Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on guidelines for trans European telecommunications networks and repealing Decision No 1336/97/EC
Date: 2011-10-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, Internet, electronic government, exchange of information, investment aid, project of common interest, telecommunications policy, trans-European network, transmission network

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 19.10.2011 
COM(2011) 657 final 

2011/0299 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on guidelines for trans European telecommunications networks and repealing Decision 
No 1336/97/EC 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

{SEC(2011) 1229 final} 
{SEC(2011) 1230 final} 

 
 
  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

General context 

This  initiative  is  anchored  in  the  Europe  2020  Strategy  for  smart,  sustainable  and  inclusive 
growth1,  which  put  digital  infrastructures  at  the  forefront  as  part  of  the  flagship  initiative 
"Digital  Agenda  for  Europe"2.  It  underlined  the  need  to  ensure  the  roll-out  and  take-up  of 
broadband for all, at increasing speeds, through both fixed and wireless technologies, and to 
facilitate investment in the new very fast open and competitive internet networks that will be 
the arteries of a future economy. The EU has set itself ambitious targets in terms of broadband 
roll-out and take up by 2020. 

On 29 June 2011, the Commission adopted the Communication "A Budget for Europe 2020" 
on the next multi-annual financial framework (2014-2020)3, which proposes the creation of a 
Connecting Europe Facility to promote the completion of priority energy, transport and digital 
infrastructures  with  a  single  fund  of  EUR  40  billion,  out  of  which  EUR  9.2  billion  are 
dedicated to digital networks and services. 

Purpose of the proposal 

The  purpose  of  this  Regulation  is  to  establish  a  series  of  guidelines  covering  the  objectives 
and priorities envisaged for broadband networks and digital service infrastructures in the field 
of telecommunications in the context of the Connecting Europe Facility.  

The guidelines identify in annex projects of common interest for the deployment of broadband 
networks and digital service infrastructures. These projects shall contribute to improving the 
competitiveness  of  the  European  economy  including  small  and  medium  sized  enterprises 
(SMEs),  promote  the  interconnection  and  interoperability  of  national  networks  as  well  as 
access to such networks and support the development of a Digital Single Market. They shall 
be eligible for EU financial support under the instruments available under the Regulation on 
Connecting Europe Facility which accompanies this Regulation. 

The  approach  in  this  Regulation,  is  to  aim  for  the  removal  of  bottlenecks  which  hinder  the 
completion of the Digital Single Market i.e. providing connectivity to the network and access, 
including  across  borders,  to  an  infrastructure  of  public  digital  services.  The  blockages  in 
operational terms for the telecom networks, in contrast to e.g. financing a ring-road around a 
capital city which is essential for fluidity in a transport corridor, concern both supply-side and 
demand side aspects. For the supply side, the limitations relate to a strong degree of market 
failures and the concomitant weak business cases for investment in broadband networks and 
delivery of essential public interest services (e.g. eHealth, eIdentity, eProcurement and their 
cross-border  interoperability).  On  the  demand  side,  the  Digital  Single  Market  with  its 
considerable growth potential relies on all citizens being connected to digital networks.  

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COM(2010) 2020. 
COM(2010) 245. 
COM(2011) 500/I final and COM(2011) 500/II final (Policy Fiches). 

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The Connecting Europe Facility aims at using innovative financial instruments to incentivise 
infrastructure investment by reducing investment risk and providing longer-term financing for 
both  alternative  and  incumbent  investors.  Innovative  financial  instruments  provide  an 
important leverage effect on private and other public investment while still relying on market 
mechanisms.  Where  the  business  case  for  infrastructure  investment  is  particularly  weak  the 
Connecting Europe Facility also foresees the possibility to offer co-financing via grants. 

In the field of broadband networks, actions contributing to projects of common interest in the 
area of broadband shall support investments in networks capable of achieving, by 2020, the 
Digital Agenda for Europe targets of universal coverage at 30Mbps; or having at least 50% of 
households subscribing to speeds above 100Mbps. A balanced portfolio of 30 and 100 Mbps 
projects will be created and due account should also be taken of Member States' investment 
needs which are indicatively assessed to be up to 270 billion €.  

For  the  digital  service  infrastructure,  the  bottlenecks  in  terms  of  service  deployment  within 
interoperable  frameworks  are  addressed  through  direct  grant  schemes,  in  certain  cases  with 
high  co-funding  rates  as  there  are  no  natural  owners  of  a  European  interoperable  service 
infrastructure.  Indeed,  neither  single  Member  States,  nor  private  investors  would  ensure 
service deployment within interoperable frameworks. The EU added value is thus high. 

Projects of common interest in the field of digital service infrastructures as listed in the Annex 
include  trans-European  high-speed  backbone  connections  for  public  administrations,  cross–
border  delivery  of  eGovernment  services  based  on  interoperable  identification  and 
authentication (e.g. Europe-wide electronic procedures: to set up a business; for cross-border 
procurement,  e-Justice,  cross-border  eHealth  services);  enabling  access  to  public  sector 
information,  including  digital  resources  of  European  heritage,  data.eu  and  multilingual 
resources;  safety  and  security  (safer  internet  and  critical  service  infrastructures)  and  smart 
energy  services.  Projects  of  common  interest  may  also  include  the  operation  of  electronic 
public  services  implemented  under  other  Community  programs  such  as  the  ISA  program 
(“Interoperability solutions for European public administrations”). 

Actions contributing to projects of common interest shall be eligible for EU financial support 
under  the  instruments  available  under  the  Regulation  establishing  the  Connecting  Europe 
Facility4. The present proposal is therefore to be seen in conjunction with the proposal for that 
Regulation. The Regulation also stipulates the criteria for the identification of new projects of 
common interest, on the basis of the Commission's assessment of changing political priorities, 
technological developments or the situation in the relevant markets. 

2. 

RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE INTERESTED PARTIES AND 
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

As  regards  broadband  rollout,  numerous  consultations  with  Member  States,  industry  and 
social  stakeholders  have  been  carried  out.  Notably,  these  included  a  roundtable  of  Vice-
President  Kroes  with  CEOs  from  content  providers,  equipment  makers,  investors  and 
telecoms  operators  from  the  world's  leading  companies  such  as  Nokia,  Alcatel  Lucent, 
Google, Ericsson, News Corp etc, and the first Digital Agenda Assembly, which took place in 
Brussels  on  16th  and  17th  June  2011,  bringing  together  more  than  1,000  stakeholders  from 

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the  private  and  the  public  sectors,  as  well  as  civil  society.  On  these  and  numerous  other 
occasions, stakeholders widely shared the Commission's assessment that the existing telecom 
investment  model  is  insufficient  to  bring  about  the  rollout  of  affordable,  high-quality 
broadband infrastructures for all European citizens, and they welcome the Commission's plans 
to use targeted public investment, e.g. through the use of innovative financial instruments, to 
leverage  the  necessary  infrastructure  investment  to  support  alternative  and  more  sustainable 
models of investment. 

The  European  Parliament  in  a  draft  report  on  the  future  Multi-annual  Financial  Framework 
(MFF) recognised the importance of using the budget to leverage investment in broadband.  

