Brussels, 19/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - Two political agreements are expected from Thursday's Telecommunications Council in Brussels, to be chaired by the Italian Ministers for Communication, Maurizio Gasparri, and Technology and Information, Lucio Stanca: on the European Agency for network and information security, and on the programme to develop pan-European on-line administration services (IDABC). The Presidency will make a presentation to the Council on the forthcoming World Summit on the Information Society, to be held on 12 and 13 December. On the basis of Presidency questionnaires, the Council will proceed to an exchange of views on the situation of electronic communications in Europe, and on the future programmes and policies to encourage digital content.
The Council should reach political agreement on: 1) the proposed regulation establishing a European Agency for network and information security. On the basis of the Council's general guideline of 5 June, the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) has negotiated an agreement with Parliament on the proposal at first reading (co-decision). The text of this agreement (on which the Council will formally pronounce itself this Thursday) will focus notably on the scope and responsibilities of this Agency, the composition and decision-making processes of its board, the strengthening of Parliament's role on the budgetary questions and the establishment of a permanent group of stakeholders; 2) the proposed decision on interoperable on-line pan-European administration services to state bodies, business and citizens (IDABC) (co-decision). A general agreement exists between delegations on the compromise text presented by the Presidency, and subsisting reservations (mainly on the financial envelope of the programme) should be lifted.
The Council should also adopt a series of conclusions on: - the transition from analogue to digital radio broadcasting, with particular emphasis on the social and economic implications of such a move, the importance of developing attractive content and the timescale for the change-over; - the communication on removing obstacles to general access to the new services and applications of the information society via open platforms in the field of digital television and third-generation mobile communications, highlighting the need for a legislative background capable of attracting investment and fostering innovation; - the role of on-line administration (eGovernment) for the future of Europe, inviting the Member States and the Commission to launch a series of pan-European projects in 2004, in the field of on-line administration aimed at the citizens and businesses of the EU, and using studies carried out and the proposed pilot projects to define the legal, regulatory and organisational obstacles subsisting, and proposing solutions to overcome them.