CELEX: 51995PC0149
Language: en
Date: 1995-06-30
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION adopting a multi-annual Community programme to stimulate the development of a European multimedia content industry and to encourage the use of multimedia content in the emerging information society (INFO 2000)

Avis juridique important

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51995PC0149

Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION adopting a multi-annual Community programme to stimulate the development of a European multimedia content industry and to encourage the use of multimedia content in the emerging information society (INFO 2000)  /* COM/95/149 FINAL - CNS 95/0156 */  

Official Journal C 250 , 26/09/1995 P. 0004

Proposal for a Council Decision  adopting a multi-annual Community programme to stimulate the development of a European multimedia  content industry and to encourage the use of multimedia content in the emerging information society  (INFO 2000)(95/C  250/03)(Text with EEA relevance)COM(95) 149 final - 95/0156(CNS) (Submitted by the Commission on 30 June 1995)THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 130 (3)  thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee, Whereas the European content industry can make a significant contribution to the stimulation of  growth, to the strengthening of competitiveness and to the development of employment in the  Community, as indicated in the White Paper on 'Growth, competitiveness, employment - The challenges  and ways forward into the 21st century`  (1); Whereas the European Council at Brussels on 10-11 December 1993 decided, on the basis of that White  Paper, to implement an action plan, consisting of concrete measures at both Union and Member States  level, notably with respect to information infrastructures and new applications, for which new  content is required; Whereas the European Council at Corfu on 24-25 June 1994 took note of the recommendations of the  High Level Group on the information society as presented in the report 'Europe and the global  information society`  (2), and underlined that the Community and Member States have an important  role to play in bringing about the information society by giving political impetus, by creating a  clear and stable regulatory and legal framework and by setting an example in areas which come under  their aegis; Whereas the Commission's action plan 'Europe's Way to the Information Society - An Action Plan`   (3) recognizes the importance of content and stipulates that the Commission will propose ways to  stimulate the creation of favourable conditions for content providers to adapt their skills and  products to the new multimedia environment and to stimulate increased usage of new information  services; Whereas the Council on 28 September 1994  (4) underlined the particular urgency of the need to  enhance the global competitiveness of the European content industry, taking account of the cultural  diversity and of the impact of these products on society; Whereas the European Council at Essen on 9-10 December 1994 underlined the importance of content in  bringing about the information society; Whereas the Council resolution on culture and multimedia  (5) on 3-4 April 1995 underlined the  importance of multimedia for facilitating the development of the content industry and improving  access of citizens to cultural heritage, as well as the catalysing role of Member States and the  Union in the creation, production and distribution of high quality cultural multimedia programmes; Whereas the three long-term strategic objectives of the Union's content policy shall be to  facilitate the development of the European content industry; to optimize the contribution of new  information services to growth, competitiveness and employment in Europe; and to maximize the  contribution of advanced information services to the professional, social and cultural development  of the citizens of Europe; Whereas there are numerous barriers to the development of a European multimedia content industry  and market, which are hindering the transition towards an information society; Whereas the Community needs to build on the strong competitive position it has in some content  sectors and whereas its competitive position needs to be strengthened in other content sectors; Whereas the needs of users of information services, particularly in small and medium-sized  enterprises and in the less favoured regions of the Community, merit special attention; Whereas provision should be made for measures to encourage the participation of small- and  medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in this programme; Whereas the different rates of development in the provision and use of information services in the  Member States deserve special consideration, having regard to the internal cohesion of the  Community and the risks associated with a two-tier information society; Whereas policy actions under this programme aiming at strengthening the position of the European  content industry will be complementary to other content actions, particularly those related to the  audiovisual sector  (1); Whereas any content policy actions must be complementary to other ongoing national and Community  initiatives, as outlined notably in the Commission's action plan 'Europe's Way to the Information  Society - An Action Plan`, and shall be performed in synergy with the Commission's education  (2),  training  (3), RTD  (4) and SME  (5) policies and initiatives; Whereas progress of this programme should be continuously and systematically monitored with a view  to adapting it, where appropriate, to developments in the multimedia content market; whereas in due  course there should be an independent evaluation of the progress of the programme so as to provide  