CELEX: 51996PC0188
Language: en
Date: 1996-05-14
Title: Amended 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 merging information society (INFO2000)

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                            Brussels, 14.05.19%
                                            COM(96) 188 final
                                            95/0156 (CNS)
                         Amended 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 merging information society
                               (INFO 2000)
        (presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a (2)
                            of the EC-Treaty)
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                                  Explanatory memorandum
 1.    Introduction
 1.1  On 30 June 1995 the Commission adopted a 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 this multimedia
      content in the emerging information society (INFO 2000) (COM(95) 149 final).
      This proposal was transmitted to the Council on 30 June 1995.
 1.2  The Council reached a political agreement on this proposal on 27 November 1995.
 1.3  The ESC delivered its opinion at the meeting on 20-21 December 1995 (ESC(95)
       1455).
 1.4  The European Parliament adopted its opinion on 28 March 1996. That opinion
      contains 52 amendments to the original text presented by the Commission.
 1.5  The Commission can accept 24 of these amendments, of which 16 in whole and 8
      in part. It cannot accept the remaining 28 amendments.
 1.6  The reasons for which the Commission has adopted this position on the
      amendments are set out in paragraph 3 below. The text of the amended proposal is
      given in Annex 1 (right-hand column) as compared with the text of the original
      proposal (left-hand column).
2.    Object of the proposal
The proposal concerns the establishment of a multi-annual Community programme,
called INFO 2000, aimed at stimulating the development of a European multimedia
content industry and encouraging the use of this multimedia content in the emerging
information society.
The three long-term strategic objectives of the programme are:
•     to facilitate the development of the European information content industry;
•     to optimise the contribution of new information services to growth, competitiveness
      and employment in Europe;
•     to optimise the contribution of the advanced information services to the
      professional, social and cultural development of the citizens of Europe.
 ---pagebreak--- 3.     Position of the Commission on the amendments presented by the European
       Parliament
3.1    Amendments accepted as they stand
The Commission accepts Amendments 4, 6, 8, 9, 15, 17, 20, 22, 27, 28, 33, 34, 39, 44, 47
and 51.
Amendment 4 adds a new recital rightly underlining respect for linguistic pluralism.
Amendment 6 is useful in that it adds a new recital to the effect that the measures under
the programme must help, in particular, to reduce the risks of exclusion.
Amendment 8 specifies that cinema and television are included in the audiovisual sector.
Amendment 9 stresses the synergy to be achieved between the INFO 2000 programme
and other Community programmes or initiatives.
Amendment 15 extends the Commission's responsibility to the granting of financial aid.
Amendment 17 redefines the field of application of the comitology procedure set out in
Article 5, by deleting the breakdown of the budgetary expenditure and introducing a more
precise wording as regards the participation of bodies from third countries or
international organisations.
Amendment 20 is a technical improvement to the wording employed.
Amendment 22 is useful in pointing out that the organisations entrusted with awareness
and information campaigns work in a European and international network.
Amendment 27 is an improvement to the title of Action Line 2 (Multimedia exploitation
of public sector information).
Amendment 28 adds some useful remarks on public sector information.
Amendment 33 specifies the fields concerned by the pilot projects conducted under
activity 2.2.
Amendment 34 improves upon the wording of the original text to express the same idea.
Amendment 39 rightly reiterates the importance of the coordinated approach adopted in
the pilot projects conducted under the IMPACT programme.
Amendment 44 rightly insists on particular encouragement for the development of
multimedia services for SMEs amongst the measures aimed at developing and
exchanging good practice.
 ---pagebreak--- Amendment 47 rightly points out that education must devote more attention to Europe's
cultural and linguistic heritage and to the multimedia aspect.
Amendment 51 improves upon the wording.
3.2    Amendments which the Commission can accept in part or subject to modification.
This concerns Amendments 1, 5, 7, 21, 30, 37, 38 and 50.
Amendment 1 makes a useful addition in the form of a new recital reiterating the
principles of equality, accessibility and low cost, with regard to certain basic services,
which must be respected in the provision of multimedia services. The Commission
cannot, however, accept the words "and in some cases free provision", which it regards
as too all-embracing.
Amendment 5 can be accepted in principle, in that the interests of the public certainly
merit special attention. Nevertheless, in order to preserve the consistency of the text of
the recitals, it is preferable to add the words "and the interests of the public" at the end of
recital 11.
It is not within the remit of INFO 2000 to settle the questions raised by Amendment 7.
Nevertheless, the Commission agrees with the spirit of the proposed recital and will
devote particular attention to the level of implementation of the programme, so as to
ensure that the measures taken under the programme are compatible with the policy
guidelines expressed by Parliament. The amendment is therefore acceptable if reworded
as follows: "Whereas it is necessary to devote particular attention, at the level of
implementation of the programme, to the risks of abuse of multimedia content in such
pernicious areas as racism, illegal pornography and other criminal activities;"
Amendment 21 is acceptable as regards the first two parts, in that it makes useful
additions. In the third part, however, while the remarks about encouraging the
development of demand amongst certain user groups is acceptable, the reference to
certain categories (women, the disabled, associations, NGOs) is too specific in this
context.
Amendment 30 is acceptable except for the first point ("and the potential offered by
women in the subsequent development of such technologies") and the last point ("The
Commission will assist the Member States ..."). The first point confuses the general and
the particular and makes it difficult to grasp the real imperatives of the Green Paper. The
last point seems hardly compatible with the principle of subsidiarity and would require
financial resources not provided for in the proposed budget.
Amendment 37 is acceptable provided the specific reference to the United States is
deleted.
 ---pagebreak--- The first two parts of Amendment 38 provide useful rewordings and additions. As
regards the second last change (development of new software packages), the Commission
cannot accept this addition for the reasons set out for Amendment 45. Lastly, in the case
of the final change, the proposed measure duplicates the measures taken under the Green
Paper on copyright and neighbouring rights in the information society.
Amendment 50 is welcome, in that it proposes that the support received for the products
emanating from a project receiving financial support should be acknowledged. The
inclusion of the European Union flag, however, is not acceptable, since it could create
ambiguity by giving the impression of a quality label.
3.3   Amendments which the Commission cannot accept:
This concerns Amendments 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32,
35, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 49 and 52.
Amendment 2 raises the risk of duplication with other programmes, in particular the
Telematics Applications programme, in that it states that the actions should support the
development of applications serving the purposes of health, education, training and
regional planning.
A new recital giving special treatment to associations and NGOs, as proposed in
Amendment 3. is not justified in the light of the general nature of the recitals.
Contrary to Amendment 10. the Commission considers that adapting the individual
projects to developments in the market is essentially a matter for the partners in each
project. On the other hand, the Commission must ensure that the proposed programme
adapts to developments in the market, in particular by updating the criteria for calls for
proposals.
Amendment 11. which lays down a principle of strict reciprocity in implementing the
programme in cooperation with third countries or international organisations, seems too
specific. There is no such statement in other Community programmes.
Amendment 12 is unacceptable to the Commission as the proposed text is not in line with
the standard text set out in Annex II, point 2. A, of the Joint Declaration of the European
Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 6 March 1995 concerning the
incorporation of financial provisions into legislative acts. However, the Commission
accepts the introduction of a recital and a provision adapted to and in conformity with the
aforementioned Declaration.
Amendment 13 is not in line with the Commission's general policy on the point in
question.
Amendment 14 increases the annual budgetary resources by reducing the duration of the
programme. The Commission shares the view that the programme requires substantial
 ---pagebreak--- budgetary resources in order to achieve its objectives. However, the budgetary
consequences of the proposed amendment are incompatible with the overall financial
planning and conflict with the financial outlook in heading 3. For these reasons the
Commission cannot accept the amendment. The Commission nevertheless welcomes the
support it demonstrates for its position vis-à-vis the Council on the budget for the
programme.
Amendment 16 does not appear to introduce any additional elements over and above
what is already provided for in the financial statement and Annex 3. At the technical
level, it would also be preferable to make a general reference to the Financial Regulation
(instead of the specific reference to Article 57) and to bring the terminology of the
amendment into line with that used in Article 57 of the Financial Regulation.
Amendment 18 does not introduce any new element over and above the current practice
and regulations.
Amendment 19. setting 30 September 1997 as the date for submission of the evaluation
report, is undesirable. The deadline is too short and will reduce the value of the mid-stage
evaluation report, as it will take into consideration only the results obtained over the first
twelve months, and that is an inadequate reference period. Moreover, because of their
procedural complexity, there is a risk that the arrangements for appointing the
independent experts will result in a further reduction in the reference period.