As far as cross-border digital service infrastructures are concerned, the Commission has been 
working  with  various  stakeholder  groups  for  many  years.  Evaluations  and  expert  advise  on 
existing activities, such as Europeana (for cultural heritage) or the Safer Internet programme 
generally call for activities to be continued and expanded. 

The  Impact  Assessment  report  discusses  two  options.  The  first,  baseline  option  foresees  no 
EU funding to be allocated to broadband other than, potentially, through the structural funds 
and  the  continuation  of  the  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Programme  for  digital  service 
infrastructures in the scale of pilots only. In this scenario no critical mass or deployment of 
digital services would be achieved, investment in broadband would continue to be insufficient 
in many regions due to lack of competitive pressure and high commercial risk. Equally, public 
online  services  can  be  expected  to  remain  under-developed  and  not  inter-operable  across 
borders  due  to  fragmentation  of  sub-optimal  efforts  and  technical  solutions,  lack  of  critical 
mass, high costs for service providers and beneficiaries of services. Hence, this option would 
not contribute to attaining the Digital Single Market, and many Europeans would continue to 
miss out on digital opportunities. 

The  second  option  proposes  a  financing  tool  which  would  complement  the  financing 
resources  available  under  the  first  option.  This  is  the  line  of  action  included  in  the  MFF 
proposal  released  by  the  European  Commission  on  29  June  2011,  creating  a  "Connecting 
Europe Facility" to finance infrastructure. The new facility will finance infrastructure projects 
with  high  EU  added  value,  not  only  'hard'  infrastructure,  but  also  'soft  and  smart' 
infrastructure  and  governance  structures  to  realise  the  transport  "core  network",  the  energy 
"priority  corridors"  as  well  as  digital  infrastructure.  The  facility  would  target  projects  with 
high European value added, such as cross-border interconnections or the deployment of EU-
wide systems, which must be implemented by 2020. In order to maximise impact, appropriate 
provisions  would  ensure  the  combination  of  market  -  based  instruments  and  EU  direct 
support, in order to encourage the participation of specialised infrastructure investors. In the 
case of grants, the Commission would remain responsible for the overall planning and project 
selection,  with  the  possible  support  of  an  executive  agency,  while  project  promoters  would 
ensure  physical  implementation  on  the  ground.  In  the  case  of  financial  instruments, 
implementation  will  be  delegated  to  specialised  financial  institutions,  but  the  Commission 
will  determine  the  eligibility.  Member  States  will  contribute  to  the  effort  by  developing 
national  plans  for  high  speed  internet  in  line  with  the  broadband  targets,  while  mapping  of 
broadband infrastructure and services (at EU and national/regional level) will identify gaps in 
coverage and stimulate initiatives from a multiplicity of private and public investors. 

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3. 

LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

Legal basis 

The  proposed  Regulation  will  repeal  and  replace  Decision  1336/97  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 1997 on a series of Guidelines for trans-European 
telecommunications networks. 

The proposed intervention will be pursuant to Article 172 TFEU, which provides a legal base 
for  the  EU  intervention  supporting  the  establishment  and  development  of  trans-European 
networks in the areas of transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructures.  

Subsidiarity and proportionality 

The  coordinated  development  of  a  trans-European  telecommunications  networks  to  support 
the  deployment  of  broadband  infrastructures  and  promotion  of  services  within  the  single 
European market and the economic, social and territorial cohesion requires action to be taken 
at Union level as the actions could not be taken individually by Member States.  

The proposal complies with the proportionality principle, and stays within the scope of action 
in the field of the trans-European telecommunications networks, as defined in Article 170 of 
the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 

Choice of legal instrument 

The current Telecommunications Guidelines have been proposed and adopted as a Decision 
of the European Parliament and of the Council which is specifically addressed to the Member 
States, rendering the Guidelines binding in their entirety for all the Member States. 

However,  the  instrument  will  facilitate  in  particular  the  deployment  of  telecommunications 
infrastructure  and  promotion  of  services  by  private  entities  (including  operators,  utilities, 
equipment manufacturers etc) and regional and local authorities. With more actors besides the 
Member  States  becoming  involved  in  the  planning,  development  and  operation  of  digital 
telecommunication networks, it is important to ensure that the Guidelines be binding for all. 
The Commission has therefore chosen a Regulation as the legal instrument for this proposal. 

Funding 

Projects of common interest shall be eligible for EU financial support under the instruments 
available  under  the  Regulation  establishing  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  [XX/20012]. 
Financial  support  shall  be  provided  in  accordance  with  the  relevant  rules  and  procedures 
adopted by the Union, funding priorities and the availability of resources. 

Delegation of powers 

Telecommunication networks are evolving quickly and the list of projects of common interest 
might  have  to  be  modified  in  future  to  reflect  this  fast  evolution.  To  accomplish  this,  it  is 
proposed  that  power  to  adopt  acts  in  accordance  with  Article  290  of  the  Treaty  on  the 
Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission. 

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4. 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION 

The proposal will not entail any additional cost for the EU budget. 

The  proposal  for  a  Regulation  on  guidelines  for  the  implementation  of  trans-European 
telecommunication  networks  is  linked  to  the  proposal  for  a  Regulation  establishing  the 
Connecting  Europe  Facility  (CEF)  which  will  provide  the  legislative  and  the  financial 
framework.  An  amount  of  € 9.2  billion 5  is  allocated  for  telecommunications  within  the 
envelope of the CEF. 

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Figures are provided in constant 2011 prices 

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2011/0299 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on guidelines for trans European telecommunications networks and repealing Decision 
No 1336/97/EC 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Article 172 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee6,  

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions7,  

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

Telecommunications networks and services are increasingly becoming internet-based 
infrastructures, with broadband networks and digital services closely interrelated. The 
internet  is  becoming  the  dominant  platform  for  communication,  services,  and  doing 
business. Therefore, the trans-European availability of fast Internet access and digital 
services in the public interest is essential for economic growth and the Single Market.  

On  26  March  2010,  the  European  Council  welcomed  the  Commission's  proposal  to 
launch the strategy Europe 2020. One of the three priorities of Europe 2020 is smart 
growth through the development of an economy based on knowledge and innovation. 
Investments  in  telecommunications,  notably  broadband  networks  and  digital  service 
infrastructures, are a necessary condition for smart but also sustainable and inclusive 
economic growth of the Union.  

(3) 

On 17 June 2010, the European Council endorsed the Digital Agenda for Europe8 and 
called  upon  all  institutions  to  engage  in  its  full  implementation.  The  Digital  Agenda 

6 
7 
8 

OJ C […], […], p. […]. 
OJ C […], […], p. […]. 
COM(2010) 245 final/2. 

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aims to chart a course to maximise the social  and economic potential of information 
and communication technologies, in particular through the deployment of high-speed 
broadband  networks  by  seeking  to  ensure  that  by  2020  all  Europans  have  access  to 
internet speeds of above 30 Mbps and 50% or more of European households subscribe 
to internet connections above 100 Mbps. The Digital Agenda aims to establish a stable 
legal  framework  to  stimulate  investments  in  an  open  and  competitive  high  speed 
internet infrastructure and in related services; a true single market for online content 
and services; active support for the digitisation of Europe's rich cultural heritage, and 
the  promotion  of  internet  access  and  take-up  by  all,  especially  through  support  of 
digital  literacy  and  accessibility.  In  addition,  Member  States  should  implement 
operational  national  plans  for  high  speed  internet,  targetting  public  funding  on  areas 
not  fully  served  by  private  investments  in  internet  infratructures  and  promote 
deployment and usage of modern accessible online services.  