the background information needed in order to determine the objectives for subsequent content  policy actions; whereas at the end of this programme there shall be a final evaluation of results  obtained compared with the objectives set out in this Decision; Whereas the actions in this programme will not in any way prejudice the competition rules of the  Community; Whereas it may be appropriate to engage in international cooperation activities with international  organizations and third countries for the purpose of implementing this programme; Whereas it is necessary to fix the duration of the programme, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 A programme is hereby adopted with the following objectives: - stimulate demand for, and use of, multimedia content, - create favourable conditions for the development of the European multimedia content industry, - contribute to the professional, social and cultural development of the citizens of Europe. Article 2 In order to attain the objectives referred to in Article 1, the following actions shall  be undertaken under the guidance of the Commission, in accordance with the action lines in Annex I  and the detailed implementation arrangements set out in Annex III: - stimulating demand and raising awareness, - exploiting Europe's public sector information, - triggering European multimedia potential, - support actions. Article 3 The programme shall cover a period of four years from 1 January 1996 to 31 December  1999. Article 4 1.  The Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of the programme. 2.  The procedure laid down in Article 5 shall apply to: - the work programme, - the breakdown of the budgetary expenditure, - the content of calls for proposals, - the measures for programme evaluation, - any departure from the rules set out in Annex III, - participation in any project by legal entities from third countries and international  organizations. Article 5 1.  The Commission shall be assisted by a committee of an advisory nature composed of  the representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission. 2.  The Commission representative shall submit to the committee a draft of 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 concerned, if necessary by taking a vote. 3.  The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the  right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes. 4.  The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the committee. It  shall inform the committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account. Article 6 At the mid-term and at the end of the programme, the Commission shall submit to the  European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the  Regions, once the committee referred to in Article 5 has examined it, an evaluation report drawn up  by independent experts on the results obtained in implementing the action lines referred to in  Article 2. The Commission may present, on the basis of those results, proposals for adjusting the  orientation of the programme. Article 7 Participation in this programme may be open, normally without financial support by the  Community, to legal entities established in third countries and to international organizations,  where such participation contributes effectively to the implementation of the programme and taking  into account the principle of mutual benefit. Article 8 The Decision is addressed to the Member States. (1)  'Growth, competitiveness, employment - The challenges and ways forward  into the 21st century` COM(93) 700 final of 5 December 1993, Chapter 5  A 'The information  society`.  (2)  'Europe and the global information society - Recommendations to the European Council`,  Brussels, 26 May 1994.  (3)  COM(94) 347 final of 19 July 1994, 'Europe's Way to the Information Society - An Action Plan` (4)  Conclusions of the 1  787th Council meeting 9561/94 (Press 197), 28 September 1994.  (5)  Audiovisual/culture Council session No 1841 of 3-4 April 1995, Council document 6072/95 of 24  March 1995.  (1)  Council Decision 93/424/EEC of 22 July 1993 on an action plan for the introduction of advanced  television services in Europe (OJ No L 196, 5. 8. 1993, p. 48); COM(94) 523 of 8 February 1995,  'Politique Audio-visuelle. Créer un environnement favorable à l'essor des entreprises de  l'industrie européenne des programmes (MEDIA II 1996-2000)`; Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3  October 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or  administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities  (OJ No L 298, 17. 10. 1989, p. 23).  (2)  COM(93) 708 final of 3 February 1994.  (3)  Council Decision 94/819/EC of 6 December 1994 establishing an action programme for the  implementation of a European Community vocational training policy (OJ No L 340, 29. 12. 1994, p.  8).  (4) Decision No 1110/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 April 1994  concerning the fourth framework programme of the European Community activities in the field of  research and technological development and demonstration (1994 to 1998) (OJ No L 126, 18. 5. 1994,  p. 1).  (5)  COM(94) 207 final of 3 June 1994.   ANNEX I ACTION LINES FOR INFO 2000 Action line 1: Stimulating demand and raising  awarenessLack of awareness of the potential of the new multimedia information products and  services is an important factor constraining demand. This action line contributes to redressing  that situation by adding a European dimension to awareness and user-group activities taking place  at the national or regional level. Specific attention will be given to favouring demand development  in less-favoured and peripheral regions of the Union. 