Annexes to COM(1995)224-2 - Series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunications networks (presented by the Commission) - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(1995)224-2 - Series of guidelines for trans-European telecommunications networks (presented by the Commission). |
|---|---|
| document | COM(1995)224  |
| date | June 17, 1997 |
IDENTIFICATION OF PROJECTS OF COMMON INTEREST
The trans-European telecommunications networks will open up the Community market to the new applications and services which will form the basis for the development of the information society. They are essential for supporting Community prosperity, creating jobs, and strengthening economic and social cohesion.
A three-layer model has generally been accepted as the most appropriate framework for describing trans-European telecommunications networks. The layers are:
- the Applications layer, through which users interact with generic services and basic networks to meet their professional, educational and social needs,
- the Generic Services layer, which is made up of compatible generic services and their management. Through support of the applications' common requirements, and by providing common tools for development and implementation of new applications, these services supplement applications whilst aiding their interoperability,
- the Basic Networks layer, which provides the physical access, transport and switching elements of the networks, including their management and signalling. These elements ensure trans-European network interconnectivity.
These three layers form a coherent structure, where applications are supported by the two lower layers: generic services and basic networks. In particular, applications cannot be offered in the absence of one of the other two layers; however, each layer should be sufficiently open to support any element of the layer immediately above. In this context, projects of common interest should be identified on the basis of their operational capability to support the objectives laid down in this Decision.
The following sections identify in each layer of the trans-European networks the projects of common interest that must be specified in accordance with Article 9 and under the procedure laid down in Article 8.
1. Applications
Applications will need to take account of linguistic requirements and will need to be interoperable to bring the maximum benefit to the users across the Community. Where this can be applicable, they shall take into account the specific needs of less developed or less populated regions. They must address the widest possible populations of users and demonstrate citizens' access to services of collective interest. For the benefit of disabled people, special requirements should be taken into account in the early stage of the planning of projects and with regard to access to services.
The projects of common interest for applications are:
- A network for universities and research centres: an advanced trans-European network carrying multimedia applications should be established, linking universities and research centres across Europe, with open access to their libraries.
- Distance education and training: advanced distance education and training services should be made accessible to schools, colleges, businesses and individuals. Centres should be set up and made remotely accessible across the Community in order to provide courseware and training services for SMEs, large companies, education systems, and public administrations. New approaches to all relevant aspects of education and training should be developed and promoted to facilitate the transition towards the information society.
- Health telematics: trans-European networks and applications based on common standards should be deployed, which would link on a Community scale all the partners of the health sector, in particular general practitioners, hospitals and public health centres.
- Transport telematics: full advantage should be taken of trans-European telecommunications networks to provide user-oriented services, in the domains of logistical support for transport industries and of the development of value added services, such as information services, integrated payment and reservation services, trip planning and route guidance, and freight and fleet management. In addition, transport telematics services in urban areas should be covered, taking into account standardization and interoperability requirements. The deployment of these services, based on advanced fixed and mobile telecommunications networks, should provide, wherever possible, the necessary complementarity and interoperability with the trans-European transport networks.
- Telematics for the environment: trans-European networks can make an important contribution to the monitoring and management of the environment, including emergency management. This contribution can be brought about by the implementation of information systems collecting environmental data and making them available to the responsible authorities, and the establishment of reliable communications systems supporting interventions in emergency situations.
- Teleworking: the development of teleworking (in satellite offices and if possible in homes) supported by advanced telecommunications systems will help to provide new forms of flexibility in terms of the place of work and the way in which work is organized. Through the decentralization of professional activities, teleworking can also help to reduce the environmental consequences of daily commuting to population centres. The development of teleworking can be fostered by implementing projects making available individual telematic tools for teleworkers, as well as creating telework centres for itinerant workers. Special attention should be paid to evaluating and taking into account the social consequences of these applications.
- Telematic services for SMEs: projects of common interest will support the use of trans-European telecommunications applications and services by Community SMEs, with links to public authorities, trade associations, consumers, customers and suppliers and including information services and electronic trade. The awareness of telematics-based solutions in general should be raised among SMEs.
- Electronic tendering: a trans-European electronic tendering network should be set up, based on electronic procedures for the award of public contracts involving public administrations and suppliers in the Community.
- City information highways: the creation of networks and services should be promoted which interconnect households, businesses, social organizations and administrations and provide access to on-line multimedia information, education, cultural, entertainment and tourism services on a local, regional, national and Community basis. Links between city and regional networks should be promoted.
- Library services: trans-European advanced networked services involving all types of libraries (national, university, research, public, etc.) should be deployed to provide effective access to both the reservoir of organized knowledge and the cultural wealth held in libraries across the Community, in support of the economic, social, educational and cultural life of the Community.
