CELEX: 51988PC0003
Language: en
Date: 1988-01-05
Title: Amended Proposal of the decision concerning THE ESTABLISHMENT AT COMMUNITY LEVEL OF A POLICY AND A PLAN OF PRIORITY ACTIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFORMATION SERVICES MARKET Submitted to the Council by the Commission persuant to the Article 149 § 2d of the EEC Treaty

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (88) 3
Vol. 1988/0001
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 concernant
l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique européenne et de
la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p. 1) modifié en dernier
lieu par le règlement (UE) 2015/496 du Conseil du 17 mars 2015 (JO L79 du 25. 3.2015, p. 1), ce
dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents classifiés présents dans ce dossier
ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit règlement ou sont considérés déclassifiés
conformément aux articles 26(3) et 59(2) de la décision (UE, Euratom) 2015/444 de la
Commission du 13 mars 2015 concernant les règles de sécurité aux fins de la protection des
informations classifiées de l'Union européenne.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the
European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as last amended by Council
Regulation (EU) 2015/496 of 17 March 2015 (OJ L 79, 27.3.2015, p. 1), this file is open to the
public. Where necessary, classified documents in this file have been declassified in conformity
with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation or are considered declassified in conformity with
Articles (26.3) and 59(2) of the Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015
on the security rules for protecting EU classified information.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und
der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
Verordnung (EU) Nr. 2015/496 vom 17. März 2015 (ABI. L 79 vom 25.3.2015, S. 1), ist dieser Akt
der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in diesem Akt in
Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 der genannten Verordnung freigegeben; beziehungsweise werden
sie auf Grundlage von Artikel 26(3) und 59(2) der Entscheidung der Kommission (EU, Euratom)
2015/444 vom      13.   März 2015     über die   Sicherheitsvorschriften für den Schutz von  EU-
Verschlusssachen als herabgestuft angesehen.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                            COM(88 ) 3 final
                                       Brussels , 5 january 1988
           Amended Proposal of the decision
                     concerning
           THE ESTABLISHMENT AT COMMUNITY LEVEL
           OF A POLICY AND A PLAN OF PRIORITY
           ACTIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN
           INFORMATION SERVICES MARKET
                       /
      Submitted to the Council by the Commission
      persuant to the Article 149 § 2d of the
                      EEC Treaty
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                  ο *<η
                       Revieed Proposai for a
            Council      Decision       conctrnlng     tha    establishment     a *.
.Coaaanlty level of a policy and a plan of priority actions
 for tha development. of           an    Inforaatlon    aarvloaa aarkat     In tha
 Coaaunlhy ( COK (87 ) 360 final/2 )
 THE COUNCIL Of TUI EUROPEAN COMNUNITIB8
     Having     regard    to    tha     Traaty    establishing      tha   European
     Econoalc Coaaanlty ,       and    In particular Article        100A thereof ,
     Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ( 1 ),
     In cooperation with tha Baropean Parllaaant ( 2 ),
     Having regard to the opinion of the Econoalc and
          Social Coaalttee       ( 3 ),
Whereas       It  la    essential      to   adopt   aeasures    for   the  gradual
 establ Ishaent of the Internal aarkat during tha period op to
 31 beceaher 1992 ; whereas the Internal 'market comprises                An area
 without      Internal     frontiers        In  which   the   free    noveaent  of
 goods , persona , services and capital la ensured ;
  Whereas    the Community
programme on the specialised
 Information market ( 4)
 has revealed that a much more
 comprehensive Community
 Information market policy is
 necessary ;
 Whereas the Heads of State and of Government , aeetlng at the
 European Council In Brussels on 29 and 30 March 1985 , approved
 the creation of a Community information market as a specific
 object Ive »
 Whereas      the   Council      on     18   March   1986   gave    e   fevourable
 reception        to     the      communication        from     the     Commission
 comprising        e     work     programme        for   acreatlng      a   common
  Information market *
  Wherea3 the Commission , having consulted representatives of
  users and suppliers of information services as well as the
  Senior Officials Advisory Group on tha Inforaatlon market ,
  has been able to draw up an agreed definition of the
  principal objectives and lines of action of a Community
  policy which is designed to tackle on a broad front the
  complex , diverse and overlapping questions arising out of
  the evolution of the         information market ;
   ( 1 ) OJ No
   (2 )                                                                                Z
   (3 )
    ( 4) OJ No . L314 , 4.12.1984
 ---pagebreak---                                            2
Whereas It la recognised that Information plays a role of
fundamental Importance In the development of trade and
 Industry , giving strength and coherence to the European
economy as a whole , as well as being an essential component
both of the cultural Identity of                 the Community and of the
 fabric of a modern society ;
  Whereas the rapid
development and convergence_
 of new technoloql as has led,
 to considerable difficulties
 In defining the exact scope
 of the Information market
  sector ;
   Whereas      fuller statistics
           ■ ■ - ■« ■    ■ i   I  ■ * ■
 on the Community Information
 market are vitally needed to
 match those for more
 traditional sectors ;
 Whereas ,            by     virtue     of   the economic  importance   of
 information , the creation of a common information services
 market occupies an essential place in the achievement of the
  internal market by the end of 1992 ;
   Whereas there exist numerous
   technical , administrative and
  j e9al barriers to the creation
  of an internal market for
  information , which are
  hindering the development of
 new services and causing
 unacceptable distortions
 of competition :
   Whereas simplificat ion of
procedures as well as
harmonisation in the field of
date bases access should both
have a high priority in a
Community information market
programme ;
                                                                           3
 ---pagebreak---    Whereas the development of
   Information resources and
   lnfonoat lon-based services
   requires the application of
  new technologies and the
   achievement of economies of
   scale ;
    Whereas the Community has a
  strong competitive position In
 some areas of the Information
 market , but Is much weaker In
 others ;
 Whereas    the Community * »
competiti ve weaknesses , and
dependence on third
countries . In some areas of
the information market has
considerable potential costs .