1.1. Creating new markets by raising awareness at the European level with specific user  groupsUnder the Impact programme a network of organizations in the Member States has been created  that have a responsibility for conducting awareness and information campaigns in relation to new  information services. In different Member States this role is performed by different organizations  like chambers of commerce, professional organizations or public bodies. By working in a European  network these organizations are able to add a European dimension to their activities. Under INFO 2000 this successful formula will be continued and extended. The involvement of the  Community in the network as a catalyst and a coordinator adds value to the individual activities  and puts these activities in a clear European context. Apart from financial support for specific  activities with a European dimension the Commission will encourage the exchange of know-how and  experience, the use of common communication and information facilities, and cooperation between the  various organizations in joint projects. The organizations in the network will perform the following tasks: - provide access to information collections and catalogues across the European Union, - demonstrate and facilitate access to the European information highways, - advise users on the possible sources for satisfying their multimedia content needs, both  nationally and internationally, - organize coordinated European awareness campaigns at the national or regional level, - stimulate the training of users. The main target groups for the actions will be small and medium-sized companies and libraries. The  actual selection of specific target groups will be left to the national and regional organizations  concerned, since they are closest to the target groups. Following a call for proposals a total of 30 to 50 organizations will be selected to participate in  the network. Selection criteria will include knowledge of the local information market, affinity  with the target groups foreseen and readiness to work in a European network. Actions which aim to  stimulate women's interests in new information services are encouraged. The network will cooperate with other relevant national organizations. It will liaise closely with  other EU supported bodies and networks that have a complementary mission, such as the Information  Society Project Office (ISPO), the European Information Centres (EICs), the Business Cooperation  Network (BC-NET), the Value Relay Centres and the University Enterprise Training Partnerships  (UETPs). Organizations from these networks could be selected in the call for proposals. Efforts  will be made to avoid parallel or overlapping networks. Synergy and spin-offs will be sought with  other awareness activities performed under the Fourth Framework Research Programme such as the  advanced communication technologies and services and telematics applications programmes. 1.2. Encouraging clusters of pan-European usersA flourishing demand side is important for the  development of a healthy market for advanced information products and services such as multimedia.  In view of the rapid changes taking place in the information market, regular dialogue between  suppliers and users can smooth the transition process. In general the supply side tends to be  better organized than the user side, both at the national and at the European level. In two of the  three sectors that compose the multimedia industry - information technology and telecommunications  - the user side is increasingly organizing itself both at the national and at the European level. In the third sector of the multimedia industry - the content industry - the demand side is much  less organized and is fragmented. Historically, the relationship between the content providers and  the users has been indirect, i.e. through intermediaries. However, under the influence of the new  communication networks this situation is changing. The need to develop direct relations between  suppliers and users is increasingly being felt in the content sector also. At the national level,  professional organizations and industry sector organizations are beginning to address the issue.  However, for a successful development of the European multimedia content market it is important  that groupings of users also emerge at the European level. The actions foreseen under INFO 2000 aim to stimulate this process by providing incentives for  cooperation and exchange of experience between national user groups, thereby encouraging the  emergence of European groupings. Specific measures will be tailored to address key user problems,  for example quality assurance and questions of liability. The network of awareness organizations  will be used to analyse the situation in individual Member States and will play a catalytic role in  bringing about pan-European user groups. Action line 2: Exploiting Europe's public sector informationEurope's public sector information is  a hidden resource to be exploited. The public sector collects and produces vast amounts of  information, much of which is of interest to individuals and businesses, and which can be the raw  material for value-added information services produced by the private sector content industry.  Official statistical services either at regional, national or European level are an example. Three sets of actions will be particularly helpful in supporting this public sector role and in  exploiting its potential at European level: - developing policies to access and exploit public sector information, - linking directories of European public sector information, - making use of content resources in the public sector. Particular attention will be given to improving access from the peripheral regions of the Union. 