- Telematic services for the job market: networked services, such as job information databases, should be developed to support the changing labour market in the Community and to help tackle unemployment.
- Cultural and linguistic heritage: initiatives should be launched to foster the preservation of and access to the European cultural and artistic heritage, and to demonstrate the potential of the information infrastructure to stimulate creative endeavours and to support the development of local content in local languages and its dissemination.
2. Generic Services
The projects of common interest for generic services networks are:
- Implementation of operational trans-European generic services, which should include in particular electronic mail, file transfer systems, on-line access to electronic databases, and video services. As there is an urgent need for these trans-European generic services, they will use existing or emerging networks, fixed or mobile, and user access arrangements already in operation. They should include service elements operating at Community level, such as directories, clearing, authentication, data protection and information security, preservation and remuneration of intellectual property, trans-European 'kiosk` and networked navigational aids, services enabling citizens' access, payment services, etc.
- Progressive extension of generic services towards a multimedia environment. These services will offer end-users access to multimedia services, and might cover inter alia multimedia mail, high-speed file transfer and video services, including video-on-demand. Use of these multimedia services by business and residential users should be encouraged, as should the integration of new service elements such as automatic translation, speech recognition, graphical user interfaces, intelligent agents and tools for user interaction and personalization.
- Introduction of non-proprietary digital signature as a basis for open service provision and mobility of use: generic services will rely on a large number of complementary and competing service-providers. Open service provision and mobility of use will be of key importance and require electronic names (digital signatures) allowing adequate protection of privacy to be generally available and supported.
3. Basic networks
The projects of common interest for basic networks are:
- Euro-Integrated Services Digital Networks: for reasons of commercial and technical trans-European availability, ISDN is today the most appropriate digital switched basic network that can support new services and applications. Its present development makes it an opportunity for Europe, and its market and geographical extension will be justified by the implementation of these new services and applications on a European scale. However, it should be borne in mind that ISDN is only a first step and that it is going to evolve towards becoming merely a means of user access to broadband basic services. The removal of remaining gaps for the effective interoperability of services should receive special attention.
- Commercial introduction of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and other IBC networks: this area must be considered as being of the greatest common European interest.
- Interoperation of existing and IBC networks: existing networks (for fixed, mobile and satellite services) should be interconnected and interoperate between themselves and with ATM-based high-speed networks, in order to offer the most appropriate economic solutions to the various situations which will occur during the setting up of the information society. This issue is at the core of the development of the IBC network, and is particularly relevant for SMEs, as well as for the professional and residential markets.
- Development of fixed, mobile and satellite networks with the aim of supporting the applications and services referred to above.
4. Projects of particular importance
Some of these projects of common interest are of particular importance for the development of the information society. These are generic services, the applications of collective interest concerning distance education and training, cultural heritage, services to SMEs and telematics for transport, the environment and health. Calls for proposals concerning these projects of particular importance or a combination thereof will be published, as a rule, at least once a year. The Commission will report to Parliament in this connection.
5. Supplementary support and coordination actions
In addition to its support for projects of common interest, the Community should initiate actions aimed at providing the appropriate environment. They will contribute to consensus development and concerted efforts concerning national and regional activities for stimulation and promotion of new applications and services, in conformity with the implementation of programmes in other areas, as well as the development of IBC networks. They will involve consultation with European standardization and strategic planning bodies and coordination with actions funded by the different Community financial instruments. This includes:
- development of target specifications, and transition towards these targets. These specifications will help sector actors to make sound economic investment decisions,
- definition of means of accessing IBC networks at the three specified layers,
- establishment of common specifications based on European and world standards,
- furthering cooperation among sector actors, in particular emerging and fragmented operators, such as cable television network operators, as well as with users,
- coordination of the activities undertaken under this Decision with related Community and national programmes.
ANNEX II
CRITERIA FOR THE SPECIFICATION OF PROJECTS OF COMMON INTEREST
Projects of common interest will be specified from among the projects submitted by interested sector actors in response to a call for proposals, as provided for in Article 7, on the basis of their compliance with the objectives and priorities laid down in Articles 2 and 3 respectively. These projects must be transnational in the sense that they shall be conceived to satisfy needs existing in several Member States. As a general rule, they shall be implemented in several Member States but implementation in a single Member State shall be allowed if it contributes to a broader trans-European interest.
In addition, account will be taken of the economic and financial criteria set out in Regulation (EC) No 2236/95. These criteria, which will be used in the framework of the said Regulation for deciding on the granting of financial support to a specific project, are:
- the potential economic viability of the project, which should be assured,
- the maturity of the project,
- the stimulative effect of Community intervention on public and private financing,
- the soundness of the financial package,
- the direct or indirect socio-economic effects, in particular on employment,
- the consequences for the environment,
- for cross-border projects in particular, coordination of the timing of the different parts of a project.