In financial and strategic
terms ;
Whereas public authorities In the Member States are carrying
out to a varied extent different activities     In the domain of
the Information market ;
Whereas        the    growing    importance of  information    in
 International transactions , and of the related problems
concerning services , Is cecelvlng Increasing attention In
 International fora and this fact serves       to emphasise the
necessity for Member States to develop         common positions
 In those fora ;
 Whereas the needs and legitimate demands of
                                                        users  of
 information services and particularly of those in      small and
 medium-sized enterprises and In the less - favoured   regions of
 the Community merit sped al attention ;
   Whereas the needs of
 developing countries for
 low-cost access to informa tion
 should also be borne in mind ;
 ---pagebreak---                                        -   4
Whereas the Community already possesses potentially useful
Instruments for the implementation of the above policy ;
Whereas the Community 's financial engineering mechanisms may
contribute to the implementation of the present action plan ,
in   particular        with   regard    to     the   pilot   and demonstration
projects       designed      to    exert      a    catalytic    effect    on  the
development of the information services market ;
tfhereas an information
market policy is complementary
to other ongoing Community
Initiatives , notably in the
field of telecommunications ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :
                               Article    1
Approval is hereby given to the objectives and             broad lines of the
plan of action proposed by the Commission with the following
a 1ms :
    - to     set     up an   internal     information       services            by
         the  end of    1992 ;
    -    to stimulate and reinforce the competitive capability
        of European suppliers of information services ;
    -    to promote the        use  of  advanced      information    services   in
         the Community ;
    -    to  reinforce           joint   efforts      to  achieve   the  internal
        and external       cohesion    of    the    Community with    respect   to
         information     services .
                                    Article      2
    In order to attain the objectives referred to in Article 1 the following actions
    shall be undertaken under the                      responsibility of      the
    Comm las ion :
        the establishment of a
        European information market
        observatory , j0 provide
       fuller statist ^, ffn^
       Identify the Enrflpfflfl
      Cgmeunltv compete
      SHan-qths and ueflftnfmrn
      lhe sert fîr ;
 ---pagebreak---                                   - s  -
i- pm presentation to the Council
        of proposals which will aim
        at eliminating legal .
                         fiscal and
        other technical barriers , to
        the establishment of an
        information market ;
     - the Improvement of the
        conditions for transmitting
        and accessing information
        services , through greater
        standardisation and
        simplification;
     - the preparation of Initiatives concerning the role of
         the public sector la the Information market ;
     - the launching of pilot and demonstration projects wh Ich
         will act as catalysts for the development of a Europevi
         market ;
     - the preparation         of   a   specific  action  in favour  of
         libraries ;
     - the    reinforcement      of   user  support activities and  the
         launching , in coordination with the Member states , of a
         campaign to promote the wealth and qualify of European
         information services available on the market ;
       the preparation of
       guidelines on the
      principles governing
      tarlflcatlon , aimed at
      a much greater
      approximation of tariffs
      throughout the Conmunlty .
     if possible on a distance
     independent basis ;
                                                                        L
 ---pagebreak---                                   6
- the preparation of
   measures to help small
   and medium enterprises to
   deriv e the maximum
   possible benefit from the
   informa tion services
   market ;
- the preparation of
   special Initiatives for
   the less developed and
   per lpheral regions of
   the Community ,
                               Article 3
 The action plan described in Article 2                    shall be
 Implemented in two phases , the first of which shall last
 two years ,       beginning with the date of      adoption   of
 chis         Decision ,    and shall constitute an introductory
 phase      designed     to   intensify   cooperation  between    the
 different parties concerned and to test the feasibility
 of a number of pilot and demonstration projects .
                               Article 4
 The amount deemed necessary
  for the implementation of the
  introductory phase
  million ECU for 1989 andJ5_
  million ECU for 1990 .
   Part of the         amount. deemed necessary ,     that   used   to
   finance pilot       and demonstration projects , may     serve   in
   particular to bring to bear , as appropriate , additional
   sources of finance emanating from interested partners ,
   thus multiplying its effect on the development of the
   European information services market .
                                Article 5
   During the second half of 1989 , the Commission shall
   transmit to the Council and to the European Parliament
   an evaluation report on the results obtained during the
   introductory phase and shall present , on the basis of
   those results , guidelines for the continuation of notions
   until    1992 .
 ---pagebreak--- Beginning In 198B . thf
Comalaalon shall also transmit
tQ -the . Council and
European Parliament     annual
report on the mo st important
events and developments taking
Plfloe.ln the Information
marked
                                  Article 6
       This Decision     Is addressed         to  the Meaber State
       Done at                              For the Council