2.1. Developing policies to access and exploit European public sector informationIn the Member  States, rules for access to public sector information are very different or in some cases do not  exist at all. As the transition to the information society progresses, this situation could become  a barrier to full participation by individuals and businesses across Europe and may become the  cause of unevenly distributed opportunities. Therefore, initiatives need to be taken at the  European level to develop policies which facilitate access to and exploitation of public-sector  held information, in particular as regards information resources of European interest. The Commission will produce, in close collaboration with Member States and market actors, a Green  Paper analyzing the situation in the different Member States, the relative position of the EU in a  global context and the various possibilities for convergence of national approaches. To lay the  foundations for this Green Paper, studies comparing national situations will be undertaken and  exchanges of national experience will be encouraged. 2.2. Linking directories of European public sector informationIn a number of Member States  practical initiatives are being taken to improve access to public sector information. In the  European information society it must be ensured that the relevant public sector information becomes  more easily accessible to all European individuals and businesses that may have an interest in such  information. The Commission will support initiatives to produce directories of European public sector  information to a common format, so that they can be interlinked and easily accessed from any point  in Europe. Following a call for proposals, pilot projects for the production of information directories that  incorporate the above characteristics will be supported. These pilot projects may address the  transnational interconnection of existing national or regional information directories as well as  the collaborative production of new directories. Pilot projects based on public/private partnership  and applying multilingual solutions will be particularly encouraged. 2.3. Making use of content resources in the public sectorEurope is blessed with a rich stock of  what might be called 'information collections` under public sector control, for instance in  museums, libraries, copyright and patent deposit systems, educational and training bodies,  historical archieves and architectural and industrial objects. These information collections need  to be exploited if Europe is to build on these cultural and economic assets commercially and if  Europe is to realize the potential of advanced technologies in support of public sector services.  They are central to the Union's strength in the global information society and their commercial and  strategic potential has already been underlined by a series of deals transferring control over some  of them to private companies, not all of which have been European. Most of these information collections are still in analogue form but they are increasing being  digitized. The INFO 2000 programme aims at mobilizing these digital collections for exploitation by  the private sector. To this end the Commission will support the creation of European inventories of digital information  collections and stimulate their interconnection across the EU. This involves defining a common  standard format for such inventories as well as integrating them with intellectual property rights  trading systems. Support for the creation of inventories and their integration with intellectual  property rights trading systems will be provided on the basis of calls for proposals. Related  standards and specifications will be developed through studies and through task groups composed of  the actors involved. Action line 3: Triggering European multimedia potentialThe transition form 'scribe to screen` is  rapidly and fundamentally changing the structure of the content industry and the roles of the  different players within it. Internationalization and multimedia are key words in this respect.  Content itself and new ways of creating, packaging, distributing and marketing it are increasingly  becoming the key drivers behind these changes. Coping with these changes and exploiting the opportunities that emerge is primarily the  responsibility of the industries concerned. However, apart from a limited number of large  corporations that operate on a global scale, the present day content sector in Europe is mainly  made up of small- and medium-size companies. These have difficulty in dealing with a rapidly  developing international multimedia market and the speed with which the changes take place. In  addition the initial cost of producing high quality multimedia titles is high and the European  market fragmented through cultural and linguistic barriers. The critical mass needed to recoup  initial investments is therefore much more difficult to reach. This puts European multimedia publishers, traditionally used to operating in a national or regional  setting, at a disadvantage compared with their competitors from other parts of the world.  Exploitation of the single market potential will become vital for global competitiveness. This action line aims at mitigating these comparative disadvantages for European producers in the  emerging multimedia market by: - catalysing high quality European multimedia content, - favouring a practical approach to trading multimedia rights, - developing and exchanging best business practice. 