Amendment 23 adds a function which lies outside the tasks of the organisations in the
network and which is largely undertaken through other channels.
Amendment 24 adds nothing useful, since the present wording does not exclude the
organisations mentioned.
Amendment 25 makes a statement which concerns action 4.3 rather than action 1.1.
Although the Commission largely welcomes the substance of the amendment, it
considers that this aspect is covered by the present wording of action 4.3.
The Commission considers that action 1.2 must be maintained, in contrast to the
objective of Amendment 26. Its proposed deletion appears to be inspired more by budget
considerations than by genuine reasons of justification or problems of implementation.
The Commission considers the elements of Amendment 29 of relevance to the debate
which will take place on the Green Paper on access to, dissemination and exploitation of
public-sector information. However, it would be better not to be too prescriptive as
regards the Green Paper.
Amendment 31. concerning an information system on information, adds a statement
which is of little use, as it is already included in the notion of a directory.
 ---pagebreak--- Amendment 32 proposes a wording which is too specific as regards women's interests
and too restrictive as regards the concept of an electronic public space (virtual reality),
which should not be limited to the directories aspect.
The new wording of the title of Action Line 3.1, as proposed by Amendment 35. is not
fundamentally different from that proposed by the Commission. The Commission prefers
to retain the initial wording for reasons of consistency with its position on Amendments
38, 40 and 45.
Amendment 36 is redundant in relation to Amendment 8 and makes a superfluous and
unbalanced statement.
Amendment 40 deletes the three fields identified as being of strategic importance, in
which the production of multimedia information content must be stimulated.
Coordination structures are already covered by action 1.2. Finally, the emphasis placed
on multimedia products which are easily adaptable from one Member State to the other is
already adequately expressed in the wording of section 3.1 (multilingual and
multicultural European approach).
The first change (risk of diversity in the range of products) introduced by Amendment 41
relates more to the discussions of the public or private information circles. The second
element (particular attention to be devoted to small producers) seems largely redundant in
view of the preceding sentence in the text of point 3.1.
Amendment 42 proposes a mechanism which the Commission cannot accept for the
implementation of Action Line 3.1. However, the Commission considers the idea
interesting and worthy of a more detailed study which can be undertaken under the
proposed Action Line 4.1.
The Commission considers that the particular attention to be devoted to the legal
conditions for transferring information public sector information to the private sector, as
set out in Amendment 43. should be dealt with under Action Line 2 and not at the
specific level of Action Line 3.2.
Amendment 45 aims to establish a new Action Line 3 relating to the development of new
software packages. This measure is not part of INFO 2000, since it is covered by the
fourth framework programme of research and development (IT, ACTS, Telematics).
Amendment 46 is not acceptable, as the text of the preamble is not in line with the
proposed measures.
Amendment 48 proposes a new breakdown of the budget which the Commission cannot
accept. The Commission is aware of the need to increase the resources for Action Line 3
at the expense of Action Line 1 and can agree with the thrust of the proposed change.
However, the Commission considers that the proposed percentage spread is too
restrictive. The Commission therefore proposes the following breakdown:
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                   .i-i«*w.,Vi..^P
- action line 1 (stimulating demand and raising awareness): 20-30%,
- action line 2 (exploiting Europe's public sector information): 18-23%,
- action line 3 (triggering European multimedia potential): 43-55%,
- action line 4 (support actions): 7-12%.
Amendment 49 cannot be accepted for the following reasons. It is not desirable to replace
"call for proposals" with "call for tender" in point 3 of Annex III, since this point
concerns shared-cost projects for which the Community's financial contribution will not
be more than 50% of the cost of the project. As regards point 4, the Commission's text
aims to allow the cofinancing of projects submitted in the form of unsolicited proposals,
outside the formal framework of a call for proposals. The amendment does not cover this
eventuality and should be rejected.
Amendment 52 introduces an unacceptable procedural complexity.
4.     Conclusion
The Commission recommends that the Council approve the amended proposal contained
in Annex .
 ---pagebreak--- Original proposal                                        Modified proposal
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,                       THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the             Having regard to the Treaty establishing the
European Community, and in particular Article 130        European Community, and in particular Article 130
paragraph 3 thereof,                                     paragraph 3 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission        Having regard to the proposal from the Commission
                                                         (1).
Having regard to the opinion of the European             Having regard to the opinion of the European
Parliament @)t                                           Parliament @),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and         Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee @)                                      Social Committee @)
Whereas the European content industry can make a         Whereas the European content industry can make a
significant contribution to the stimulation of growth,   significant contribution to the stimulation of growth,
to the strengthening of competitiveness and to the       to the strengthening of competitiveness and to the
development of employment in the Community, as           development of employment in the Community, as
indicated in the White Paper on "Growth,                 indicated in the White Paper on "Growth,
competitiveness, employment - The challenges and         competitiveness, employment - The challenges and
ways forward into the 21st century" W,                   ways forward into the 21st century" (4),
Whereas the European Council at Brussels on 10-11        Whereas the European Council at Brussels on 10-11
December 1993 decided, on the basis of that White        December 1993 decided, on the basis of that White
Paper, to implement an action plan, consisting of        Paper, to implement an action plan, consisting of
concrete measures at both Union and Member States        concrete measures at both Union and Member States
level, notably with respect to information               level, notably with respect to information
infrastructures and new applications, for which new      infrastructures and new applications, for which new
content is required;                                     content is required;
(1)      OJN°                                            (1) OJN°C 250, 26.9.1995, p.4
(2)      OJN°                                            (2) OJ N°
(3)      OJN°                                            (3) OJN°C82, 19.3.1996, p. 36
(4)      'Growth, competitiveness, employment            (4) 'Growth, competitiveness, employment - The
The challenges and ways forward into the 21st            challenges and ways forward into the 21st century',
century', COM(93)700 final of 5.12.1993, Chapter         COM(93)700 final of 5.12.1993, Chapter 5A The
5A The information society'.                             information society'.
                                                       3
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas the European Council at Corfu on 24-25              Whereas the European Council at Corfu on 24-25
June 1994 took note of the Recommendations of the           June 1994 took note of the Recommendations of the
High Level Group on the information society as              High Level Group on the information society as
presented in the report "Europe and the global              presented in the report "Europe and the global
information society"^); and underlined that the             information society" w); and underlined that the
Community and Member States have an important               Community and Member States have an important
role to play in bringing about the information society      role to play in bringing about the information society
by giving political impetus, by creating a clear and        by giving political impetus, by creating a clear and
stable regulatory and legal framework and by setting        stable regulatory and legal framework and by setting
an example in areas which come under their aegis;           an example in areas which come under their aegis;
Whereas the Commission's action plan " Europe's             Whereas the Commission's action plan " Europe's
Way to the Information Society - An Action Plan"(6)         Way to the Information Society - An Action Plan"(6)
recognises the importance of content and stipulates         recognises the importance of content and stipulates
that the Commission will propose ways to stimulate          that the Commission will propose ways to stimulate
the creation of favourable conditions for content           the creation of favourable conditions for content
providers to adapt their skills and products to the         providers to adapt their skills and products to the
new multimedia environment and to stimulate                 new multimedia environment and to stimulate
increased usage of new information services;                increased usage of new information services;
Whereas the Council on 28 September 1994 ( 7 )              Whereas the Council on 28 September 1994 ( 7 )
underlined the particular urgency of the need to            underlined the particular urgency of the need to
enhance the global competitiveness of the European          enhance the global competitiveness of the European
content industry, taking account of the cultural            content industry, taking account of the cultural
diversity and of the impact of these products on            diversity and of the impact of these products on
society;                                                    society;
Whereas the European Council at Essen on 9-10               Whereas the European Council at Essen on 9-10
December 1994 underlined the importance of                  December 1994 underlined the importance of
content in bringing about the information society;          content in bringing about the information society;
Whereas the Council Resolution on Culture and               Whereas the Council Resolution on Culture and
Multimedia (**) 0 n 3-4 April 1995 underlined the           Multimedia (8) o n 3.4 April 1995 underlined the
importance of multimedia for facilitating the               importance of multimedia for facilitating the
development of the content industry and improving           development of the content industry and improving
access of citizens to cultural heritage, as well as the     access of citizens to cultural heritage, as well as the
catalysing role of Member States and the Union in           catalysing role of Member States and the Union in
the creation, production and distribution of high           the creation, production and distribution of high
quality cultural multimedia programmes;                     quality cultural multimedia programmes;
(5)       'Europe and the global information society        (5) 'Europe and the global information society -
- Recommendations to the European Council',                 Recommendations to the European Council',
Brussels, 26 May 1994.                                      Brussels, 26 May 1994.