The  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council, 
the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  -
European Broadband: investing in digitally driven growth9 concludes that the critical 
role of the internet means that the benefits for society as a whole appear to be much 
greater than the private incentives to invest in faster networks. Public support for this 
area is therefore necessary, but should not unduly distort competition. 

The  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council, 
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A 
Budget for Europe 202010 recognises the creation of a Connecting Europe Facility in 
the  context  of  the  Multiannual  Financial  Framework  in  order  to  address  the 
infrastructure  needs 
information  and 
communication  technologies.  Synergies  between  these  sectors  as  well  as  with  other 
Union  investment  programmes  are  key  as  similar  challenges  emerge  requiring 
solutions that unlock growth, combat fragmentation, reinforce cohesion, favour the use 
of innovative financial instruments and address market failures as well as the removal 
of bottlenecks which hinder the completion of the Single Market. 

transport,  energy  and 

the  areas  of 

in 

Regulation  (EU)  No  […/…]  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  […] 
establishing the Connecting Europe Facility11 determines the conditions, methods and 
procedures  for  providing  Union  financial  aid  to  trans-European  networks  in  order  to 
support  projects 
telecommunications 
infrastructures. 

transport,  energy  and 

the  field  of 

in 

Actions  in  the  field  of  broadband  networks  will  be  in  line  with  the  relevant  Union 
policies, regulation and guidance. This includes the set of rules and guidelines for the 
telecommunications  markets  and  in  particular  the  Regulatory  Framework  for 
electronic  communications  adopted  in  2009  which  provides  a  coherent,  reliable  and 
flexible approach to the regulation of electronic communication networks and services 
in  fast  moving  markets.  These  rules  are  being  implemented  by  national  regulatory 
authorities  and  the  Body  of  European  Regulators  for  Electronic  Communications 
(BEREC).  The  NGA  Recommendation12  adopted  in  2010  aims  at  fostering  the 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

9 
10 
11 
12 

COM(2010) 472. 
COM(2011) 500 final. 
OJ […], […], p. […]. 
L 251, 25.9.2010, p. 35. 

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development  of  the  Single  Market  by  enhancing  legal  certainty  and  promoting 
investment,  competition  and  innovation  in  the  market  for  broadband  services  in 
particular in the transition to next generation access networks (NGAs).  

(8) 

These actions will also be in compliance with Articles 101, 102 and 106 of the Treaty 
on the Functioning of the European Union, as well as with the Community Guidelines 
for  the  application  of  State  aid  rules  in  relation  to  rapid  deployment  of  broadband 
networks, adopted in 2009, which provide a framework for stakeholders and Member 
States  to  accelerate  and  extend  broadband  deployment.  The  EU  guidance  for  NGA 
investment  models  for  EU  management  authorities  and  other  relevant  agencies 
(published in October 2011) provide a step by step approach to the implementation of 
a  range  of  models  that  ensure  fair  competition  among  all  suppliers  and  aim  at  the 
realisation of the objectives of cohesion and rural development policies. 

(9)  Within  the  framework  of  a  system  of  open  and  competitive  markets,  the  Union's 
intervention  is  necessary  where  market  failures  need  to  be  overcome.  By  providing 
financial support and additional financing leverage to infrastructure projects the Union 
can  contribute  to  the  establishment  and  development  of  trans-European  networks  in 
the  area  of  telecommunications,  thus  generating  higher  benefits  in  terms  of  market 
impact, administrative efficiency and resource utilisation. 

(10)  Substantial economic and social benefits, which cannot be captured nor monetised by 
investors, are associated with higher broadband speeds. Fast and ultra-fast broadband 
is  the  key  enabling  infrastructure  for  the  development  and  deployment  of  digital 
services, which rely on the availability, speed, reliability and resilience of the physical 
networks.  The  deployment  and  take-up  of  faster  networks  opens  the  way  for 
innovative  services  exploiting  higher  speeds.  Action  at  Union  level  is  necessary  to 
maximise  the  synergies  and  interactions  between  those  two  components  of  digital 
telecommunications networks. 

(11)  The  deployment  of  ultra-fast  broadband  will  particularly  benefit  small  and  medium 
enterprises (SMEs) which often cannot benefit from web-based services such as 'cloud 
computing'  due  to  inadequate  connectivity  and  speed  of  existing  broadband 
connections.  This  will  unlock  the  potential  for  substantial  productivity  gains  for 
SMEs.  

(12)  By opening business opportunites, the deployment of broadband networks and digital 
service  infrastructures  will  stimulate  job  creation  in  the  Union.  Construction  of 
broadband networks will also have an immediate effect on employment in particular in 
civil engineering sector. 

(13)  The  development  of  broadband  networks  and  digital  service  infrastructures  will 
contribute  to  the  Union's  objective  to  reduce  greenhouse  gas  emission  by  enabling 
energy-efficient  solutions  in  many  sectors  of  Europe's  economy.  This  positive  effect 
will be limited, but only to some extent, by the growing energy and resource demand 
related mainly to the construction of broadband networks and the operation of digital 
service infrastructures.  

(14)  The  interoperability  of  the  broadband  networks  and  the  digital  communications 
infrastructure  associated  to  energy  networks  enables  converged  communications  for 
the  deployment  of  energy-efficient,  reliable  and  cost-effective  digital  networks. 

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Furthermore,  convergence  will  be  extended  beyond  connectivity  to  allow  for  the 
packaged  provision  of  energy  and  telecom  services  by  energy  and  telecom  services 
providers respectively.  

(15)  The  development,  deployment  and  long-term  provision  of  interoperable  cross-border 
eGovernment services enhance the functioning of the Single Market. Governments are 
recognised  for  providing  public  online  services  which  contribute  to  increasing 
efficiency and effectiveness of the public and private sector 

(16)  The  operation  of  common  electronic  public  services  implemented  conforming  to  the 
Decision  922/2009/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  16 
September  200913  will  aim  at  the  availability  of  common  services  in  support  of  the 
cross-border and cross-sector interaction between European public administrations.  

(17)  Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 
on  the  application  of  patients'  rights  in  cross-border  healthcare14  gives  the  legal 
framework for the cross-border provision of healthcare, including eHealth services, in 
Europe.  Their  deployment  is  expected  to  improve  the  quality  of  care  and  the  patient 
safety,  to  reduce  medical  costs,  to  contribute  to  modernising  national  healthcare 
systems  and  increasing  their  efficiency,  and  to  make  them  better  adapted  to  the 
individual  needs  of  citizens,  patients,  health  professionals,  and  the  challenges  of  an 
ageing society. 

(18) 

(19) 

(20) 

(21) 

Increasing and preserving access to Europe's rich and diverse cultural content and data 
held by public sector bodies, and opening them up for reuse in full respect of copyright 
and  related  rights,  will  nurture  creativity  and  spur  innovation  and  entrepreneurship. 
Unhampered  access  to  re-usable  multilingual resources  will  help  overcome  language 
barriers,  which undermine the  internal market  for  online  services and limit access to 
knowledge.  

