilitate  cross-fertilization  between  sectors  in  order  to 
achieve greater  cost-efficiency. 

It is finally envisaged to carry out periodical evaluation of the implementation of this action 
(at three-yearly intervals). 

This evaluation shall 

(a)  establish  the  progress  and  current  status  of  the  horizontal  actions  and  measures 

provided for under this Decision, 

(b)  examine, in light of the expenditure incurred by the Community, the benefits reported by 
such horizontal actions and measures to the Community, the Member States, European 
industry and European citizens, and 

(c) 

identify  areas  for  potential  improvement  and  verify  synergy  with  other  Community 
activities in the field of trans-European telecommunication networks 

and provide elements for proposals with regard to the eventual review of the action. 

10.  ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE 

10.1.  Impact on the number of Commission staff 

This  action  will  not  entail  an  increase  in  the  number  of  the  Commission  staff.  The 
allocation of the necessary staff will be based on the existing resources - eventually by 
way of internal reallocation. 

The provision  of  the  required  administrative  resources  is  dependant  upon  the  annual 
decision  of the  Commission  concerning  the  allocation  of  resources,  taking  particular 
account of the extra personnel and financial resources available by the budget. 

49 

10.2.  Staff and  administrative expenditure involved in the proposed operation. 

The maximum  administrative  expenditure  directly  incurred  by this action  is estimated 
as follows: 

•  Projects have been classified  as sectoral and non-sectoral. Based upon the degree of 
assistance required by each sector from IDA in the implementation of the respective 
sectoral projects, project  management will be subdelegated to the service concerned 
whenever  possible.  Sectoral  projects  have thus been  classified  as  subdelegated  and 
non-subdelegated.  Project  administration  has been broken  down into main areas of 
action on a per-project basis. Overall programme management and administration has 
been calculated separately. 

Max M/Y per project 
0.25 A 
0.35 A 
0.5 A 
0.02 A 
0.01 B 
0.053 
0.05 C 
0.2 C 
0.01  C 

DE FACTO  PROJECT 

ESTIMATES 

PROJECT TYPES: 

1. 
II. 
III. 

Sectoral - Sub-delegated budget 
Sectoral - Non subdelegated budç 

let 

"• 

i 
\ 

Non-sectoral 
TAC Coordination l/ll/lll 
Project Coordination (TAC) l/ll/lll 
Administrative support Mil  - B 
Invoice Clearance type  Mil 
Secreterial support type Mil  - C 
TAC Secretariat 
.EMENTATION OF TRANS-EUROPEAN 
EMATICS NETWORKS BETWEEN ADMIN. : 
Project Management & Technical Co-ordination: 

\ 

IMPL 
TELI 

i 
! 

? Number • 
j 
\  17 
I 
I  11 
! 
4 
/ « C I I C D I^  e c m / i ^ cc  -...,*  A D DI  i/«*Tiniue 

Type 
i. 
II. 
III. 

i 

Project Manaqement & Technical Coordination: 

Type 
III. 

>Number ! 
j 
6 
! 

SPREAD OF BEST PRACTICE 

i Project Manaqement & Technical Coordination: 

Type 
III. 

\ Number ; 
I 
3 

Human Resources M/Y 

A

BC 

4* 

16.25 

11.14 

1.04 

4.07 

A  Oft 

3.10 

0.30 

1.50 

1.95 

1.50 

0.20 

0.25 

LEG AL BARRIERS AND SECURITY 

2.50 

2.00 

0.25 

0.25 

Type 
:  Specific  j 

\ Number  j 
2 

OTHER HORIZONTAL ACTIONS 

Type 

? Number : 
I  Specific  \  6 to  8  ; 

ADM INISTRATION 

Staff Manaqement & Development 
; Operational & Administrative procedures 
;Budqet 
lLoqistics/Archive 
; Internal Quality 
; Informatic and Secretarial Support-
: TOTAL 

il 

\ 

: 

2.40 

1.75 

0.25 

0.40 

5.50 

1.00 

1.50 

3.00 

0.25 
0.25 
0.25 

0.25 

0.50 

1.00 

1.00 

2.00 

33.50 

34 

?  20.49: 
20: 

i  3.54; 
4; 

!  9.47 
10 
I 

j 

| 

50 

Total cost of staff = ECU 34 103 000/year = ECU 3.5 million/year. 

Missions: ECU 47 500/year based on an estimate of ECU 2 500/year per staff of grade 
A involved in project management. 

Committee meetings: ECU 66 000/year based on three committee meetings per year at 
an  estimated  cost  of  ECU 10 000  each  plus  six  subgroup  meetings  per  year  at  an 
estimated cost of ECJJ 6 000 each. 

Call  for  tenders  evaluations:  ECU 30 000/year  based  on  one  general  evaluation 
exercise per year. 

51 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(97) 661 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

01  15  16 

Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-97-678-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-28621-4 

Office  for  Official  Publications of the European  Communities 

L-2985  Luxembourg 

^ <!