(6)       COM(94)347 final of 19 July 1994 '                (6) COM(94)347 final of 19 July 1994 ' Europe's
Europe's Way to the Information Society - An                Way to the Information Society - An Action Plan' .
Action Plan' .
(7)       Conclusions of the 1787th Council meeting         (7) Conclusions of the 1787th Council meeting
9561/94 (Press 197), 28 September 1994.                     9561/94 (Press 197), 28 September 1994.
                                                        /Jo
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas the three long-term strategic objectives of    Whereas the three long-term strategic objectives of
the Union's content policy shall be to facilitate the  the Union's content policy shall be to facilitate the
development of the European content industry; to       development of the European content industry; to
optimise the contribution of new information           optimise the contribution of new information
 services to growth, competitiveness and employment    services to growth, competitiveness and employment
in Europe; and to maximise the contribution of         in Europe; and to maximise the contribution of
advanced information services to the professional,     advanced information services to the professional,
 social and cultural development of the citizens of    social and cultural development of the citizens of
Europe;                                               Europe;
Whereas there are numerous barriers to the             Whereas there are numerous barriers to the
development of a European multimedia content          development of a European multimedia content
industry and market, which are hindering the          industry and market, which are hindering the
transition towards an information society;            transition towards an information society;
Whereas the Community needs to build on the strong    Whereas the Community needs to build on the strong
competitive position it has in some content sectors   competitive position it has in some content sectors
and whereas its competitive position needs to be      and whereas its competitive position needs to be
strengthened in other content sectors;                strengthened in other content sectors;
Whereas the needs of users of information services,   Whereas the needs of users of information services,
particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises    particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises
and in the less favoured regions of the Community,    and in the less favoured regions of the Community,
merit special attention;                              and the public and their interests merit special
                                                      attention;
                                                      Whereas the provision of multimedia services should
                                                      respect the principles of equal access and the low
                                                      cost of certain basic services and should contribute to
                                                      the cohesion of, in particular, the geographically
                                                      disadvantaged regions of Europe;
Whereas provision should be made for measures to      Whereas provision should be made for measures to
encourage the participation of small and medium-      encourage the participation of small and medium-
sized enterprises (SMEs) in this programme;           sized enterprises (SMEs) in this programme;
Whereas the different rates of development in the     Whereas the different rates of development in the
provision and use of information services in the      provision and use of information services in the
Member States deserve special consideration, having   Member States deserve special consideration, having
regard to the internal cohesion of the Community      regard to the internal cohesion of the Community
and the risks associated with a two-tier information  and the risks associated with a two-tier information
society;                                              society;
                                                      Whereas Community actions undertaken concerning
                                                      the content of information should respect the Union's
                                                      multilingual character and encourage initiatives to
                                                      adapt the content of multimedia information in the
                                                      languages of the Member States;
(8)       Audiovisual/Culture Council session nr      (8) Audiovisual/Culture Council session nr 1841
1841 of 3-4 April 1995, Council document 6072/95      of 3-4 April 1995, Council document 6072/95 of 24
of 24 March 1995                                      March 1995
                                                   nn
 ---pagebreak---                                                               Whereas the measures under the programme must
                                                              help to reduce the risks of exclusion of unskilled or
                                                              underskilled workers, the emergence of a dual
                                                              society, the widening of disparities between regions
                                                              and the increased isolation of the individual;
                                                              Whereas particular attention should be paid, when
                                                              implementing the programme, to the risk of abuse of
                                                              multimedia content in such pernicious areas as
                                                              racism, illegal pornography and other criminal
                                                              activities;
 Whereas policy actions under this programme                  Whereas policy actions under this programme
 aiming at strengthening the position of the European         aiming at strengthening the position of the European
 content industry will be complementary to other              content industry will be complementary to other
 content actions, particularly those related to the           content actions, particularly those related to the
 audiovisual sector (9);                                      audiovisual sector (9);
 Whereas any content policy actions must be                   Whereas any content policy actions must be
 complementary to other ongoing national and                  complementary to other ongoing national and
 Community initiatives, as outlined notably in the            Community initiatives, as outlined notably in the
 Commission's action plan "Europe's Way to the                Commission's action plan 'Europe's way to the
 Information Society - An Action Plan", and shall be          information society - an action plan', and shall be
performed in synergy with the Commission's                    performed in synergy with programmes in the Fourth
 education ( 1 0 ), training ( n ) , RDT ( 1 2 ) and SME      Framework       Programme        (10)    (programmes
 (l-*) policies and initiatives;                              concerned with advanced technology, technology,
                                                              advanced communications services and telematics)
                                                             and with the Commission's education (11), training
                                                              (12), cultural and SME (13) policies and initiatives,
                                                             and with the Structural Funds;
(9)        Council Decision 93/424/EEC of 22 July            (9) Council Decision 93/424/EEC of 22 July 1993
 1993 on an action plan for the introduction of              on an action plan for the introduction of advanced
advanced        television     services  in       Europe;    television services in Europe; COM(94)523 of 8
COM(94)523 of 8 February 1995 'Politique Audio-              February 1995 'Politique Audio-visuelle. Créer un
visuelle. Créer un environnement favorable à l'essor         environnement favorable à l'essor des entreprises de
des entreprises de l'industrie européenne des                l'industrie européenne des programmes (MEDIA2
programmes (MEDIA2 1996-2000)'; Council                       1996-2000)'; Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3
Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989                       October 1989 'Television without frontiers' (OJ N°
'Television without frontiers' (OJ N° L 298,                 L298, 17.10.1989, p. 15).
17.10.1989, p. 15).
(10)       COM(93)708 final of 3 February 1994.              (10) Fourth Framework Programme of the European
                                                             Community activities in the field of research and
                                                             technological development and demonstration (1994
                                                             to 1998), adopted by the Decision N° 1110/94/EC of
                                                             the European Parliament and of the Council of 26
                                                             April 1994 (OJN°L 126, 18.5.1994, p.l)
(11)       Council Decision of 6 December 1994 (OJ Nc        (11) COM(93)708 final du 3 février 1994.
     L340, 29.12.1994, p.8).
                                                         /)£
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas progress of this programme should be            Whereas progress of this programme should be
continuously and systematically monitored with a        continuously and systematically monitored with a
view to adapting it, where appropriate, to              view to adapting it, where appropriate, to
developments in the multimedia content market;          developments in the multimedia content market;
whereas in due course there should be an                whereas in due course there should be an
independent evaluation of the progress of the           independent evaluation of the progress of the
programme so as to provide the background               programme so as to provide the background
information needed in order to determine the            information needed in order to determine the
objectives for subsequent content policy actions;       objectives for subsequent content policy actions;
whereas at the end of this programme there shall be     whereas at the end of this programme there shall be
a final evaluation of results obtained compared with    a final evaluation of results obtained compared with
the objectives set out in this Decision;                the objectives set out in this Decision;
Whereas the actions in this programme will not in       Whereas the actions in this programme will not in
any way prejudice the competition rules of the          any way prejudice the competition rules of the
Community;                                              Community;
Whereas it may be appropriate to engage in              Whereas the activities which may prove useful in
international      co-operation      activities with    international     cooperation     with   international
international organisations and third countries for     organizations and third countries for the purpose of
the purpose of implementing this programme;             implementing this programme should be undertaken
                                                        with due regard to the criterion of mutual advantage;
Whereas it is necessary to fix the duration of the      Whereas it is necessary to fix the duration of the
programme;                                              programme;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION                               HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION
(12)     Fourth Framework Programme of the           (12)     Council Decision of 6 December 1994 (OJ Nc
European Community activities in the field of           L340, 29.12.1994, p.8).
research and technological development and
demonstration (1994 to 1998), adopted by the
Decision N° 1110/94/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council of 26 April 1994 (OJ N° L 126,
18.5.1994, p.l)
(13)     COM(94) 207 final of 3 June 1994               (13) COM(94) 207 final of 3 June 1994
                                                         43
 ---pagebreak--- Article 1                                                     Article 1
A programme is hereby adopted with the following              A programme is hereby adopted with the following
objectives:                                                   objectives:
• Stimulate demand for, and use of, multimedia                • Stimulate demand for, and use of, multimedia
content,                                                      content,
• Create favourable conditions for the development            • Create favourable conditions for the development
of the European multimedia content industry,                  of the European multimedia content industry,
• Contribute to the professional, social and cultural         • Contribute to the professional, social and cultural
development of the citizens of Europe.                        development of the citizens of Europe.