In  the  area  of  safety  and  security,  an  EU-wide  platform  for  sharing  resources, 
information  systems  and  software  tools  promoting  online  safety  will  contribute  to 
creating  a  safer  environment  for  children  online.  It  will  enable  centres  handling 
hundreds of thousands of requests and alerts per year to operate across Europe. Critical 
Information  Infrastructures  will  enhance  the  Union-wide  capability  for  preparedness, 
information sharing, coordination and response to cyber security threats.  

It  is  expected  that  innovative  applications  of  commercial  nature  running  on  digital 
service infrastructures will emerge. Their exploration and testing can be co-financed as 
part  of  research  and  innovation  projects  in  the  Horizon  2020  programme  and  their 
deployment under the cohesion policy.  

In  order  to  take  into  account  the  developments  in  the  areas  of  information  and 
communication technologies, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 
of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union  should  be  delegated  to  the 
Commission  in  respect  of  amending  the  Annex  to  this  Regulation.  It  is  of  particular 
importance  that  the  Commission  carries  out  appropriate  consultations  during  its 
preparatory  work,  including  at  expert  level.  The  objective  of  this  delegation  is  to 

13 
14 

OJ L 260, 3.10.2009, p. 20. 
OJ L 88, 4.4.2011, p. 45. 

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address  new  technological  and  market  developments,  emerging  political  priorities  or 
opportunities  for  exploiting  synergies  between  different  infrastructures,  including 
those  in  the  fields  of  Transport  and  Energy.  The  scope  of  delegation  is  limited  to 
modifying the description of projects of common interest, adding a project of common 
interest  or  removing  an  obsolete  project  of  common  interest  according  to  pre-
established, clear and transparent criteria. 

(22)  The  Commission,  when  preparing  and  drawing-up  delegated  acts,  should  ensure  a 
simultaneous,  timely  and  appropriate  transmission  of  relevant  documents  to  the 
European Parliament and Council.  

(23)  Decision  No  1336/97/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  17  June 
1997  on  a  series  of  guidelines  for  trans-European  telecommunications  networks15 
covers  the  objectives,  priorities  and  broad  lines  of  measures  envisaged  in  the  trans-
European networks in the area of telecommunications infrastructure. In the light of the 
recent developments that Decision should be replaced.  

(24)  Decision No 1336/97/EC should therefore be repealed. 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 
Subject matter 

lays  down  guidelines 

trans-European 
This  Regulation 
telecommunication  networks  that  shall  be  supported  in  accordance  with  Regulation 
XXX  (CEF  Regulation) 
implementation,  deployment, 
their  development, 
interconnection, and interoperability. 

to  determine 

those 

in 

These  guidelines  provide  for  the  objectives  and  priorities  of  projects  of  common 
interest, identify projects of common interest and set out criteria for the identification 
of new projects of common interest. 

Article 2  
Objectives  

The projects of common interest shall: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

contribute  to  economic  growth  and  support  the  development  of  the  Single 
Market  resulting  in  the  improvement  of  the  competitiveness  of  the  European 
economy, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). 

contribute  to  improvements  in  daily  life  for  citizens,  businesses  and 
governments through the promotion of the interconnection and interoperability 
of national telecommunication networks as well as access to such networks. 

stimulate  Europe-wide  deployment  of  fast  and  ultra-fast  broadband  networks 
which,  in  turn,  shall  facilitate  the  development  and  deployment  of  trans-
European digital services.  

15 

OJ L 183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(4) 

sustainable  deployment  of 

facilitate 
service 
infrastructures, their interoperability and coordination at  European level, their 
operation, maintenance and upgrading.  

trans-European  digital 

(5) 

contribute  to  greenhouse  gas  emission  reductions,  as  well  as  protecting  and 
improving the environment.  

Article 3 
Definitions 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:  

"Telecommunication  networks"  means  broadband  networks  and  digital  service 
infrastructures.  

"Broadband  networks"  means  wired  and  wireless  (including  satellite)  access 
networks, ancillary infrastructure and core networks capable of delivering very high 
speed connectivity. 

"Digital  service  infrastructures"  means  networked  services  delivered  electronically, 
typically  over  the  internet,  providing  trans-European  interoperable  services  in  the 
public  interest  and  having  an  enabling  character  for  citizens,  businesses  and/or 
governments.  

"European added value" means the value resulting from an EU intervention which is 
additional  to  the  value  that  would  have  otherwise  been  achieved  by  Member  State 
action alone or an action by a group of Member States. 

For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions set out in Regulation XXX (CEF 
Regulation) shall also apply. 

Article 4 
Priorities for projects of common interest 

Taking into account the objectives set out in Article 2, the priorities for projects of 
common interest shall be:  

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

the  deployment  of  ultra  fast  broadband  networks  ensuring  the  speed  of  data 
transmission of 100 Mbps and above;  

the  deployment  of  broadband  networks  to  link  island,  landlocked  and 
peripheral  regions  with  the  central  regions  of  the  Union  ensuring  in  those 
regions  that  speeds  of  data  transmission  are  sufficient  to  permit  broadband 
connectivity of 30 Mbps and above; 

the  support  to  core  service  platforms  in  the  field  of  digital  service 
infrastructures;  

actions  allowing  to  achieve  synergies  and  interoperability  between  different 
projects  of  common  interest  in  the  field  of  Telecommunications,  between 
projects  of  common  interest  concerning  different  types  of  infrastructures, 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
 
 
including  Transport  and  Energy,  between  project  of  common  interest  in  the 
field  of  Telecommunications  and  projects  supported  by  the  Structural  and 
Cohesion funds, as well as relevant research infrastructures.  

Article 5 
Projects of common interest 

Projects of common interest set out in the Annex shall contribute to the achievement 
of the objectives set out in Article 2.  

A  project  of  common  interest  may  encompass  its  entire  cycle,  including  feasibility 
studies, implementation, continuous operation, coordination and evaluation.  

Member  States  and/or  other  entities  in  charge  of  the  implementation  of  projects  of 
common  interest  or  contributing  to  their  implementation  shall  take  the  necessary 
legal,  administrative,  technical  and  financial  measures  in  compliance  with  the 
corresponding specifications of this Regulation.  

The  Union  may  facilitate  the  implementation  of  the  projects  of  common  interest 
through  regulatory  measures,  where  appropriate,  through  coordination,  through 
support  measures  and  through  financial  support  to  stimulate  their  deployment  and 
take-up, as well as public and private investment.  

Actions contributing to projects of common interest shall be eligible for EU financial 
support  under  the  conditions  and  instruments  available  under  the  Regulation 
establishing  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  [REF].  Financial  support  shall  be 
provided in accordance with the relevant rules and procedures adopted by the Union, 
funding priorities and the availability of resources. 

The  Commission  shall  be  empowered  to  adopt  delegated  acts  modifying  the 
description  of  projects  of  common  interest  included  in  the  Annex,  adding  new 
projects of common interest to the Annex, or removing obsolete projects of common 
interest  from  the  Annex,  in  accordance  with  paragraphs  7,  8  and  9  below  and  in 
accordance with Article 8.  

