Brussels, 05/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - Re-using public sector information and trans-European telecommunications networks will be the two points examined by ministers responsible for telecommunications at the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on Friday 8 June. The two points will also be the subject of a public orientation debate. The session will take place in Luxembourg, under the presidency of Ole Sohn, the Danish minister for enterprise and growth.
In December 2011, the European Commission presented its proposal to revise the 2003 directive on re-using public sector information (the PSI directive). The proposal aims to iron out differences that have appeared or persist between member states with regard to the use of PSI and which have prevented fully achieving the economic potential of this resource. It also seeks to facilitate the creation of products and services based on PSI across the European Union. Ministers are being called on to debate the directive's usefulness in stimulating growth and establishing a balance between reduced spending for businesses that access data and fair remuneration to the public authorities for providing this information.
The Council will then discuss the draft regulation on orientations for the trans-European telecommunications networks and will take note of a Danish Presidency report on the state of progress in the work begun on this. The Commission's proposal was published in October 2011 and outlines orientations covering objectives and priorities in broadband networks and digital public service infrastructure. Ministers are particularly being asked to debate the question of what criteria should be used for selecting broadband projects and the kind of cross-border European digital infrastructure services that are likely to benefit from such funding. (IL/transl.fl)