Article 2                                                     Article 2
In order to attain the objectives referred to in Article      In order to attain the objectives referred to in Article
 1, the following actions shall be undertaken under            1, the following actions shall be undertaken under
the guidance of the Commission, in accordance with            the guidance of the Commission, in accordance with
the action lines in Annex I and the detailed                  the action lines in Annex I and the detailed
implementation arrangements set out in Annex III:             implementation arrangements set out in Annex III:
• stimulating demand and raising awareness,                   • stimulating demand and raising awareness,
• exploiting Europe's public sector information,              • making good use by the multimedia industry of
                                                              information held by the public sector,
• triggering European multimedia potential,                   • triggering European multimedia potential,
• support actions.                                            • support actions.
Article 3                                                     Article 3
The programme shall cover a period of four years              The programme shall cover a period of four years
from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1999.                      from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1999.
Article 4                                                     Article 4
 1. The Commission shall be responsible for the                1. The Commission shall be responsible for the
implementation of the programme.                              implementation of the programme and for the
                                                              decisions to grant Community financial aid to the
                                                              projects selected.
2. The procedure laid down in Article 5 shall apply           2. The procedure laid down in Article 5 shall apply
to:                                                           to:
• the work programme,                                         • the work programme,
• the breakdown of the budgetary expenditure,
• the content of calls for proposals,                         • the content of calls for proposals,
• the measures for programme evaluation,                      • the measures for programme evaluation,
• any departure from the rules set out in Annex III,          • any departure from the rules set out in Annex III,
• participation in any project by legal entities from         •consideration of the objective             information
third countries and international organisations.              facilitating the participation in any project by legal
                                                              entities from third countries and international
                                                              organizations.
Article 5                                                     Article 5
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee            1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee
of an advisory nature composed of the                         of an advisory nature composed of the
representatives of the Member States and chaired by           representatives of the Member States and chaired by
the representative of the Commission.                         the representative of the Commission.
                                                         /)V|
 ---pagebreak--- 2. The Commission representative shall submit to          2. The Commission representative shall submit to
the committee a draft of measures to be taken. The        the committee a draft of measures to be taken. The
committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft          committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft
within a time limit which the chairman may lay            within a time limit which the chairman may lay
down according to the urgency of the matter               down according to the urgency of the matter
concerned, if necessary by taking a vote.                 concerned, if necessary by taking a vote.
3. The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in       3. The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in
addition, each Member State shall have the right to       addition, each Member State shall have the right to
ask to have its position recorded in the minutes.         ask to have its position recorded in the minutes.
4. The Commission shall take the utmost account of        4. The Commission shall take the utmost account of
the opinion delivered by the committee. It shall          the opinion delivered by the committee. It shall
inform the committee of the manner in which its           inform the committee of the manner in which its
opinion has been taken into account.                      opinion has been taken into account.
Article 6                                                 Article 6
At the mid-term and at the end of the programme,          At the mid-term and at the end of the programme,
the Commission shall submit to the European               the Commission shall submit to the European
Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social          Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions, once          Committee and the Committee of the Regions, once
the committee referred to in Article 5 has examined       the committee referred to in Article 5 has examined
it, an evaluation report drawn up by independent          it, an evaluation report drawn up by independent
experts on the results obtained in implementing the       experts on the results obtained in implementing the
action lines referred to in Article 2. The Commission     action lines referred to in Article 2. The Commission
may present, on the basis of those results, proposals     may present, on the basis of those results, proposals
for adjusting the orientation of the programme.           for adjusting the orientation of the programme.
Article 7                                                 Article 7
Participation in this programme may be open,              Participation in the programme may be open,
normally without financial support by the                 without financial support from the Union budget, to
 Community, to legal entities established in third        legal entities established in third countries and to
countries and to international organisations, where       international organizations, where such participation
 such participation contributes effectively to the        contributes effectively to the implementation of the
 implementation of the programme and taking into          programme and taking into account the principle of
 account the principle of mutual benefit.                 mutual benefit.
 Article 8                                                 Article 8
 This Decision is addressed to the Member States.         This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
 Done at Brussels,                                         Done at Brussels,
 For the Council                                           For the Council
 The President                                                   The President
                                                      /ir
 ---pagebreak---                        ANNEXI                                                    ANNEX I
          ACTION LINES FOR INFO2000                                 ACTION LINES FOR INFO2000
ACTION LINE 1: Stimulating demand and raising             ACTION LINE 1: Stimulating demand and raising
awareness                                                 awareness
Lack of awareness of the potential of the new             Lack of awareness of the potential of the new
multimedia information products and services is an        multimedia information products and services is an
important factor constraining demand. This action         important factor constraining demand. This action
line contributes to redressing that situation by adding   line contributes to redressing that situation by adding
a European dimension to awareness and user-group          a European dimension to awareness and user-group
activities taking place at the national or regional       activities taking place at the national or regional
level. Specific attention will be given to favouring      level. These awareness-raising activities must also
demand development in less-favoured and peripheral        extend to members of the public who could easily be
regions of the Union.                                     sidelined on account of their personal or social
                                                          circumstances. Specific attention will be given to
                                                          encouraging demand development with certain user
                                                          groups and in less-favoured and peripheral regions
                                                          of the Union.
1.1. Creating new markets by raising awareness at         1.1. Creating new markets by raising awareness at
the European level with specific user groups              the European level with specific user groups
Under the IMPACT programme a network of                   Under the IMPACT programme a network of
organisations in the Member States has been created       organisations in the Member States has been created
that have a responsibility for conducting awareness       that have a responsibility for conducting awareness
and information campaigns in relation to new              and information campaigns in relation to new
information services. In different Member States this     information services. In different Member States this
role is performed by different organisations like         role is performed by different organisations like
chambers of commerce, professional organisations or       chambers of commerce, professional organisations or
public bodies. By working in a European network           public       bodies.     By      working       in     a
these organisations are able to add a European            European/international network these organisations
dimension to their activities.                            are able to add a European/international dimension
                                                          to their activities.
Under INFO2000 this successful formula will be            Under INFO2000 this successful formula will be
continued and extended. The involvement of the            continued and extended. The involvement of the
Community in the network as a catalyst and a co-          Community in the network as a catalyst and a co-
ordinator adds value to the individual activities and     ordinator adds value to the individual activities and
puts these activities in a clear European context.        puts these activities in a clear European context.
Apart from financial support for specific activities      Apart from financial support for specific activities
with a European dimension the Commission will             with a European dimension the Commission will
encourage the exchange of know-how and                    encourage the exchange of know-how and
experience, the use of common communication and           experience, the use of common communication and
information facilities, and co-operation between the      information facilities, and co-operation between the
various organisations in joint projects.                  various organisations in joint projects.
The organisations in the network will perform the         The organisations in the network will perform the
following tasks:                                          following tasks:
• provide access to information collections and           • provide access to information collections and
catalogues across the European Union;                     catalogues across the European Union;
• demonstrate and facilitate access to the European       • demonstrate and facilitate access to the European
information highways;                                     information highways;
• advise users on the possible sources for satisfying     • advise users on the possible sources for satisfying
their multimedia content needs, both nationally and       their multimedia content needs, both nationally and
internationally;                                          internationally;
                                                        s\G
 ---pagebreak--- • organise co-ordinated European awareness                • organise co-ordinated European awareness
campaigns at the national or regional level;              campaigns at the national or regional level;
• stimulate the training of users.                        • stimulate the training of users.
The main target groups for the actions will be small      The main target groups for the actions will be small
and medium-sized companies and libraries. The             and       medium-sized        companies,      libraries,
actual selection of specific target groups will be left   documentation centres and contact points and
to the national and regional organisations concerned,     information desks. On the basis of these criteria, the
since they are closest to the target groups.              national and regional organizations concerned, since
                                                          they are closest to these target groups, will carry out
                                                          the actual selection.
Following a call for proposals a total of 30 to 50        Following a call for proposals a total of 30 to 50
organisations will be selected to participate in the      organisations will be selected to participate in the
network. Selection criteria will include knowledge of     network. Selection criteria will include knowledge of
the local information market, affinity with the target    the local information market, affinity with the target
groups foreseen and readiness to work in a European       groups foreseen and readiness to work in a European
network. Actions which aim to stimulate women's           network. Actions which aim to stimulate women's
interests in new information services are encouraged.     interests in new information services are encouraged.