While adopting the delegated act referred to in paragraph 6 above, the Commission 
shall  assess  whether  modifying  the  description  of  project  of  common  interest  or 
adding a new project of common interest responds to the needs arising from:  

(a)  new technological and market developments; or 

(b) 

emerging political priorities; or 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

(c)  new  opportunities  for  exploiting  synergies  between  different  infrastructures, 

including those in the field of Transport and Energy. 

8. 

In  addition  to  the  criteria  established  in  paragraph  7,  if  the  delegated  act  concerns 
adding a new project of common interest the Commission shall also assess whether 
such project meets cumulatively the following criteria:  

(a) 

contributes to the achievement of the objectives set out in Article 2; 

EN 

13 

   EN 

 
9. 

1. 

2. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

(b) 

is based on mature technology ready for deployment; 

(c)  demonstrates European added value.  

While  adopting  a  delegated  act  removing  an  obsolete  project  of  common  interest 
from Annex, the Commission shall assess whether such project no longer responds to 
the needs set out in paragraph 7 or no longer meets the criteria set out in paragraph 8.  

Article 6  

Cooperation with third countries and international organisations 

The Union may establish contacts, discuss, exchange information and cooperate with 
public  authorities  or  any  other  organisations  in  third  countries  to  achieve  any 
objective  pursued  by  these  guidelines  where  such  cooperation  gives  rise  to  a 
European  added  value.  Among  other  objectives,  this  cooperation  shall  seek  to 
promote 
telecommunication 
networks and telecommunication networks of third countries. 

interoperability  between 

trans-European 

the 

the 

The  Union  may  further  establish  contacts,  discuss,  exchange  information  and 
cooperate  with  international  organisations  and  legal  entities  established  in  third 
countries to achieve any objective pursued by these guidelines.  

Article 7 
Exchange of information, monitoring and review 

On  the  basis  of  information  received  under  Article  21  of  the  Regulation  XXX 
establishing  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility,  Member  States  and  the  Commission 
shall  exchange  information  about  the  progress  made  with  the  implementation  of 
these guidelines.  

The Commission shall be assisted by an Expert Group, composed of a representative 
of  each  Member  State,  for  monitoring  of  the  implementation  of  these  guidelines, 
assisting  in  the  planning  through  the  national  strategies  for  high  speed  internet  and 
mapping of infrastructures, and exchanging information. The Expert Group may also 
consider  any  other  issue  relating  to  the  development  of  the  trans-European 
telecommunication networks. 

In  conjunction  with  the  mid-term  evaluation  and  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the 
Regulation  XXX  establishing  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  and  after  consulting 
the  Expert  Group,  the  Commission  shall  publish  a  report  on  the  progress  in  the 
implementation  of  these  guidelines.  That  report  will  be  submitted  to  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the 
Committee of the Regions. 

In these reports the Commission shall also evaluate whether the scope of the projects 
of  common 
technological 
developments  or  the  situation  in  the  relevant  markets.  For  major  projects,  these 
reports  shall  include  an  analysis  of  the  environmental  impact,  taking  into  account 

to  reflect  political  priorities, 

interest  continues 

EN 

14 

   EN 

 
climate  change  adaptation  and  mitigation  needs,  and  disaster  resilience.  Such  a 
review may also be carried out at any other time when it is deemed appropriate.  

Article 8 
Exercise of the delegation 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

The  power  to  adopt  delegated  acts  is  conferred  on  the  Commission  subject  to  the 
conditions laid down in this Article.  

The  delegation  of  power  referred  to  in  the  Articles  5(6)  shall  be  conferred  on  the 
Commission for an indeterminate period of time from the date of the entry into force 
of this Regulation. 

The delegation of power referred to in Article 5(6) may be revoked at any time by 
the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision of revocation shall put an end 
to  the  delegation  of  the  power  specified  in  that  decision.  It  shall  take  effect  on  the 
day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European 
Union  or  at  a  later  date  specified  therein.  It  shall  not  affect  the  validity  of  any 
delegated acts already in force.  

As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to 
the European Parliament and to the Council.  

A  delegated  act  adopted  pursuant  to  Article  5(6)  shall  enter  into  force  only  if  no 
objection  has  been  expressed  either  by  the  European  Parliament  or  the  Council 
within a period of 2 months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and 
the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the 
Council  have  both  informed  the  Commission  that  they  will  not  object.  That  period 
shall  be  extended  by  2  months  at  the  initiative  of  the  European  Parliament  or  the 
Council.  

Article 9 
Repeal 

Decision No 1336/97/EC, as amended by Decision No 1376/2002/EC, is repealed. 

Article 10 
Entry into force 

This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  twentieth  day  following  that  of  its 
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. 

It shall apply from 1 January 2014. 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
ANNEX  

PROJECTS OF COMMON INTEREST 

The  projects  of  common  interest  shall  aim  for  the  removal  of  bottlenecks  which 
hinder the completion of the Single Market i.e. providing connectivity to the network 
and access, including across borders, to digital service infrastructures. 

The  deployment  and  enhancement  of  trans-European  telecommunication  networks 
(broadband networks and digital service infrastructures) shall contribute to fostering 
economic  growth,  creating  jobs  and  achieving  a  vibrant  digital  single  market.  In 
particular,  their  deployment  will  grant  faster  access  to  the  internet,  bring  about 
information  technology-enabled  improvements  in  daily  life  for  citizens,  including 
children  and  young  persons,  businesses  and  governments,  increase  interoperability 
and facilitate the alignment or convergence to commonly agreed standards.  

Section 1. Horizontal priorities  

The  deployment  of  trans-European  telecommunication  networks  that  will  help  to 
remove the bottlenecks existing in the digital single market shall be accompanied by 
studies and programme support actions. They are: 

(a) 

Innovative  management,  mapping  &  services.  Technical  assistance 
measures,  where  necessary  for  deployment  and  governance,  shall  include 
project  and  investment  planning  and  feasibility  studies,  in  support  of 
investment  measures  and  financial  instruments.  Mapping  of  pan-European 
broadband infrastructure will develop an on-going detailed physical surveying 
and documentation of relevant sites, analysis of rights of way, assessments of 
potential for upgrading existing facilities, etc. It should follow the principles of 
the  Directive  2007/2/EC  (INSPIRE  Directive)  and  related  standardisation 
activities.  Technical  assistance  measures  may  also  support  replication  of 
successful investment and deployment models. 

These  actions  may  also  include  climate  proofing  to  assess  the  climate  related 
risks  and  ensure  disaster  resilience  of  infrastructure,  in  compliance  with 
relevant requirements set out in EU or national legislation. 

(b)  Support  actions  and  other  technical  support  measures.  These  actions  are 
needed  to  prepare  or  support  the  implementation  of  projects  of  common 
interest  or  accelerate  their  take-up.  In  the  field  of  digital  services,  support 
actions  shall  also  stimulate  and  promote  the  take-up  of  new  digital  service 
infrastructures  that  may  become  necessary  or  useful  based  on  technological 
developments, changes in the relevant markets or emerging political priorities.  

Section 2. Broadband networks  

All  broadband  investments  within  the  territory  of  the  Union  expand  the  network 
capacity  and  bring  about  benefits  to  all  the  potential  users,  including  those  in 
Member  States  other  than  the  country  of  the  investment.  Investment  in  these 
networks  will  bring  about  more  competition  and  more  innovation  in  the  economy, 

EN 

17 

   EN 

 
 
 
will deliver more efficient and effective public services, contribute to the EU goals 
on a low carbon economy and to the overall EU competitiveness and productivity.  

