The Transport, Telecommunications and Energy European Ministers Council, which was held from 10 to 11 June, adopted a series of measures within the scope of the communications sector, namely regarding the new community programmes - eContentplus and Safer Internet Plus -, update of the eEurope 2005 and Broadband Action Plan in Europe.
Regarding the eContentplus programme, the Council reached political agreement on the future common position concerning the programme, reducing the budget, at the beginning amounting to 163 million euros, to 135 million euros. This programme, related to the e-learning and e-goverment areas, with a duration from 2005 to 2008, succeeds the current eContent programme, which ends at the end of this year.
In order to ensure the continuity of the objectives of the current Safer Internet programme, the Council, in a general approach, agreed on the commitment put forward by the Presidency regarding the Commission proposal on the new Safer Internet Plus community programme, with a budgetary ceiling of 45 million euros.
As to the two Communications recently adopted by the Commission, ?Connecting Europe at High Speed: National Broadband Strategies? and ?eEurope 2005 Action-Plan - An Update?, the Council adopted the corresponding conclusions, inviting the Member-states to develop, up to the end of 2004, the national strategy for broadband, assessing, at the end of 2005, the respective implementation, as well as to complete the effective transposition of the new regulatory framework for electronic communications.
As to the follow-up of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the disclosure of the European regulation model, the development of strategies of the information society (within the conference with the EUROMED), the promotion of public-private partnerships, exchange of information and benchmarkig in specific areas (e-health, e-gov and e-learning) are some actions for the future, suggested by the Presidency.
Apart from these subjects, the Council was informed by the Commission about the development of mobile communications, namely regarding the introduction of the 3G services and the new mobile data services, a subject on which the Commission will soon adopt a Communication.
Within the scope of the Galileo, the Council adopted a set of conclusions that deal with the proposal for the Council regulations on the management structures of the European satellite radionavigation programme and the draft decision for the signature and provisional application of the agreement on the promotion, supply and use of the Galileo and GPS satellite navigation systems and associated applications.
Related information
Telecoms Council, 14.6.2004https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=202734
Council Conclusionshttp://www.ue2004.ie/templates/meeting.asp?sNavlocator=5,418,13&list_id=388
Results of Telecoms Councilhttp://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/04/148&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