The network will co-operate with other relevant           The network will co-operate with other relevant
national organisations. It will liaise closely with       national organisations. It will liaise closely with
other EU supported bodies and networks that have a        other EU supported bodies and networks that have a
complementary mission, such as the Information            complementary mission, such as the Information
Society Project Office (ISPO), the European               Society Project Office (ISPO), the European
Information Centres (EICs), the Business Co-              Information Centres (EICs), the Business Co-
operation Network (BC-NET), the Value Relay               operation Network (BC-NET), the Value Relay
Centres and the University Enterprise Training            Centres and the University Enterprise Training
Partnerships (UETPs). Organisations from these            Partnerships (UETPs). Organisations from these
networks could be selected in the call for proposals.     networks could be selected in the call for proposals.
Efforts will be made to avoid parallel or overlapping     Efforts will be made to avoid parallel or overlapping
networks. Synergy and spin-offs will be sought with       networks. Synergy and spin-offs will be sought with
other awareness activities performed under the 4th        other awareness activities performed under the 4th
Framework research          programme such as the         Framework research         programme such as the
Advanced      Communication Technologies and              Advanced Communication Technologies and
Services and Telematics applications programmes.          Services and Telematics applications programmes.
1.2. Encouraging clusters of pan-European users           1.2. Encouraging clusters of pan-European users
A flourishing demand side is important for the            A flourishing demand side is important for the
development of a healthy market for advanced              development of a healthy market for advanced
information products and services such as                 information products and services such as
multimedia. In view of the rapid changes taking           multimedia. In view of the rapid changes taking
place in the information market, regular dialogue         place in the information market, regular dialogue
between suppliers and users can smooth the                between suppliers and users can smooth the
transition process. In general the supply side tends to   transition process. In general the supply side tends to
be better organised than the user side, both at the       be better organised than the user side, both at the
national and at the European level. In two of the         national and at the European level. In two of the
three sectors that compose the multimedia industry -      three sectors that compose the multimedia industry -
information technology and telecommunications -           information technology and telecommunications -
the user side is increasingly organising itself both at   the user side is increasingly organising itself both at
the national and at the European level.                   the national and at the European level.
                                                        ^
 ---pagebreak--- In the third sector of the multimedia industry - the         In the third sector of the multimedia industry - the
content industry - the demand side is much less              content industry - the demand side is much less
organised and is fragmented. Historically, the               organised and is fragmented. Historically, the
relationship between the content providers and the           relationship between the content providers and the
users has been indirect, i.e. through intermediaries.        users has been indirect, i.e. through intermediaries.
However, under the influence of the new                      However, under the influence of the new
communication networks this situation is changing.           communication networks this situation is changing.
The need to develop direct relations between                 The need to develop direct relations between
suppliers and users is increasingly being felt in the        suppliers and users is increasingly being felt in the
content sector also. At the national level,                  content sector also. At the national level,
professional organisations and industry sector               professional organisations and industry sector
organisations are beginning to address the issue.            organisations are beginning to address the issue.
However, for a successful development of the                 However, for a successful development of the
European multimedia content market it is important           European multimedia content market it is important
that groupings of users also emerge at the European          that groupings of users also emerge at the European
level.                                                       level.
The actions foreseen under INFO2000 aim to                   The actions foreseen under INFO2000 aim to
stimulate this process by providing incentives for co-       stimulate this process by providing incentives for co-
operation and exchange of experience between                 operation and exchange of experience between
national user groups, thereby encouraging the                national user groups, thereby encouraging the
emergence of European groupings. Specific                    emergence of European groupings. Specific
measures will be tailored to address key user                measures will be tailored to address key user
problems, for example quality assurance and                  problems, for example quality assurance and
questions of liability. The network of awareness             questions of liability. The network of awareness
organisations will be used to analyse the situation in       organisations will be used to analyse the situation in
individual Member States and will play a catalytic           individual Member States and will play a catalytic
role in bringing about pan-European user groups.             role in bringing about pan-European user groups.
ACTION LINE 2: Exploiting Europe's public                    ACTION LINE 2: Making good use by the
sector information                                           multimedia industry of information held by the
                                                             public sector
Europe's public sector information is a hidden               Europe's public sector information is a substantial
resource to be exploited. The public sector collects         resource to be made use of by the multimedia
and produces vast amounts of information, much of            industry. The public sector collects and produces vast
which is of interest to individuals and businesses,          amounts of information, which can be the raw
and which can be the raw material for value-added            material for value-added information services for the
information services produced by the private sector          benefit of individuals and businesses. Official
content industry. Official statistical services either at    statistical services either at regional, national or
regional, national or European level are an example.         European level are an example.
Three sets of actions will be particularly helpful in        Three sets of actions will be particularly helpful in
supporting this public sector role and in exploiting         supporting this public sector role and in exploiting
its potential at European level:                             its potential at European level:
• developing policies to access and exploit public           • developing policies to access and exploit public
sector information,                                          sector information,
• linking directories of European public sector              • linking directories of European public sector
information,                                                 information,
• making use of content resources in the public              • making use of content resources in the public
sector.                                                      sector.
Particular attention will be given to improving              Particular attention will be given to improving
access from the peripheral regions of the Union.             access from the peripheral regions of the Union.
2.1. Developing policies to access and exploit               2.1. Developing policies to access and exploit
European public sector information                           European public sector information
                                                          A%
 ---pagebreak--- In the Member States, rules for access to public          In the Member States, rules for access to public
sector information are very different or in some cases    sector information are very different or in some cases
do not exist at all. As the transition to the             do not exist at all. As the transition to the
information society progresses, this situation could      information society progresses, this situation could
become a barrier to full participation by individuals     become a barrier to full participation by individuals
and businesses across Europe and may become the           and businesses across Europe and may become the
cause of unevenly distributed opportunities.              cause of unevenly distributed opportunities.
Therefore, initiatives need to be taken at the            Therefore, initiatives need to be taken at the
European level to develop policies which facilitate       European level to develop policies which facilitate
access to and exploitation of public sector held          access to and exploitation of public sector held
information, in particular as regards information         information, in particular as regards information
resources of European interest.                           resources of European interest. Particular attention
                                                          will be given to the legal conditions for transferring
                                                          public sector information to the private sector, in
                                                          order to preserve and safeguard the public sector's
                                                          rights on information which it collects and produces.
The Commission will produce, in close collaboration       The Commission will produce, in close collaboration
with Member States and market actors, a Green             with the Member States and market actors, a Green
Paper analysing the situation in the different            Paper analysing the situation in the different
Member States, the relative position of the EU in a       Member States, the relative position of the EU in a
global context and the various possibilities for          global context and the various possibilities for
convergence of national approaches. To lay the            convergence of national approaches. To lay the
foundations for this Green Paper, studies comparing       foundations for this Green Paper, studies comparing
national situations will be undertaken and exchanges      national situations will be undertaken and exchanges
of national experience will be encouraged.                of experience will be encouraged. In this context, the
                                                          experience that emerges following the Commission
                                                          Communication on universal service should be taken
                                                          into account.
                                                          On the basis of the Green Paper, the Commission
                                                          will submit proposals to ensure the convergence of
                                                          national proposals and to strengthen the rules
                                                          governing access to public sector information.
                                                          It should be noted that the development of the
                                                          information systems of libraries and information
                                                          services will promote the use of content, since these
                                                          services themselves produce important information
                                                          about information (secondary information) by
                                                          recording the materials produced in a variety of
                                                          areas.
2.2. Linking directories of European public sector        2.2. Linking directories of European public sector
information                                               information
In a number of Member States practical initiatives        In a number of Member States practical initiatives
are being taken to improve access to public sector        are being taken to improve access to public sector
information. In the European information society it       information. In the European information society it
must be ensured that the relevant public sector           must be ensured that the relevant public sector
information becomes more easily accessible to all         information becomes more easily accessible to all
European individuals and businesses that may have         European individuals and businesses that may have
an interest in such information.                          an interest in such information.
The Commission will support initiatives to produce        The Commission will support initiatives to produce
directories of European public sector information to      directories of European public sector information to
a common format, so that they can be interlinked          a common format, so that they can be interlinked
and easily accessed from any point in Europe.             and easily accessed from any point in Europe.