3.1. Catalysing high quality European multimedia contentThe production of high quality European  multimedia content will be stimulated in three strategic areas: economic exploitation of Europe's  cultural heritage, business services for SMEs, and geographic information. Under the Impact  programme pilot actions in these areas have illustrated the problems connected with a pan-European  approach and have laid the foundations for further actions under INFO 2000. Multilingual interactive multimedia products can build on the wealth of available European content,  while overcoming language barriers and other limitations of national and regional markets. Apart  from the economic benefits, strong European business activity in this area is likely to contribute  to the safeguarding of cultural identity and linguistic diversity. It will also increase the  public's understanding of European cultural diversity across the Member States and regions. In the areas indicated above - European cultural heritage, business services for SMEs and  geographic information - calls for proposals will be launched to provide support to the initial and  pre-commercial phases of pan-European multimedia content developments. The support given should  help the companies concerned overcome the specific barriers with respect to multilingual and  multicultural (re)use of content and to transnational cooperation. These initial phases would  include product definition, partner identification, cross-licensing negotiation, planning of  cooperative distribution etc. up to and including the production of a prototype. Support will be given to projects that demonstrate the feasibility of a trans-European multilingual  and multicultural approach, contain a risk element, exert a strong catalytic effect on the market  and imply substantial user involvement. Special add-on incentives can be provided to encourage  participation by small- and medium-sized companies and organizations from less favoured and  peripheral regions. The calls for proposals will be co-ordinated closely with the Community programmes Raphaël and the  integrated programme in favour of SMEs and the craft sector, as will as with the sectoral policy  actions in the areas of trade, tourism and social economics. 3.2. Trading multimedia intellectual property rightsHistorically, the management of rights is  organized by sector (text, sound, image, video etc.) and by country. With the dawning of the  multimedia age this situation is increasingly becoming a barrier to the development of multimedia  content markets, as the time and effort that has to be spent on identifying and acquiring the  different rights increases steeply with the number of data types involved and the number of  countries where right holders are located. Small companies and new media start-ups suffer most from  the present system as they may wish to re-use existing material. The development of pan-European multimedia content often requires input from various Member States.  Effective and efficient mechanisms for trading multimedia rights at the European level are  therefore essential for the development of the European multimedia content industry. A call for proposals will be launched inviting proposals for pilot projects that lay the  foundations for cross-border trading of multimedia rights electronically. In addition, studies will  be launched to determine how different intellectual property rights trading systems for multimedia  in Europe can work together. As an aid to small- and medium-sized companies practical tools will be  developed on best practices to acquire, exploit and protect multimedia rights. The actions will  build on the relevant research and technological development activities under the Fourth Framework  Programme. Although the difficulty of reaching consensus should not be underestimated, in the longer term,  harmonization and rationalization of legal requirements may be necessary. 3.3. Developing and exchanging best practiceActions will be supported that aim at developing and  exchanging best business practice in the multimedia content industry at the European level. Such  actions will include descriptions of business processes and models relevant to the content  industry, such as procedures for intellectual property acquisition and content asset valuation and  management, and exchange of experiences with multimedia consumer panels to test and evaluate  multimedia products and services. These activities will be implemented by means of a combination of studies, workshops, seminars and  publications. The relevant organizations in the European content industry will be closely  involved. 4. Support actionsThe programme support actions aim at amplifying the effects of the core actions  of the programme by addressing a number of horizontal issues relevant for the programme as a  whole. 4.1. Observing and analysing the multimedia content marketAt regular intervals senior experts from  the content industry, from user communities and from Member States will be convened to monitor,  analyse and discuss the impact of multimedia on the content industry and on the different actors in  the information value chain. When organizing these modern multimedia information and communication  facilities will be used where possible. The composition of the meetings will reflect the various segments of content creation, distribution  and use within the European Union, as well as the many regulatory aspects (e.g. personal data  protection) affecting the content dimension. They will thus serve as a focus for discussion,  exchange of experience and cooperation between the various sectors of the content industry, between  European and national policy makers, and between the supply and user sides of the content market. The meetings will focus on: - long-term scenarios, updated whenever justified by major international developments in markets,  technologies, industries and policies, - key issues of common interest to market actors from different sectors and from different Member  States, such as legal aspects and quality assurance, - obstacles to market development and recommendations to the industries, administrations and users  to overcome them, - the execution of INFO 2000, making recommendations on orientations and priorities. Studies will be carried out to monitor changes in the European and global content markets and  provide in-depth analysis of key issues. 