Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Development of rural areas by means of a proactive policy on information and communications technologies"
Date: 2001-11-15
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: communications policy, information technology, rural development, supplies contract, transmission network

3.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 107/17

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Development of rural areas by means of a
proactive policy on information and communications technologies’

(2002/C 107/06)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 13 February 2001, in accordance with the fifth
paragraph of Article 265 of the EC Treaty, to issue an opinion on ‘The development of rural areas by
means of a proactive policy on information and communications technologies’ and to instruct
Commission 2 for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries to undertake the preparatory work;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 57/2001 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 2 on 9 October 2001
(rapporteur: Mr Lebrun, Member of the Walloon Parliament and of the Parliament of the French-speaking
Community of Belgium and First Alderman of Viroinval, Walloon Government B/EPP);

having regard to the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of 18 December 2000 on
unbundled access to the local loop (Regulation (EC) No. 2887/2000);

having regard to the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council of 12 July 2000
on ‘universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services’
(COM(2000) 392 final);

having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Directive of
the European Parliament and the Council on ‘universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic
communications networks and services’ (CES 229/2001);

having regard to the European Commission Communication of 31 January 2001 on ‘The regions and the
new economy — Guidelines for innovative actions under the ERDF in 2000-2006’ (COM(2001) 60 final),

adopted the following opinion, by a unanimous vote, at its 41st plenary session held on 14 and
15 November 2001 (meeting of 15 November).

The Committee of the Regions

1.
takes the view that, as talented people are now being
attracted to jobs in geographical locations which offer a high
quality of life, we must make optimal use of information and
communications technologies (ICTs) in order to stem rural
depopulation and avoid the economic and social costs tra-
ditionally associated with that phenomenon;

2.
highlights the need to establish an appropriate range of
ICT services in rural areas in order to overcome a number of
structural difficulties. Examples are:

— more effective emergency medical services (e.g. telemedic-
ine involving distance diagnoses); other services could
also be included, such as distance x-ray examinations and
distance use of scanners and medical imaging);

— distance help and back-up services for categories of
people who require assistance because of their age, state
of health or particular handicaps;

— distance training activities (‘e-learning’), for example in
connection with the on-going training required for the
establishment of the information society, in which know-
ledge sharing has to go hand-in-hand with technological
innovation;

— specific cultural and tourism activities designed to
enhance the identity and the attractions of each of the
regions concerned;

— online administrative services;

urges

that a clear distinction be drawn between:
3.
(a) measures to stimulate demand which can be met and which
can extract a profit from investments under public-private
partnerships with a view to providing an appropriate range of
ICT services and (b) measures which directly contribute to the
establishment of telecommunications infrastructures catering
for the specific requirements of rural areas;

points out that,

4.
in the context of the measures set
out under (a) above, the establishment of fixed or mobile
telecommunications infrastructures for high-output data-trans-
mission is only feasible if a demand, which can be met, for
services and content
in the regions concerned has been
demonstrated in advance;

C 107/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

3.5.2002

5.
urges, with this aim in view, that steps be taken to
identify and stimulate such a demand for ICT services which
caters for the specific economic, social, political and cultural
features of rural areas;
6.
highlights the demand for access to advice from experts
in specific sectors (agriculture or fisheries, for example); in this
context pilot schemes and experimental measures should be
set up or promoted; particular attention should be paid to
older people in rural areas, with the main emphasis being
placed on those working in agriculture and forestry;
7.
would like to encourage, via ICT services, the develop-
ment of active cooperation between regional players in the
market and non-market sectors, with a view to achieving an
adequate critical mass in respect of these activities;
8.
would like to step up the exchange of development
experience related specifically to rural areas, with a view to
promoting understanding of the entire process of identifying
needs and associated costs. To this end, the emphasis should
be placed on, for example, the nature of the technical, financial
and human resources used and the acceptability of
the
proposed technologies;
9.
urges that the goal should be to establish in due course
an analysis model for describing and comparing the various
experiences, irrespective of whether they have been successes
or failures. This could take the form of a database covering
these experiences, geared to the specific context of each of the
rural areas concerned; this database should be backed up by
regular seminars for the exchange of experience and by the
establishment of a network based on a real community of
interest;
10.
notes that the establishment of fixed telecommuni-
cations networks for high-output data-transmission (fibre
optics, cables) in rural areas continues to be highly unlikely in
view of the associated financial and economic constraints,
but notes that, however, 2.5G and 3G type digital mobile
technologies may well offer a means of reducing geographical
disparities with regard to access to medium and high-output
data-transmission;
11.
points out that the attitude adopted by the Member
States in seeking to maximise Exchequer revenue when
awarding UMTS licences may lead operators to concentrate
networks around urban areas, to the detriment of rural areas;
12.
proposes, with a view to ensuring that the coverage
requirements specified in UMTS licences are respected, that
the future universal service obligations which may be imposed

Brussels, 15 November 2001.

on mobile operators in Europe, be extended and that current
2G networks be made inter-operable with future UMTS
systems (roaming);

13.
also urges that: arrangements be introduced for sharing
3G infrastructures; that such arrangements be consistent with
EU competition law; that technical and economic appraisals
be undertaken of the different types of access infrastructure in
rural areas; and that deployment strategies geared to regional
profiles be pinpointed;

14.
proposes that the impact in rural areas of legislation on
the liberalisation of the local loop be assessed (1); that the
universal service obligations (2) be interpreted in the context of
rural areas, particularly Chapter II, Article 4(2) on ‘connection
… at data rates that are sufficient to permit Internet access’;

calls for account to be taken of the ESC opinion on the
15.
draft Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on
universal service and the users’ rights relating to electronic
communications networks and service (3);

urges that

initiatives in the fields of content and
16.
application services be adjusted to the requirements of rural
areas, by stepping up participation in horizontal measures,
such as the e-Europe-Regio programme, through back-up rural
development measures introduced under the EAGGF and
innovative actions under the ERDF in the period 2000-2006 (4)
and through participation in sectoral programmes in transport
(Galileo, Intelligent Transport Systems), multilingual digital
contents (e-Content) and health (Health-Online); considers
that, in the context of the various existing programmes which
could be used for this purpose, it is vitally important to plan
and finance computer-literacy schemes in all types and levels
of school in rural areas, the establishment of telecentres open
to the public, and the holding of courses for farmers, and that
specific quotas should be set aside for these schemes within
vocational training programmes; calls upon the Member States
to undertake to provide financial support for areas and/or
regions lagging behind, to a considerable extent, as regards the
introduction of information technologies.

(1) Regulation (EC) No 2887/2000 of the European Parliament and
the Council of 18 December 2000 on unbundled access to the
local loop — OJ L 336, 30.12.2000.

(2) COM(2000) 392, 12.7.2000.
(3) CES 229/2001 — 2000/0183 COD, 1.3.2001.
(4) COM(2001) 60 final.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos CHABERT