                                                       /)2>
 ---pagebreak--- Following a call for proposals, pilot projects for the     Following a call for proposals, pilot projects for the
production      of information       directories   that    production      of information       directories   that
incorporate the above characteristics will be              incorporate the above characteristics will be
supported. These pilot projects may address the            supported. These pilot projects shall make it a
transnational interconnection of existing national or      priority to address the transnational interconnection
regional information directories as well as the            of existing national or regional information
collaborative production of new directories. Pilot         directories and the collaborative production of new
projects based on public/private partnerships and          directories, depending particularly on their degree of
applying multilingual solutions will be particularly       economic and social usefulness. Pilot projects
encouraged.                                                applying multilingual solutions will be particularly
                                                           encouraged.
2.3. Making use of content resources in the public         2.3. Making use of content resources in the public
sector                                                     sector
Europe is blessed with a rich stock of what might be       Europe is blessed with a rich stock of what might be
called "information collections" under public sector       called "information collections" under public sector
control, for instance in museums, libraries, copyright     control, for instance in museums, libraries, copyright
and patent deposit systems, educational and training       and patent deposit systems, educational and training
bodies, historical archives and architectural and          bodies, historical archives and architectural and
industrial objects. These information collections          industrial objects. These information collections
need to be exploited if Europe is to build on these        need to be exploited if Europe is to build on these
cultural and economic assets commercially and if           cultural and economic assets commercially and if
Europe is to realise the potential of advanced             Europe is to realise the potential of advanced
technologies in support of public sector services.         technologies in support of public sector services.
They are central to the Union's strength in the global     They are central to the Union's strength in the global
information society and their commercial and               information society and their commercial and
strategic potential has already been underlined by a       strategic potential has already been underlined by a
scries of deals transferring control over some of them     series of deals transferring control over some of them
to private companies, not all of which have been           to private companies, not all of which have been
European.                                                  European.
Most of these information collections are still in         The INFO2000 programme aims to facilitate the
analogue form but they are increasingly being              transfer of these information collections to digital
digitised. The INFO2000 programme aims at                  form as well as their valorisation and exploitation.
mobilising these digital collections for exploitation
by the private sector.
To this end the Commission will support the creation       To this end the Commission will support the creation
of European inventories of digital information             of European inventories of digital information
collections and stimulate their interconnection across     collections and stimulate their interconnection across
the EU. This involves defining a common standard           the EU. This involves defining a common standard
format for such inventories as well as integrating         format for such inventories as well as integrating
them with intellectual property rights trading             them with intellectual property rights trading
systems. Support for the creation of inventories and       systems. Support for the creation of inventories and
their integration with intellectual property rights        their integration with intellectual property rights
trading systems will be provided on the basis of calls     trading systems will be provided on the basis of calls
for proposals. Related standards and specifications        for proposals. Related standards and specifications
will be developed through studies and through task         will be developed through studies and through task
groups composed of the actors involved.                    groups composed of the actors involved.
ACTION        LINE       3:   Triggering      European     ACTION        LINE       3:   Triggering      European
multimedia potential                                       multimedia potential
                                                        do
 ---pagebreak--- The transition from "scribe to screen" is rapidly and    The transition from "scribe to screen" is rapidly and
fundamentally changing the structure of the content      fundamentally changing the structure of the content
industry and the roles of the different players within   industry and the roles of the different players within
it. Internationalisation and multimedia are key words    it. Internationalisation and multimedia are key words
in this respect. Content itself and new ways of          in this respect. Content itself and new ways of
creating, packaging, distributing and marketing it       creating, packaging, distributing and marketing it
are increasingly becoming the key drivers behind         are increasingly becoming the key drivers behind
these changes.                                           these changes. The development of new software
                                                         packages and new computerized resources, in
                                                         conjunction with the Community programmes on
                                                         information technologies, is essential if multimedia
                                                         authors are to create attractive and user-friendly
                                                         products in the best possible conditions of
                                                         productivity which make full use of the true potential
                                                         of the multimedia industry.
                                                         The rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe
                                                         can be used as a means of strengthening European
                                                         competitiveness.
Coping with these changes and exploiting the             Coping with these changes and exploiting the
opportunities that emerge is primarily the               opportunities that emerge is primarily the
responsibility of the industries concerned. However,     responsibility of the industries concerned, the
apart from a limited number of large corporations        present-day content sector is made up not only of
that operate on a global scale, the present day          large corporations that operate on aglobal scale and
content sector in Europe is mainly made up of small      are expected to play a determining role in the
and medium size companies. These have difficulty in      development of the multimedia industry but also of a
dealing with a rapidly developing international          large number of small and medium-sized companies
multimedia market and the speed with which the           which are often inventive and dynamic but often
changes take place. In addition the initial cost of      have limited financial resources for the high initial
producing high quality multimedia titles is high and     investment needed to produce and distribute high-
the European market fragmented through cultural          quality multimedia titles.
and linguistic barriers. The critical mass needed to     Hence the purpose of INFO2000 is to establish the
recoup initial investments is therefore much more        conditions to achieve real synergy in industrial terms
difficult to reach.                                      between the large multimedia corporations and small
                                                         businesses. This industrial policy must also seek to
                                                         meet the specific needs of a culturally and
                                                         linguistically fragmented European multimedia
                                                         market.
This puts European multimedia publishers,                This puts European multimedia publishers,
traditionally used to operating in a national or         traditionally used to operating in a national or
regional setting, at a disadvantage compared with        regional setting, at a disadvantage compared with
their competitors from other parts of the world.         their competitors from other parts of the world.
Exploitation of the single market potential will         Exploitation of the single market potential will
become vital for global competitiveness.                 become vital for global competitiveness.
This action line aims at mitigating these comparative    This action line aims at creating the best possible
disadvantages for European producers in the              environment to favour the development of the
emerging multimedia market by:                           multimedia industry in Europe and mitigate the
                                                         comparative disadvantages of the European market
                                                         by:
• catalysing high quality European multimedia                 stimulating the production of European
content,                                                 multimedia products, incorporating the specific
                                                         characteristics of language and culture,
• favouring a practical approach to trading              • favouring a practical approach to trading
multimedia rights                                        multimedia rights
• developing and exchanging best business practice       • developing and exchanging best business practice
                                                       Zs\
 ---pagebreak--- 3.1 Catalysing high quality European multimedia           3.1 Stimulating the production of European
content                                                   multimedia products, incorporating the specif c
                                                          characteristics of language and culture
The production of high quality European multimedia        The production of high quality European multimedia
content will be stimulated in three strategic areas:      content will be stimulated in three strategic areas :
economic exploitation of Europe's cultural heritage,      economic exploitation of Europe's cultural heritage,
business services for SMEs, and geographic                business services for SMEs, and geographic
information. Under the IMPACT programme pilot             information.      Pilot actions under the Impact
actions in these areas have illustrated the problems      programme have revealed the importance of a co-
connected with a pan-European approach and have           ordinated approach to implementing these objectives
laid the foundations for further actions under            in a pan-European context.
INFO2000.
Multilingual interactive multimedia products can          Multilingual interactive multimedia products can
build on the wealth of available European content,        build on the wealth of available European content,
while overcoming language barriers and other              while overcoming language barriers and other
limitations of national and regional markets. Apart       limitations of national and regional markets. Apart
from the economic benefits, strong European               from the economic benefits, strong European
business activity in this area is likely to contribute to business activity in this area is likely to contribute to
the safeguarding of cultural identity and linguistic      the safeguarding of cultural identity and linguistic
diversity. It will also increase the public's             diversity. It will also increase the public's
understanding of European cultural diversity across       understanding of European cultural diversity across
the Member States and regions.                            the Member States and regions.
In the areas indicated above - European cultural          In the areas indicated above - European cultural
heritage, business services for SMEs and geographic       heritage, business services for SMEs and geographic
information - calls for proposals will be launched to     information - calls for proposals will be launched to
provide support to the initial and pre-commcrcial         provide support to the initial and pre-commercial
phases of pan-European multimedia content                 phases of pan-European multimedia content
developments. The support given should help the           developments. The support given should help the
companies concerned overcome the specific barriers        companies concerned overcome the specific barriers
with respect to multilingual and multicultural (re)use    with respect to multilingual and multicultural (re)usc
of content and to trans-national co-operation. These      of content and to trans-national co-operation. These
initial phases would include product definition,          initial phases would include product definition,
partner identification, cross-licensing negotiation,      partner identification, cross-licensing negotiation,
planning of co-operative distribution etc. up to and      planning of co-operative distribution etc. up to and
including the production of a prototype.                  including the production of a prototype.
