(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2001) 742),

–  having regard to Article 251(2) of the EC Treaty and Article 156 of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C5-0662/2001),

–  having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (A5&nbhy;0114/2002),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Asks to be consulted again should the Commission intend to amend the proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

3.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 156 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(3),

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty(4),

Whereas:

(1)  Article 14 of Decision No 1336/97/EC(5) requires the Commission to submit a report every three years on the implementation of the Decision to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions;

(2)  The Commission submitted this report on […..];

(3)  Article 14 of Decision No 1336/97/EC requires the Commission to submit appropriate proposals for revision of Annex I on the basis of technical developments and experience gained;

(4)  The Court of Auditors Special Report No 9/2000 made recommendations which have been addressed in the report of the Commission;

(5)  In its Communication on a Commission Initiative for the Special European Council of Lisbon, 23 and 24 March 2000, the Commission set out the eEurope initiative emphasising the social dimension of the Information Society;

(6)  On 28 January 2002 the Council adopted a resolution on a common approach and specific actions in the area of network and information security(6);

(  7) Decision No 1336/97/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(  8) Since the measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision are measures of general scope within the meaning of Article 2 of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(7), they should be adopted by use of the regulatory procedure provided for in Article 5 of that Decision,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision No 1336/97/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1.   In Article 1, the following paragraph is added:

'For the purpose of this Decision, "telecommunication infrastructure" refers to the electronic data transmission networks and the services which make use of them.'

2.  Article 8(2) is replaced by the following:

"2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, the regulatory procedure laid down in Article 5 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, in compliance with Article 7(3) and Article 8 thereof.

3.  The period provided for in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be three months."

3.   Article 14 is amended as follows:

'Before 31 January 2005, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of this Decision during the period July 2000 to June 2004.'

'In the absence of a decision by 31 December 2006, Annex I shall be deemed to have lapsed except in respect of calls for proposals which have already been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities prior to that date.'

4.  Annex I to Decision No 1336/97/EC is replaced by the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President

(1) OJ C 103 E, 30.4.2002, p. 23. (2) OJ C .. p. . (3) OJ C .. p. . (4) Position of the European Parliament of 14 May 2002. (5) OJ L 183, 11.7.1997, p. 12. (6) OJ C 43, 16.2.2002, p. 2. (7) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

IDENTIFICATION OF PROJECTS OF COMMON INTEREST

1.  Trans-European telecommunications networks will contribute to the introduction of innovative trans-European services in the general interest. The services will contribute to the development of the information society in terms of growth, employment, social cohesion and participation for all in the knowledge-based economy.

2.  TEN-Telecom supports the technical and economic feasibility, validation, and deployment of services. Services must be innovative, trans-European and based on proven technology:

3.   As a service should be considered to be trans-European, the participation of organisations from more than one Member State and implementation in more than one Member State, though not required, will be encouraged.

4.  In this context, projects of common interest shall be identified on the basis of their operational capability to support the objectives laid down in this Decision.

5.  The projects of common interest described below shall be on three levels, forming a coherent structure:

(i)  Applications

Applications serve user needs, taking into account cultural and linguistic differences and the requirements for accessibility, in particular for disabled people. Where it is applicable, they shall accommodate the specific needs of less developed or less populated regions. They shall use the potential of broadband, mobile and other communications networks as appropriate.

(ii)  Generic Services

Generic Services shall support applications' common requirements by providing common tools for the development and implementation of new applications based on interoperable standards. They shall provide services for the transfer and integrity of data across networks, including broadband and mobile communications networks.

(iii)  Interconnection and Interoperability of networks

Support will be provided for the interconnection, interoperability and security of networks underpinning the operation of specific public interest applications and services.

6.  The following sections identify at each level 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.

Applications

–  eGovernment and eAdministration: more efficient, interactive, and integrated governmental services benefiting citizens and SMEs constitute a major opportunity for the information society. On-line services including those in the field of electronic procurement, secured access to on-line public services for citizens and SMEs, personal security, environment and tourism, business support for SMEs (including information services and electronic commerce), and services aimed at broadening participation in the democratic decision-making process will be supported at all levels: European, national, regional and local. Services may be provided by, or with the support of, public authorities as a service in the public interest benefiting citizens and SMEs.

–  Health: Health telematics networks and services offer significant opportunities for the improvement of access and quality of care, as well as handling the effects of medical advances and demographic changes. Innovative services will be supported linking health care institutions and other points of care, and providing health services directly to the public, in particular supporting actions on disease prevention and health promotion.

Generic services

–  Advanced mobile services: Trials are underway on the interoperability aspects of innovative applications for 2.5-3G mobile networks. They will establish the basis for advanced end-to-end solutions in the mobile environment providing location-based, personalised, and context-sensitive services. Support will be provided for the launch of advanced mobile applications and services in the general interest including those for navigation and guidance, traffic and travel information, network security and billing, m-commerce, m-business and mobile work, learning and culture, emergency services and health.

Interconnection and interoperability of networks

–  Interconnection and interoperability: the interconnection and interoperability of networks is a pre-requisite for effective trans-European services. Support will be provided for the interconnection, interoperability and security of networks necessary for the operation of specific public interest services. Projects concerning the development and enhancement of electronic communications networks will receive particular scrutiny to ensure that there is no interference with free market conditions.

Supplementary support and co-ordination actions

In particular, the Community shall encourage organisations in Member States that are involved in service delivery in the areas identified as applications and generic services of common interest to work together to identify opportunities for trans-European cooperation.