Investment  in  broadband  infrastructure  has  been  undertaken  predominantly  by 
private  investors  and  it  is  expected  that  this  will  remain  the  case.  However,  the 
achievement of the Digital Agenda targets will require investment in areas for which 
there is not a clear business case or where a business case may need to be enhanced 
within  the  time  frame  of  the  targets.  The  following  types  of  areas  can  be 
characterized on the basis of the likely investment: 

Sub-urban/medium  density  areas  are 
typically  served  with  medium  speed 
connections  but  tend  to  lack  higher  speeds.  Where  it  is  demonstrated  that  the 
business  case  for  investments  in  advanced  technologies  is  insufficient  for  private 
investors in the short run, financial support could generate profitable investment over 
the longer term by closing the viability gap and stimulate competition.  

Rural and low density areas are typically served with low speed connections and in 
some cases even not served at all. The business case for investment is unlikely to be 
viable  and  the  European  targets  are  unlikely  to  be  reached  by  2020.  Investment  in 
these  areas  needs  higher  financial  support,  provided  by  grants,  possibly  in 
combination with financial instruments. Such areas will include remote and sparsely 
populated  regions  where  investment  costs  are  either  very  high  or  where  income  is 
low.  The  support  from  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  in  these  areas  is  likely  to 
complement  available  cohesion  funds  or  rural  development  and  other  direct  public 
support. 

High  density/urban  areas  –  with  the  exception  of  some  low  income  regions  -  are 
typically  well  served  with  medium  to  fast  speed  connections,  often  provided  by 
competitive offerings of cable and telecom operators. Yet because of this relatively 
satisfactory  situation  the  market  incentives  to  invest  in  very  high  speed  networks 
such as fibre to the home are limited. Thus financial support may be also envisaged 
to investments in urban areas with dense populations which do not attract sufficient 
investment  despite  societal  benefits  it  would  generate,  provided  that  it  is  in  full 
compliance with Articles 101, 102 and 106 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the 
European  Union,  as  well  as,  if  relevant,  with  the  Community  Guidelines  for  the 
application of state aid rules in relation to rapid deployment of broadband networks.  

In  less  developed  regions,  the  support  to  the  deployment  of  broadband  networks 
should  be  provided  primarily  through  the  instruments  of  Structural  and  Cohesion 
funds.  Grants  and  /  or  financial  instruments  from  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility 
may  complement  such  support  where  necessary  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  this 
Regulation. The achievement of synergies between the CEF actions in those regions 
and the support from the Structural and Cohesion Funds may be reinforced by using 
an appropriate coordination mechanism.16 

16 

As  set  out  in  Article  11  (e)  of  the  Regulation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  laying 
down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the 
Cohesion  Fund,  the  European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  and  the  European  Maritime 
and Fisheries Fund covered by the Common Strategic Framework and laying down general provisions 
on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund and 
repealing Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. COM(2011) 615 final 

EN 

18 

   EN 

 
                                                 
The classification of regions to the above categories is indicatively provided by the 
map below.  

EN 

19 

   EN 

 
 
Actions  contributing  to  the  project  of  common  interest  in  the  field  of  broadband 
networks shall constitute a balanced portfolio including actions contributing to both 
the  30Mbps  and  the  100Mbps  Digital  Agenda  targets,  covering  suburban  and  rural 
areas in particular, as well as areas across the European Union.  

Actions  contributing  to  the  project  of  common  interest  in  the  area  of  broadband 
networks, irrespective of the technology used, shall: 

(a)  Support  investments  in  broadband  networks  capable  of  achieving  the  Digital 

Agenda 2020 target of universal coverage at 30Mbps; or 

(b)  Support  investments  in  broadband  networks  capable  of  achieving  the  Digital 
Agenda  2020  target  and  of  having  at  least  50%  of  households  subscribing  to 
speeds above 100Mbps; 

(c)  Comply with applicable law, in particular with competition law 

and shall consist in particular of one or more of the following actions: 

(a)  The  deployment  of  passive  physical  infrastructure  or  the  deployment  of 
combined passive and active physical infrastructure and ancillary infrastructure 
elements, complete with services necessary to operate such infrastructure; 

(b)  Associated facilities and associated services, such as building wiring, antennae, 
towers  and  other  supporting  constructions,  ducts,  conduits,  masts,  manholes, 
and cabinets; 

(c)  Exploitation of potential synergies between the roll-out of broadband networks 
and  other  utilities  networks  (energy,  transport,  water,  sewerage,  etc),  in 
particular those related to smart electricity distribution. 

The deployment of broadband networks to connect island, landlocked and peripheral 
regions  with  central  regions  of  the  Union,  including  where  necessary  submarine 
cables,  will  be  supported  where  it  is  essential  to  ensure  access  by  isolated 
communities to broadband at 30 Mbps and above. This support should complement 
other funds, whether EU or national, available for this purpose.  

For the avoidance of doubt, services providing, or exercising editorial control over, 
content  transmitted  using  electronic  communications  networks  and  services  and 
information society services as defined in Article 1 of Directive 98/34/EC, which do 
not  consist  wholly  or  mainly  in  the  conveyance  of  signals  on  electronic 
communications networks, are not covered by the scope of the actions contributing to 
the project of common interest in the field of broadband networks.  

Beneficiaries  of  EU  support  for  the  project  of  common  interest  in  the  area  of 
broadband include, but are not limited to: 

(a)  Telecom  operators  (incumbent,  whether  investing  directly  or  through  a 
subsidiary  or  new-entrant)  launching  investments  in  fast  and  ultra  fast 
broadband networks.  

EN 

20 

   EN 

 
(b)  Utility  companies  (e.g.  water,  sewage,  energy,  transport),  which  are  expected 
to  invest  in  passive  broadband  networks,  either  alone  or  in  partnership  with 
operators.  

(c)  Regional  decision  makers,  including  municipalities,  who  may  establish 
concessions  for  broadband  infrastructures.  Equipment  providers  may  be 
interested  in  such  an  arrangement,  via  the  creation  of  a  special  purpose 
company.  

(d)  Partnerships between several operators active in wired and wireless markets to 

build new generation of infrastructures.  

In  building  the  portfolio  due  account  shall  be  taken  of  Member  States'  investment 
needs in terms of the number of households to be connected with the support of the 
Connecting Europe Facility.  

In addition, high speed connections to public internet access points, notably in public 
facilities, such as schools, hospitals, local government offices and libraries, shall also 
be supported. 

Section 3. Digital Service Infrastructures 

The  implementation  of  digital  service  infrastructures  shall  contribute  to  the 
realisation  of  digital  single  market  by  removing  existing  bottlenecks  in  terms  of 
service deployment. This will be achieved through the creation and/or enhancement 
of  interoperable  digital  service  infrastructure  platforms,  accompanied  by  essential 
basic digital service infrastructures. It shall rely on a two-layer approach:  

(1)  Core service platforms are the central element(s) or hub(s) of the digital service 
infrastructures  essential  to  ensure  trans-European  connectivity,  access  and 
interoperability. This may also encompass physical equipment, such as servers, 
dedicated  networks  and  software  tools.  Core  service  platforms  are  open  to 
entities in all Member States. 