Support will be given to projects that demonstrate        The Info 2000 programme will promote the
the feasibility of a trans-European multilingual and      development of multimedia products that are easily
multicultural approach, contain a risk element, exert     adaptable from one Member State to the other, in
a strong catalytic effect on the market and imply         both linguistic and cultural terms. Support will be
substantial user involvement. Special add-on              given to projects that demonstrate the feasibility of a
incentives can be provided to encourage participation     trans-European multilingual and multicultural
by small and medium sized companies and                   approach, contain a risk element, exert a strong
organisations from less favoured and peripheral           catalytic effect on the market and imply substantial
regions.                                                  user involvement. Special add-on incentives can be
                                                          provided to encourage participation by small and
                                                          medium sized companies and organisations from less
                                                          favoured and peripheral regions.
The calls for proposals will be co-ordinated closely      The calls for proposals will be co-ordinated closely
with the Community programmes RAPHAËL and                 with the Community programmes RAPHAËL and
the Integrated Programme in favour of SMEs and the        the Integrated Programme in favour of SMEs and the
craft sector, as well as with the sectoral policy         craft sector, as well as with the sectoral policy
actions in the areas of Trade, Tourism and Social         actions in the areas of Trade, Tourism and Social
Economics.                                                Economics.
3.2. Trading multimedia intellectual property rights      3.2. Trading multimedia intellectual property rights
                                                           LI
 ---pagebreak--- Historically, the management of rights is organised       Historically, the management of rights is organised
by sector (text, sound, image, video etc.) and by         by sector (text, sound, image, video etc.) and by
country. With the dawning of the multimedia age           country. With the dawning of the multimedia age
this situation is increasingly becoming a barrier to      this situation is increasingly becoming a barrier to
the development of multimedia content markets, as         the development of multimedia content markets, as
the time and effort that has to be spent on identifying   the time and effort that has to be spent on identifying
and acquiring the different rights increases steeply      and acquiring the different rights increases steeply
with the number of data types involved and the            with the number of data types involved and the
number of countries where right holders are located.      number of countries where right holders are located.
Small companies and new media start-ups suffer            Small companies and new media start-ups suffer
most from the present system as they may wish to re-      most from the present system as they may wish to re-
use existing material.                                    use existing material.
The development of pan-European multimedia                The development of pan-European multimedia
content often requires input from various Member          content often requires input from various Member
States. Effective and efficient mechanisms for            States. Effective and efficient mechanisms for
trading multimedia rights at the European level are       trading multimedia rights at the European level are
therefore essential for the development of the            therefore essential for the development of the
European multimedia content industry.                     European multimedia content industry.
A call for proposals will be launched inviting            A call for proposals will be launched inviting
proposals for pilot projects that lay the foundations     proposals for pilot projects that lay the foundations
for cross-border trading of multimedia rights             for cross-border trading of multimedia rights
electronically. In addition, studies will be launched     electronically. In addition, studies will be launched
to determine how different intellectual property          to determine how different intellectual property
rights trading systems for multimedia in Europe can       rights trading systems for multimedia in Europe can
work together. As an aid to small and medium sized        work together. As an aid to small and medium sized
companies practical tools will be developed on best       companies practical tools will be developed on best
practices to acquire, exploit and protect multimedia      practices to acquire, exploit and protect multimedia
rights. The actions will build on the relevant            rights. The actions will build on the relevant
research and technological development activities         research and technological development activities
under the Fourth Framework Programme.                     under the Fourth Framework Programme.
Although the difficulty of reaching consensus should      Although the difficulty of reaching consensus should
not be underestimated, in the longer term,                not be underestimated, in the longer term,
harmonisation      and    rationalisation   of legal      harmonisation      and    rationalisation   of legal
requirements may be necessary.                            requirements may be necessary.
3.3. Developing and exchanging best practice              3.3. Developing and exchanging best practice
Actions will be supported that aim at developing and      Actions will be supported that aim at developing and
exchanging best business practice in the multimedia       exchanging best business practice in the multimedia
content industry at the European level. Such actions      content industry at the European level. In particular,
will include descriptions of business processes and       the development of multimedia services which could
models relevant to the content industry, such as          support the operations of SMEs should be promoted.
procedures for intellectual property acquisition and      Such actions will include descriptions of business
content asset valuation and management, and               processes and models relevant to the content
exchange of experiences with multimedia consumer          industry, such as procedures for intellectual property
panels to test and evaluate multimedia products and       acquisition and content asset valuation and
services.                                                 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        These activities will be implemented by means of a
combination of studies, workshops, seminars and           combination of studies, workshops, seminars and
publications. The relevant organisations in the           publications. The relevant organisations in the
European content industry will be closely involved.       European content industry will be closely involved.
4. Support actions                                        4. Support actions
                                                        Z 3
 ---pagebreak--- The programme support actions aim at amplifying        The programme support actions aim to underpin the
the effects of the core actions of the programme by    core goals of the programme and to reinforce the
addressing a number of horizontal issues relevant for  effects of its principal measures. These measures
the programme as a whole.                              take account of the importance of developing a
                                                       legislative context that encourages harmonization
                                                       and standardization.
4.1. Observing and analysing the            multimedia 4.1. Observing and analysing          the   multimedia
content market                                         content market
At regular intervals senior experts from the content   At regular intervals senior experts from the content
industry, from user communities and from Member        industry, from user communities and from Member
States will be convened to monitor, analyse and        States will be convened to monitor, analyse and
discuss the impact of multimedia on the content        discuss the impact of multimedia on the content
industry and on the different actors in the            industry and on the different actors in the
information value chain. When organising these         information value chain. When organising these
meetings modern multimedia information and             meetings modern multimedia information and
communication facilities will be used where possible.  communication facilities will be used where possible.
The composition of the meetings will reflect the       The composition of the meetings will reflect the
various segments of content creation, distribution     various segments of content creation, distribution
and use within the European Union, as well as the      and use within the European Union, as well as the
many regulatory aspects (e.g. personal data            many regulatory aspects (e.g. personal data
protection) affecting the content dimension. They      protection) affecting the content dimension. They
will thus serve as a focus for discussion, exchange of will thus serve as a focus for discussion, exchange of
experience and co-operation between the various        experience and co-operation between the various
sectors of the content industry, between European      sectors of the content industry, between European
and national policy makers, and between the supply     and national policy makers, and between the supply
and user sides of the content market.                  and user sides of the content market.
The meetings will focus on:                            The meetings will focus on:
• long-term scenarios, updated whenever justified by   • long-term scenarios, updated whenever justified by
major international developments in markets,           major international developments in markets,
technologies, industries and policies                  technologies, industries and policies
• key issues of common interest to market actors       • key issues of common interest to market actors
from different sectors and from different Member       from different sectors and from different Member
States, such as legal aspects and quality assurance    States, such as legal aspects and quality assurance
•     obstacles to      market     development     and •     obstacles to      market     development     and
recommendations to the industries, administrations     recommendations to the industries, administrations
and users to overcome them                             and users to overcome them
•     the    execution    of    INFO2000,      making  •     the    execution    of    INFO2000,      making
recommendations on orientations and priorities.        recommendations on orientations and priorities.
Studies will be carried out to monitor changes in the  Studies will be carried out to monitor changes in the
European and global content markets and provide in-    European and global content markets and provide in-
depth analysis of key issues.                          depth analysis of key issues.
4. 2. Spreading the use of multimedia content          4. 2. Spreading the use of multimedia content
standards                                              standards
Standards for the structuring and presentation of      Harmonization of standards is particularly relevant
information, and standards for content encoding,       to the provision of advanced information services to
including terminology, are essential in order to       European end-users. Standards for the structuring
facilitate the exchange of documents and               and presentation of information, and standards for
publications, and to enable the exploitation, access,  content encoding, including terminology, are
maintenance and re-use of content.                     essential in order to facilitate the exchange of
                                                       documents and publications, and to enable the
                                                       exploitation, access, maintenance and re-use of
                                                       content.
                                                         z If
 ---pagebreak--- The work started in this domain under the IMPACT       The work started in this domain under the IMPACT
programme will be continued and extended. Actions      programme will be continued and extended. Actions
will be supported that raise awareness of and          will be supported that raise awareness of and
stimulate the use of existing content standards        stimulate the use of existing content standards
through workshops and electronic fora and by           through workshops and electronic fora and by
publishing reports on paper and electronically.        publishing reports on paper and electronically.
