Legal provisions of COM(1997)460 - Multiannual Community programme to stimulate the establishment of the information society in Europe (Information Society)

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dossier COM(1997)460 - Multiannual Community programme to stimulate the establishment of the information society in Europe (Information Society).
document COM(1997)460 EN
date October 10, 1997


Contents

Article 1

1. A programme (information society) is hereby adopted with the following objectives:

- increasing public awareness and understanding of the potential impact of the information society and its new applications,

- helping to establish the information society in Europe, by promoting widespread access to and familiarity in the use of new information services and applications,

- giving consideration to and making use of the worldwide dimension of the information society.

2. The programme shall cover a period from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2001.

3. The Budgetary Authority shall authorize the appropriations within the framework of the annual budgetary procedure and in compliance with the financial perspective.

4. The activities foreseen are actions of a cross-sectoral nature, complementing Community actions in other fields. None of these shall duplicate the work being carried out in these fields under other Community programmes.

Article 2

In order to attain the objectives referred to in Article 1, the following actions shall be undertaken:

(a) measures to raise awareness:

- the dissemination of information and promotion of actions aimed at a better understanding of the opportunities, benefits and possible risks of the information society,

- the gathering and identification of citizens' and users' needs, and the stimulation of the interest of industry, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in providing services and application to meet these needs,

- the demonstration of potential impacts of the information society at regional level, the promotion of exchange of relevant information between cities and regions, and giving visibility to the general public on concrete projects being implemented to service their needs,

- the organization and follow-up of forums on the development of the information society, advising the Commission on the challenges to overcome;

(b) measures to help establish the information society in Europe:

- the analysis of the technical, economic, social and regulatory aspects, the appraisal of the challenges raised by the transition to the information society, as well as the identification of actions necessary for the optimization of the socio economic benefits,

- the assessment of the opportunities and barriers which disadvantaged social groups and peripheral and less favoured regions may face in accessing and using information society products and services; the identification of appropriate measures to overcome these obstacles and to grasp the related benefits,

- the analysis of current initiatives at European and national level regarding provision of applications, based in particular on a permanent inventory of projects which facilitate the development of the information society,

- the provision of transparency, based in particular on a permanent inventory, concerning ongoing policies and programmes at European and national level,

- the contribution, on the basis of identified best programmes and practices, to the European wide take-up of successful examples in information society policies, projects and services,

- the promotion of synergy and cooperation between ongoing studies and activities at European and national level,

- the identification and evaluation of the financing mechanisms needed to develop the information society, in particular those able to help stimulate public/private partnerships for the deployment of applications of public interest,

- the indentification of obstacles to the functioning of the internal market in the area of the information society and the consideration of measures to guarantee the full benefit of the area without frontiers for its development,

- the launching of actions to ascertain the priorities of SMEs and regarding the obstacles hampering the use by SMEs of information technologies, in close coordination with Commission efforts to mobilize different groups of ICT users;

(c) measures to take into consideration and make use of the global dimension of the information society:

- the enhancement of visibility of the global dimension of the information society, in particular through an inventory of initiatives taken worldwide, the exchange of information with third countries, and notably with developing countries, and through the collaboration in the preparation of demonstration actions, either bilaterally or in collaboration with international organizations.

Article 3

In carrying out the objectives outlined in Article 1 and the actions defined in Article 2, the Commission can use any relevant means, and in particular:

- the award of contracts for the execution of tasks relating to analyses, exploratory studies, detailed studies of specific fields, realization of demonstration actions, as well as the coordination, evaluation and co-financing of actions,

- the organization, the participation in and the granting of support for metting of experts, conferences, consultations of persons or of groups having common interested, seminars, and the publication and the dissemination of information,

- the contribution to the activities of international organizations in relation to the information society, and in particular those aiming to encourage the access of the developing countries to the potential of the information society.

Article 4

1. The Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of the programme.

2. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee of an advisory nature composed of representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking a vote.

The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the right to request that its position be recorded in the minutes.

The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the committee. It shall inform the committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account.

Article 5

The procedure laid down in Article 4 (2) shall apply to:

- the adoption of the work programme,

- the criteria and content of calls for proposals,

- the assessment of the projects proposed under calls for proposals for Community funding and the estimated amount of the Community contribution for each project where this is equal to or more than ECU 500 000,

- the measures for programme evaluation,

- participation in any project by legal entities from third countries and international organizations.

Article 6

1. A mid-term evaluation report on the activities launched and results obtained will be presented by the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council after the first two years of the programme. On completion of the programme, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and the Council an evaluation report on the results obtained through implementing the actions referred to in Article 2.

2. Measures shall be taken to monitor the effectiveness of spending to date on moves to establish the information society in Europe to ensure best use of Community funds for future programmes.

3. The results of monitoring measures shall be made available to the advisory committee provided for in Article 4 (2).

Article 7

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.


(1) OJ C 51, 21. 2. 1997, p. 12.