4.2. Spreading the use of multimedia content standardsStandards for the structuring and  presentation of information, and standards for content encoding, including terminology, are  essential in order to facilitate the exchange of documents and publications, and to enable the  exploitation, access, maintenance and re-use of content. The work started in this domain under the Impact programme will be continued and extended. Actions  will be supported that raise awareness of and stimulate the use of existing content standards  through workshops and electronic fora and by publishing reports on paper and electronically. 4.3. Encouraging skills development at European levelIn order to stimulate skills development, the  relevant European associations will be encouraged to develop and implement measures to equip the  European content providers with the necessary skills to enter the age of multimedia and  interactivity. Actions to be supported will normally be based on a three-staged approach: - identification of the most urgent training needs, - development of pilot courses to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed actions, - launching of the activities in the relevant parts of the content industry and in the educational  and training systems. The first two steps could be supported under INFO 2000. The third step would fall within the remit  of programmes like Socrates and Leonardo, thus achieving important multiplier effects. The content industry will be extensively consulted in order to identify urgent needs and key areas.  Representatives of universities and vocational training establishments will be closely associated  with these initiatives. The role of the Community will mainly consist of stimulating, coordinating  and enabling this process. ANNEX II INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF EXPENDITURE >TABLE>This breakdown does not  exclude the fact that a project could relate to several activities. ANNEX III THE MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTING INFO 2000 1. The Commission will implement the  programme in accordance with the technical content specified in Annex I. 2. The programme will be executed through indirect action and wherever possible on a shared-cost  basis. The Community's financial contribution for shared-cost projects shall normally not exceed 50   % of the cost of the projects, with progressively lower participation the nearer the project is to  the market place. Special add-on incentives can be provided to encourage participation by SMEs and  less favoured regions. 3. The selection of shared-cost projects will normally be based on the usual procedure of calls for  proposals published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. The content of the calls  for proposals will be defined in close consultation with the relevant experts and according to the  procedure referred to in Article 5 of the Decision. The main criterion for supporting projects  through calls for proposals will be their potential contribution to achieving the objectives of the  programme. Implementation procedures will accommodate the interests of all kinds of market  operators and facilitate their participation in the programme. 4. The Commission may also implement a more flexible funding scheme than the call for proposals in  order to provide incentives for the creation of partnerships, in particular involving SMEs and  organizations in less favoured regions, or for other exploratory activities in different segments  of the multimedia content market. This scheme might be operated on a permanent basis. 5. The Commission will make provision for considering in exceptional cases unsolicited project  proposals which involve a particularly promising and significant multimedia market development, a  highly innovative approach or an exceptional technology or methodology, and which cannot be  submitted within the normal call for proposals procedure. The objective of avoiding market  distortion will be maintained. 6. The detailed arrangements for the procedures referred to under points 4 and 5 will be  implemented through the consultative committee procedure (type I) and in accordance with the  Commission's financial regulations. They will be published in the Official Journal of the European  Communities. 7. Projects fully financed by the Commission within the framework of study and services contracts  will be implemented through calls for tenders in accordance with the Commission's financial  regulations. Transparency will be achieved by publishing the work programme and circulating it to  trade associations and other interested bodies. 8. For the implementation of the programme the Commission will also undertake preparatory,  accompanying and support activities designed to achieve the general objective of the programme and  the specific aims of each action line. This includes activities such as: studies and consultancy in  support of this programme; preliminary actions in preparation of future activies; measures aimed at  facilitating participation in the programme as well as facilitating access to the results produced  under the programme; publications and activities for the dissemination, promotion and exploitation  of results; analysis of possible socioeconomic consequences associated with the programme; and  support activities such as observation and analysis of the multimedia content market, spreading the  use of multimedia content standards, and encouraging skills development at European level. 9. Participation in this programme by international organizations may be financed, in exceptional  cases, on the same basis as that of legal entities established in the Community.