4.3. Encouraging skills development at European        4.3. Encouraging skills development at European
level                                                  level
In order to stimulate skills development, the relevant In order to stimulate skills development, the relevant
European associations will be encouraged to develop    European associations will be encouraged to develop
and implement measures to equip the European           and implement measures to equip the European
content providers with the necessary skills to enter   content providers with the necessary skills to enter
the age of multimedia and interactivity. Actions to be the age of multimedia and inter-activity.            In
supported will normally be based on a three-staged     education too, greater attention must be devoted to
approach:                                              the European cultural and linguistic heritage, so that
                                                       at a later stage more use can be made of products
                                                       and services provided by the content industry. In
                                                       European technological education greater attention
                                                       must be devoted to multi-media aspects. Actions to
                                                       be supported will normally be based on a three-
                                                       staged approach:
• identification of the most urgent training needs     • identification of the most urgent training needs
• development of pilot courses to test the             • development of pilot courses to test the
effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed actions   effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed actions
• launching of the activities in the relevant parts of • launching of the activities in the relevant parts of
the content industry and in the educational and        the content industry and in the educational and
training systems.                                      training systems.
The first two steps could be supported under           The first two steps could be supported under
INFO2000. The third step would fall within the         INFO2000. The third step would fall within the
remit of programmes like SOCRATES and                  remit of programmes like SOCRATES and
LEONARDO, thus achieving important multiplier          LEONARDO, thus achieving important multiplier
effects.                                               effects.
The content industry will be extensively consulted in  The content industry will be extensively consulted in
order to identify urgent needs and key areas.          order to identify urgent needs and key areas.
Representatives of universities and vocational         Representatives of universities and vocational
training establishments will be closely associated     training establishments will be closely associated
with these initiatives. The role of the Community      with these initiatives. The role of the Community
will mainly consist of stimulating, co-ordinating and  will mainly consist of stimulating, co-ordinating and
enabling this process.                                 enabling this process.
                                                       cs
 ---pagebreak---                       ANNEX H                                              ANNEX II
         INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF                              INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF
                   EXPENDITURE                                          EXPENDITURE
1. Stimulating demand and raising awareness 30-      1. Stimulating demand and raising awareness 20-
40%                                                  30%
2. Exploiting Europe's public sector information 18- 2. Making good use by the multimedia industry of
23%                                                  information held by the public sector 18-23%
3. Triggering European multimedia potential 33-      3. Triggering European multimedia potential 43-
45%                                                  55%
4. Support actions 7-12%                             4. Support actions 7-12%
Total 100%                                           Total 100%
This breakdown docs not exclude the fact that a      This breakdown does not exclude the fact that a
project could relate to several activities.          project could relate to several activities.
                                                      U
 ---pagebreak---                         ANNEX m                                                 ANNEX III
        THE MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTING                             THE MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTING
                        INFO2000                                                INFO2000
 1. The Commission will implement the programme          1. The Commission will implement the programme
 in accordance with the technical content specified in   in accordance with the technical content specified in
 Annex I.                                                Annex I.
2. The programme will be executed through indirect       2. The programme will be executed through indirect
action and wherever possible on a shared-cost basis.     action and wherever possible on a shared-cost basis.
The Community's financial contribution for shared-      The Community's financial contribution for shared-
cost projects shall normally not exceed 50% of the      cost projects shall normally not exceed 50% of the
cost of the project, with progressively lower           cost of the project, with progressively lower
participation the nearer the project is to the market   participation the nearer the project is to the market
place. Special add-on incentives can be provided to     place. Special add-on incentives can be provided to
encourage participation by SMEs and less favoured       encourage participation by SMEs and less favoured
regions.                                                regions.
3. The selection of shared-cost projects will normally  3. The selection of shared-cost projects will normally
be based on the usual procedure of calls for proposals  be based on the usual procedure of calls for proposals
published in the Official Journal of the European       published in the Official Journal of the European
Communities. The content of the calls for proposals     Communities. The content of the calls for proposals
will be defined in close consultation with the          will be defined in close consultation with the
relevant experts and according to the procedure         relevant experts and according to the procedure
referred to in Article 5 of the Decision. The main      referred to in Article 5 of the Decision. The main
criterion for supporting projects through calls for     criterion for supporting projects through calls for
proposals will be their potential contribution to       proposals will be their potential contribution to
achieving the objectives of the programme.              achieving the objectives of the programme.
Implementation procedures will accommodate the          Implementation procedures will accommodate the
interests of all kinds of market operators and          interests of all kinds of market operators and
facilitate their participation in the programme.        facilitate their participation in the programme.
4. The Commission may also implement a more             4. The Commission may also implement a more
flexible funding scheme than the call for proposals     flexible funding scheme than the call for proposals
in order to provide incentives for the creation of      in order to provide incentives for the creation of
partnerships, in particular involving SMEs and          partnerships, in particular involving SMEs and
organisations in less favoured regions, or for other    organisations in less favoured regions, or for other
exploratory activities in different segments of the     exploratory activities in different segments of the
multimedia content market. This scheme might be         multimedia content market. This scheme might be
operated on a permanent basis.                          operated on a permanent basis.
5. The Commission will make provision for               5. The Commission will make provision for
considering in exceptional cases unsolicited project    considering in exceptional cases unsolicited project
proposals which involve a particularly promising        proposals which involve a particularly promising
and significant multimedia market development, a        and significant multimedia market development, a
highly innovative approach or an exceptional            highly innovative approach or an exceptional
technology or methodology, and which cannot be          technology or methodology, and which cannot be
submitted within the normal call for proposals          submitted within the normal call for proposals
procedure. The objective of avoiding market             procedure. The objective of avoiding market
distortion will be maintained.                          distortion will be maintained.
6. The detailed arrangements for the procedures         6. The detailed arrangements for the procedures
referred to under points 4 and 5 will be implemented    referred to under points 4 and 5 will be implemented
through the consultative committee procedure (type      through the consultative committee procedure (tjpe
I) and in accordance with the Commission's              I) and in accordance with the Commission's
financial regulations. They will be published in the    financial regulations. They will be published in the
Official Journal of the European Communities.           Official Journal of the European Communities.
                                                       £~r
 ---pagebreak--- 7. Projects fully financed by the Commission within     7. Projects fully financed by the Commission within
the framework of study and services contracts will be   the framework of study and services contracts will be
implemented through calls for tenders in accordance     implemented through calls for tenders in accordance
with the Commission's Financial Regulations.            with the current financial provisions. Transparency
Transparency will be achieved by publishing the         will be achieved by publishing the work programme
work programme and circulating it to trade              and circulating it to trade associations and other
associations and other interested bodies.               interested bodies.
8. For the implementation of the programme the          8. For the implementation of the programme the
Commission will also undertake preparatory,             Commission will also undertake preparatory,
accompanying and support activities designed to         accompanying and support activities designed to
achieve the general objectives of the programme and     achieve the general objectives of the programme and
the specific aims of each action line. This includes    the specific aims of each action line. This includes
activities such as: studies and consultancy in support  activities such as: studies and consultancy in support
of this programme; preliminary actions in               of this programme; preliminary actions in
preparation of future activities; measures aimed at     preparation of future activities; measures aimed at
facilitating participation in the programme as well as  facilitating participation in the programme as well as
facilitating access to the results produced under the   facilitating access to the results produced under the
programme; publications and activities for the          programme; publications and activities for the
dissemination, promotion and exploitation of results;   dissemination, promotion and exploitation of results;
analysis of possible socio-economic consequences        analysis of possible socio-economic consequences
associated with the programme; and support              associated with the programme; and support
activities such as observation and analysis of the      activities such as observation and analysis of the
multimedia content market, spreading the use of         multimedia content market, spreading the use of
multimedia content standards, and encouraging           multimedia content standards, and encouraging
skills development at European level.                   skills development at European level.
9. Participation in this programme by international     9. Participation in this programme by international
organisations may be financed, in exceptional cases,    organisations may be financed, in exceptional cases,
on the same basis as that of legal entities established on the same basis as that of legal entities established
in the Community.                                       in the Community.
                                                         10.A11 projects receiving financial support under the
                                                        INFO2000 programme will be required to display an
                                                        acknowledgement of the funding received.
                                                            2<g
 ---pagebreak---                                                                    ISSN 0254-1475
                                                             COM(96) 188 final
                                              DOCUMENTS
EN                                                                        15 10
                                     Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-196-EN-C
                                                              ISBN92-78-03164-X
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
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