Ministers will meet in Luxembourg
on Thursday 6 June under the mandate of the Irish Presidency.
Vice-President Neelie Kroes, responsible for the Digital Agenda, will
represent the European Commission and will participate in a policy
debate on a telecoms Single Market and the role of ICT in the
implementation of the Digital Agenda. She will also take part in the
debate on web accessibility, cybersecurity and electronic identification
and trust services for transactions in the internal market (eIDAS).
Digital Agenda – Policy debate
Vice-President Kroes will ask for
views from Ministers on her proposals to create a genuine single market
for telecoms. She will focus on the need for a balanced package that
addresses the goal of lifting investment in networks and delivering more
choices and protection for consumers regarding internet and other
telecoms services.
Ministers will also discuss
progress of implementation of the Digital Agenda, as shown in its
Mid-term review at the end of last year (MEMO/12/1000).
Web accessibility
The proposal for a Directive on
the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites was first presented
to Council in December 2012 (IP/12/1305).
The goal is to have EU public sector websites accessible to all by
2015. The proposed Directive will not add any cost to those countries
already committed to making their websites public. Vice-President Kroes
will urge for adoption of the Directive early next year.
Cybersecurity
The new EU cybersecurity strategy (IP/13/94)
presents EU's vision on how best to prevent and respond to cyber
disruptions and attacks. The proposed Directive on Network and
Information Security (NIS) is a key component of the overall strategy.
Vice-President Kroes will stress that costs related to implementing this
Directive are not excessive, considering what is at stake, and are
likely to be outweighed by the overall economic and social benefits. She
will also emphasise that the Commission considers the regulation is
needed to establish a minimum level of national capabilities and a
framework for cooperation.
eIDs
In June 2012, the Commission proposed new rules to enable cross-border and secure electronic transactions in Europe (IP/12/558), to
strengthen the Single Market by boosting trust, confidence and
convenience in electronic transactions. Vice-President Kroes will stress
the need for further progress on adopting the draft eID Regulation,
which is an integral part of both the Digital Agenda and the Single Market Act I.
Digital Infrastructure services and broadband cost reduction
In October 2011, the Commission
proposed to spend almost €9.2 billion from 2014 to 2020 on high-speed
broadband networks and the services that run on them (IP/11/1200 and MEMO/11/709). In view of the extensive budgetary cuts decided in the February European Council, the Commission submitted a proposal to cut the cost of civil engineering projects associated with rolling out broadband (IP/13/281).
Vice-President Kroes will remind Ministers that these measures could
help citizens and businesses in Europe enjoy fast broadband, cut the
hassle of repeated road works and save between 40 and 60 billion euros.
She will therefore stress the need for urgent adoption.
Other business
Public sector information
In April 2013 EU's Council
'Coreper' committee (Member States' Permanenent Representatives)
endorsed the Commission's effort to open up public sector data for
re-use across Europe (IP/13/316).
Vice-President Kroes will invite Member States to rapidly transpose the
revised Directive, once it is officially adopted by the European
Parliament.
ENISA
In April, a proposal on a regulation for strengthening ENISA, the EU's cyber-security agency, was adopted by the European Parliament. Ms Kroes will welcome this positive outcome.