(2)  Generic  services  provide  the  functionality  and  content  of  digital  service 

infrastructures. They may be interconnected through a core service platform.  

The projects of common interest in the field of digital service infrastructures are the 
following: 

Trans-European high-speed backbone connections for public administrations  

A  public  trans-European  backbone  service  infrastructure  will  provide  very  high 
speed and connectivity between public institutions of the EU in areas such as public 
administration,  culture,  education  and  health.  This  backbone  infrastructure  will 
support public services of European value through controlled quality of services and 
secure  access.  It  will  therefore  guarantee  a  digital  continuum  of  public  service 
provisioning for the greater benefit of citizens, businesses and administrations. It will 
allow  demand  aggregation  for  connectivity,  reaching  critical  mass  and  reducing 
costs. 

Core service platform:  

EN 

21 

   EN 

 
The  infrastructure  will  be  based  on  the  existing  Internet  backbone  and  where 
necessary  new  networks  will  be  deployed.  Connections  will  be  made  directly  or 
through  regionally-  or  nationally-managed  infrastructures.  In  particular  it  will 
provide connectivity for other trans-European services inter alia those mentioned in 
this  Annex.  This  infrastructure  will  be  fully  integrated  in  the  Internet  as  a  key 
capacity for trans-European public service and will support the adoption of emerging 
standards (e.g. Internet protocols such as IPv617). Dedicated underlying infrastructure 
for  connecting  public  administrations  may  be  considered  if  necessary  for  security 
reasons.  

Generic services:  

The  integration  of  the  core  platform  into  the  European  public  services  will  be 
facilitated by the deployment of generic services: authorisation, authentication, inter-
domain  security  and  bandwidth  on  demand,  federation  of  services,  mobility 
management,  quality  control  and  performance  control,  integration  of  national 
infrastructures.  

Interoperable  'cloud  computing'  service  will  provide  the  backbone  infrastructure 
functionality on which clouds for trans-European public services can be offered. This 
includes  network-type  of  trans-European  services  such  as  video-conference, 
virtualised storage and supporting computing-intensive applications, including those 
related to other projects of common interest.  

Cross-border delivery of eGovernment services 

eGovernment refers to the digital interaction between public authorities and citizens, 
public authorities and businesses and organisations, and among public authorities of 
different  countries.  Standardised,  cross-border,  and  user-friendly 
interaction 
platforms  will  generate  efficiency  gains  both  throughout  the  economy  and  in  the 
public sector and will contribute to the Single Market. 

Core service platform:  

Interoperable  electronic  identification  and  authentication  across  Europe.  A  set  of 
connected  and  secured  authentication  servers  and  protocols 
that  ensure 
interoperability  of  the  variety  of  authentication  and  identification  and  authorization 
systems that exist in Europe will be deployed. This platform will enable citizens and 
businesses to access online services when needed for example to study, work, travel, 
get  health  care  or  do  business  abroad.  It  will  constitute  the  core  layer  for  all  those 
digital services for which electronic identification and authentication are needed: e.g. 
electronic  procurement,  online  health  services,  standardised  business  reporting, 
electronic  exchange  of  judicial  information,  trans-European  online  company 
registration,  e-Government  services  for  businesses,  including  communication 
between  business  registers  relating  to  cross-border  mergers  and  foreign  branches. 
This platform may also use resources and tools of the multilingual core platform. 

Generic services:  

17 

Reference  to  ipv6  communication:  COM(2008)313  advancing  the  Internet,  action  plan  for  the 
deployment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) in Europe. 

EN 

22 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(a)  Electronic  procedures  for  setting  up  and  running  a  business  in  another 
European  country:  This  service  will  allow  dealing  with  all  necessary 
administrative  procedures  electronically  across  borders  through  Points  of 
Single  Contact.  This  service  is  also a  requirement  the  Directive  2006/123/EC 
on services in the internal market.  

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

 Interoperable cross-border electronic procurement services: This service will 
enable any company in the EU to respond to European public tenders from any 
Member  State  covering  pre-award  and  post-award  electronic  procurement 
activities, integrating activities such as Electronic Submission of offers, Virtual 
Company Dossier, eCatalogues, eOrders and eInvoices.  

 Interoperable  cross-border  e-Justice  services:  This  service  will  enable  the 
online  cross-border  access  of  citizens,  businesses,  organisations  and  legal 
practitioners to legal means/documents and judicial procedures.  It will enable 
the  online  cross  border  interaction  (via  online  data  and  document  exchange) 
between legal authorities in different Member States and improve with this the 
ability to process cross border legal cases more efficiently; 

Interoperable  cross  border  eHealth  services:  These  services  will  enable  the 
interaction  between  citizens/patients  and  health  care  providers,  institution-to-
institution  and  organization-to-organization  transmission  of  data,  or  peer-to-
peer communication between  citizens/patients and/or health professionals  and 
institutions. The infrastructure to be deployed will comply with the principles 
of  data  protection  as  set  out,  in  particular,  in  Directives  95/46/EC  and 
2002/58/EC, as well as with international and national ethical rules related to 
data.  
the 

personal 

records 

patient 

health 

other 

and 

use 

of 

The services will comprise cross border access to electronic health records and 
electronic  prescription  services  as  well  as  remote  health/assisted  living  tele-
services, cross border multi lingual semantic services linked to the multilingual 
core  platform,  access  to  social  security  information  building  on  the  EESSI 
(Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information) infrastructure, etc. 

(e)  European  Platform  for  the  interconnection  of  European  business  registers: 
This facility will provide a set of central tools and services enabling business 
registers  in  all  Member  States  to  exchange  information  on  registered 
businesses, their branches, mergers and wind-ups. It will also provide a multi-
country and multilingual search service for users using a Central Access Point 
accessible via the e-Justice portal. 

Enabling access to public sector information and multilingual services 

Access to digital resources of European heritage 

The objective of this infrastructure is to make available large collections of European 
cultural  resources  in  digital  form  and  foster  their  re-use  by  third  parties,  in  full 
compliance with copyright and related rights. 

Core service platform:  

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The  development  of  the  core  service  platform  will  build  on  the  current  Europeana 
the  development,  operations  and 
requires 
portal.  The  platform  –  which 
administration  of  distributed  computing,  data  storage  facilities  and  software  -  will 
provide a single access point to European cultural heritage content at item level, a set 
of  interface  specifications  to  interact  with  the  infrastructure  (search  for  data, 
download data), support for the metadata adaptation and ingestion of new content, as 
well  as  information  on  conditions  for  reuse  of  the  content  accessible  through  the 
infrastructure.  

It will also provide the means for establishing an interaction with content providers, 
users  (citizens  accessing  the  portal)  and  re-users  (creative  industries),  for  the 
promotion  of  the  platform,  coordination  of  related  networks  and  information 
exchange.  

