CELEX: 51988PC0659
Language: en
Date: 1988-11-18
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ON HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION

14. 2. 89                            Official Journal of the European Communities                               No C 37/5
                                                            II
                                                     (Preparatory Acts)
                                                COMMISSION
                              Proposal for a Council Decision on high-definition television
                                                   COM(88) 659 final
                                   (Submitted by the Commission on 2 December 1988)
                                                       (89/C 37/05)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                         Whereas these initiatives should lead to closer
                                                                 cooperation at Community level between industry (the
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European            consumer and professional electronics industry and the
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235                TV and film production industry) and service providers
thereof,                                                         (terrestrial broadcasters, satellite TV stations, cable
                                                                 operators, cinema distributors);
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
                                                                 Whereas the Treaty has not provided the necessary
                                                                 specific powers,
Having regard      to   the  opinion   of   the  European
Parliament,
                                                                 HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Whereas high-definition television (HDTV) is of
strategic importance for the European consumer elec-                                      Article 1
tronics industry and for the European television and film
industries;                                                      The following objectives are hereby adopted as the basis
                                                                 of a comprehensive Community strategy for the intro-
                                                                 duction of high-definition television services in Europe:
Whereas a single world standard for the origination and
exchange of high-definition television programmes and
films is urgently required;                                      Objective 1
                                                                 To ensure that the European industry develops in time
Whereas European industry has developed, within the              all the necessary technology, components and equipment
Eureka framework, a suitable proposal for such a single          required for the progressive launching of H D T V services
world production standard;                                       throughout the 1990s.
Whereas prototype equipment built to this standard has           Objective 2
been successfully demonstrated at the September 1988
 Brighton International Broadcasting Convention;                  (i) To ensure that the European proposal based on the
                                                                      parameters 1 250 lines, 50 frames per second
Whereas 1992 may be set as a target date for the launch               progressive scanning, is adopted as the single world
of commercial equipment on the market and the                         standard for the origination and exchange of H D T V
beginnings of operational H D T V services;                           programme material; and
                                                                 (ii) to ensure that broadcast standards (which will be
Whereas a substantial promotion campaign needs to be
                                                                      different in 50 Hz and 60 H z countries) obey the
 launched immediately to prepare professional users and
                                                                      rules already laid down in CCIR recommendation
 the general TV viewing public for such a launch;
                                                                      601 and are thus easily convertible into each other.
Whereas there is an urgent requirement to prepare                Objective 3
 a strategy and action plan for the launch of
 European-wide H D T V services;
                                                                 To ensure the widest use of the European H D T V system
                                                                 throughout the world and the most favourable en-
 Whereas it is of great importance that all Member States        vironment for the sale of European H D T V equipment
 of the Community participate in these activities;                and programmes throughout the world.
 ---pagebreak---  No C 37/6                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                   14. 2. 89
 Objective 4                                                         — cable operators,
 To ensure the development of a strategy and action plan            — professional and consumer electronics          equipment
 for the progressive launch of H D T V services in Europe                 manufacturers,
 throughout the 1990s.
                                                                    — television and film production industry,
                           Article 2                                throughout the Community, and throughout Europe as a
 In order to attain the objectives referred to in Article 1,        whole, in close cooperation with the Eureka H D T V
 an action plan for the introduction of H D T V will be             project actors and coordinators.
 prepared, under the responsibility of the Commission in
 consultation with the:                                                                        Article 3
 — Member States' authorities,                                      On the basis of the results of the consultations, and on a
                                                                    proposal from the Commission, the Council shall decide
 — terrestrial broadcasters,                                        an action plan for the introduction of H D T V services.
                                                                    This action plan will also include mechanisms allowing
 — satellite TV stations,                                           European third countries to participate.
              Proposal for a Council Directive on the limitation of noise emission from civil subsonic jet
                                                           aeroplanes
                                                      COM(88) 662 final
                                     (Submitted by the Commission on 7 December 1988)
                                                         (89/C 37/06)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                            8 0 / 5 1 / E E C O , as amended by Directive 83/206/
                                                                    EEC (2), fixes limits on emission of such noise;
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European              Whereas the priority programme of the Council for the
Economic Community, and in particular Article 84 (2)               study of air transport questions refers to emissions from
thereof,                                                           aeroplanes including noise;
                                                                   Whereas the programme of action of the European
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                 Communities on the environment (3) shows clearly the
                                                                   importance of the problem of noise and, in particular,
                                                                   the need to take action against noise due to air traffic;
Having regard       to  the   opinion   of   the   European
Parliament,
                                                                   Whereas aeroplane noise should be further reduced,
                                                                   taking into account environmental factors, technical
                                                                   feasibility and economic consequences;
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee,
                                                                   Whereas, therefore, it is appropriate to restrict the
                                                                   addition of civil subsonic jet aeroplanes to Member
                                                                   States' registers to those which comply with the
Whereas the application of noise emission standards to             standards specified in Part II, Chapter 3, Volume 1 of
civil subsonic jet aeroplanes has significant consequences         Annex 16 to the Convention on International Civil
for the provision of air transport services in particular          Aviation, first edition (November 1981), and, in
where such standards impose restrictions on the type of            conjunction with the creation of an area without internal
aeroplanes that may be operated by airlines, encourage
investment in the latest and quietest aeroplanes available         (') OJ No L 18, 24. 1. 1980, p. 26.
and facilitate the better use of existing capacity,                (2) OJ No L 117, 4. 5. 1983, p. 15.
including that of airports; whereas Council Directive              (J) OJ No C 328, 7. 12. 1987, p. 1.