Generic services: 

(a)  Aggregation of content held by cultural institutions and private content holders 

in the Member States  

(b)  Crowd-sourcing facilities encouraging interactivity and enabling users to make 

an active contribution to the site 

(c)  User-friendly  services  for  the  portal  addressing  issues  such  as  search  and 

browsing improvements as well as cross-language access 

(d)  Exchange of rights information and licensing infrastructures;  

(e)  Competence centres on digitisation and preservation of digital cultural heritage 

(f)  Content  repositories  for  cultural  institutions  and  user-generated  content  and 

their long-term preservation 

Access to re-usable public sector information 

This  digital  service  infrastructure  will  enable  access  for  re-use  to  disclosable 
information held by the public sector in the EU.  

Core service platform:  

Distributed computing, data storage and software facilities will provide: single access 
point to multilingual (all EU official languages) datasets held by public bodies in the 
EU at European, national, regional and local  level; query and  visualisation  tools of 
the data sets; assurance that the available datasets are licensed to be published and re-
distributed, including a data provenance audit trail; a set of application programming 
interfaces  for  software  clients  to  interact  with  the  infrastructure  (search  for  data, 
gather  statistics,  download  data)  for  the  development  of  third-party  applications.  It 
shall also allow for collection and publication of statistics about the operation of the 
portal, the availability of data and applications and the way in which they are used. 

Generic services: 

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Gradual extension of the access to all datasets held and made public by virtually all 
public  administrations  within  the  EU,  including  multilingual  search,  which  will  be 
achieved by the following:  

(a) 

aggregation of international/EU/national/regional/local datasets; 

(b) 

interoperability  of  datasets,  including  legal  and  licensing  issues,  to  enable 
better re-use;  

(c) 

interface to open data infrastructures in third countries;  

(d)  data repositories and long-term preservation services. 

Multilingual access to online services  

This service infrastructure will enable any current and future online service providers 
to offer their content and services in the widest range of EU languages in the most 
cost-effective way. 

Core service platform: 

The  platform  will  enable  acquiring,  maintaining  and  making  available  large 
collections of live language data and reusable language processing tools. It will cover 
all EU languages and will comply with the relevant standards and agreed service and 
legal  requirements.  The  platform  will  allow  for  flexible  addition,  curation  and 
refinement  of  language  data  and  tools  by  contributors,  and  ensure  easy,  fair  and 
secure  access  and  repurposing  of  such  resources  by  organisations  offering  or 
developing  language-enabled  services.  The  platform  will  also  support  cooperation 
and  interworking  with  similar  initiatives  and  data  centres,  existing  or  forthcoming, 
within and outside the EU. 

Generic services: 

The  platform  will  be  populated  with  a  broad  range  of  reusable  data  and  software 
resources, covering all EU languages. It shall assemble, harmonise and integrate such 
data and software elements within a distributed service infrastructure. It shall make 
available and in some areas develop or extend data and software resources to be used 
as  building  blocks  to  develop,  customise  and  deliver  multilingual  services  or 
multilingual gateways to online services. 

Safety and security  

Safer internet service infrastructure 

The  support  will  provide  integrated  and  interoperable  services  at  European  level, 
based on shared awareness, resources, tools and practices and aimed at empowering 
children, their parents and carers, and teachers to make the best use of the Internet.  

Core service platform:  

The core service platform will allow for acquiring, operating and maintaining shared 
computing  facilities,  databases  and  software  tools  for  the  Safer  Internet  Centres 

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(SICs)  in  the  Member  States,  as  well  as  back-office  operations  to  handle  the 
reporting  on  sex  abuse  content  including  the  link  with  policy  authorities  including 
international  organisations  such  as  Interpol,  and  when  appropriate,  the  handling  of 
the  take  down  of  this  content  by  the  relevant  web  sites.  This  will  be  supported  by 
common databases.  

Generic services: 

(a)  Help-lines for children, parents and carers on the best means for kids to use the 
Internet avoiding threats from harmful and illegal contents and behaviours, and 
the supporting back-office infrastructure.  

(b)  Hotlines for reporting on illegal child sex-abuse content on the Internet 

(c)  Tools to ensure access to age-appropriate content and services,  

(d)  Software that allows easy and fast reporting of illegal content and its takedown, 

as well as reporting of grooming and bullying. 

(e) 

software systems that allow better identification of (not reported) child sexual 
abuse  content  on  the  internet  as  well  as  technologies  to  support  police 
investigations, especially with a view to identifying child victims, perpetrators 
and commercial trading of such content.  

Critical Information Infrastructures 

Communication channels and platforms will be developed and deployed in order to 
enhance the EU-wide capability for preparedness, information sharing, coordination 
and response. 

Core service platform:  

The  core  service  platform  will  consist  of  a  network  of  National/Governmental 
Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) based on a minimum set of baseline 
capabilities.  The  network  will  provide  the  backbone  of  a  European  Information 
Sharing and Alert System (EISAS) for EU citizens and SMEs.  

Generic services: 

(a)  Proactive  services  –  technology  watch  and  dissemination  and  sharing  of 
security-related  information;  security  assessments;  providing  guidelines  on 
security configuration; providing intrusion detection services; 

(b)  Reactive  services  –  incident  handling  and  response;  issuing  alerts  and 
warnings; vulnerability analysis and handling, artefact handling (proving high-
quality alerts on new malware and other artefacts). 

Deployment  of  information  and  communication  technology  solutions  for 
intelligent energy networks and for the provision of Smart Energy Services 

Smart  energy  services  use  modern  information  and  communication  technologies  to 
meet the needs of citizens (who can be producers as well as consumers of energy), 

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energy providers and public authorities. Smart energy services cover the interaction 
between  citizens  and  energy  providers,  organization-to-organization  data 
transmission,  and  peer-to-peer  communication  between  citizens.  They  open  up 
opportunities for existing and new actors in both the telecoms and the energy markets 
(e.g.  Energy  Service  Companies  ESCOs).  They  can  also  enable  companies  and 
citizens to trace the greenhouse gas emissions of their purchase decisions. 

Core Service Platforms  

Communications  infrastructure,  typically  deployed  by  utilities  in  partnership  with 
telecom  operators,  as  well  as  the  necessary  IT  hardware  to  be  embedded  in  energy 
components  (e.g.  substations).  They  also  include  the  core  services  that  enable 
monitoring  of  assets,  control  for  power  management,  automation  and  data 
management  and  communication  between  the  different  actors  (service  providers, 
network operators and other utilities, consumers, etc).  

Generic Services: 

Generic Services will be typically delivered by a wide range of new and innovative 
actors,  such  as  energy  service  providers,  ESCOs,  energy  aggregators  facilitating 
especially the entry of different types of local SMEs and preventing monopolisation 
of the retail market. 

They  will  make  available  the  functionality  for  customers  to  manage  their  energy 
demand, their renewable energy sources and their storage capacity, with the aim of 
optimising their energy use, reducing energy bills  and greenhouse emissions,  while 
ensuring data privacy and security.  

(a)  Smart  metering  infrastructure  to  measure  and  communicate  information  on 
energy consumption. Generic Services also include customer premises energy 
management  equipment,  i.e.  IT  hardware  devices  associated  to  home  area 
networks that are connected to the smart meter 

(b)  Software agents able to decide when to buy/sell energy, when to switch on/off 
appliances  in  function  of  price  signals  from  the  energy  provider,  weather 
forecast  information,  data  management  and  communication,  control  and 
automation devices and their networked solutions. 

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