51998AP0452

A4-0452/98

Proposal for a Council decision adopting a specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration on a 'User-friendly information society' (1998-2002) (COM(98)0305 - C4-0434/98 - 98/0178(CNS))

The proposal was approved with the following amendments:

(Amendment 2)

Recital 8a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas the Community policy on equal opportunities must be taken into account in the implementation of this programme;

(Amendment 3)

Article 2(1), (2), and (3)

>Original text>

1. In accordance with Annex III to the fifth framework programme, the amount deemed necessary for carrying out the specific programme (hereinafter referred to as the amount) is ECU 3 925 million, including a maximum of 7,30 % for the Commission¨s administrative expenditure.

>Text following EP vote>

1.

In accordance with Annex III to the fifth framework programme, the amount deemed necessary for carrying out the specific programme (hereinafter referred to as the amount) is ECU 3 600 million, including a maximum of 7,30 % for the Commission¨s administrative expenditure.

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2. An indicative breakdown of this amount is given in Annex I.

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2.

An indicative breakdown of this amount is given in Annex I.

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3. Of this amount

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3.

Of this amount

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- ECU 853,4 million is for the period 1998 to 1999, and

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-

ECU 857 million is for the period 1998 to 1999, and

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- ECU 3 071,6 million is for the period 2000 to 2002.

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-

ECU 2 743 million is for the period 2000 to 2002.

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Where appropriate, the latter figure will be adapted in accordance with Article 3(3) of the fifth framework programme.

>Text following EP vote>

Where appropriate, the latter figure will be adapted in accordance with

Article 2 of the fifth framework programme.

(Amendment 4)

Article 2(4)

>Original text>

4. The budgetary authority shall, in compliance with the scientific and technological objectives and priorities laid down in this Decision, set the appropriations for each financial year taking into account the availability of resources within the multiannual financial perspective.

>Text following EP vote>

4.

The budgetary authority shall, in compliance with the scientific and technological objectives laid down in this Decision, set the appropriations for each financial year.

(Amendment 5)

Article 5(1), 2nd subparagraph a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

The Commission shall publish the work programme and every updated version thereof in paper and electronic form (on the Internet).

(Amendment 6)

Article 5(1a) (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

1a. In order to ensure the quality of RTD projects, the Commission shall examine the possibility of establishing a 'continuous call' procedure designed to improve the quality and success rate of proposals.

(Amendment 7)

Article 5(2a) (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

2a. All calls for tender for RTD will take into account the European Union's policies on equal opportunities.

(Amendment 8)

Article 5(2b) (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

2b. All RTD proposals shall include an equal opportunities dimension, with measures designed to ensure a balance between the sexes, and a percentage of the budget for implementing the programmes shall be earmarked for promoting this principle.

(Amendment 9)

Article 6(3), 3rd indent

>Original text>

- any adjustment to the indicative breakdown of the amount as set out in Annex I.

>Text following EP vote>

-

any adjustment to the indicative breakdown of the amount as set out in Annex I, if consistent with the allocations laid down annually by the budgetary authority.

(Amendment 10)

Article 7(1)

>Original text>

1. The Programme Committee shall deliver its opinion on the measures referred to in Article 6(3) within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The Chairman shall not vote.

>Text following EP vote>

1.

The Programme Committee shall deliver its opinion on the measures referred to in Article 6(3) within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking a vote.

>Original text>

The Commission shall adopt the measures envisaged if they are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee.

>Text following EP vote>

The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes: in addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes.

>Original text>

If the measures envisaged are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, or if no opinion is delivered, the Commission shall, without delay, submit to the Council a proposal relating to the measures to be taken. The Council shall act by a qualified majority.

>Text following EP vote>

The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account.

>Original text>

If, on expiry of a period of six weeks from the referral of the matter to the Council, the Council has not acted, the proposed measures shall be adopted by the Commission.

>Text following EP vote>

The Committee shall meet as a rule in public, unless a specific duly motivated decision is taken to the contrary and published in good time. It shall publish agendas two weeks in advance of its meetings (also on the Internet). It shall publish minutes of its meetings (also on the Internet). It shall establish a public register of declarations of interest by its members.

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

These provisions shall be adopted in accordance with the Parliament position on a new act laying down the principles governing European Union committees chaired by the Commission and the implementing powers of the Commission.

(Amendment 11)

Article 7(2)

>Original text>

2. The Commission shall regularly inform the Programme Committee of progress with the implementation of the specific programme, and shall in particular provide it with information about the results of the evaluation and selection of the indirect RTD actions.

>Text following EP vote>

2. In accordance with Article 5(4) of the Framework Programme the Commission shall regularly inform the Council and the European Parliament as well as the Programme Committee of progress with the implementation of the specific programme, and shall in particular provide them with information about the results of the evaluation and selection of the indirect RTD actions - including the participation of SMEs - and the simplification of administrative procedures.

(Amendment 12)

Article 7a (new)

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Article 7a.

>Original text>

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Protection of the financial interests of the European Communities shall be guaranteed in accordance with Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests(1)

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(1) OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1.

(Amendment 13)

ANNEX I

>TABLE>

(Amendment 14)

ANNEX II, INTRODUCTION, Strategic Objectives of the Programme, 1st paragraph

>Original text>

The strategic objective of the Information society Technologies (IST) Programme is to realise the benefits of the information society for Europe both by accelerating its emergence and by ensuring that the needs of individuals and enterprises are met.

>Text following EP vote>

The strategic objective of the Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme is to realise the benefits of the information society for Europe both by accelerating its emergence and by ensuring that the needs of individuals and enterprises are met.

A thematic focus on gender will be integrated throughout the programme to ensure that women participate fully and benefit equally with men from the opportunities offered by new technologies and the information society. Special attention will be given to conscious or unconscious prejudices against women in IST, lack of flexibility in career structures and the impact of family responsibilities on women's careers.

>Original text>

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Specific attention should be paid to preventing the easy accessibility of on-line pornography which further promotes gender inequality.

>Original text>

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However, in addition to these qualitative macro-objectives, the true test of the programme's success will lie in its ability to achieve:

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- a significant level of success in the emerging information society market on the part of European industry;

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- a substantial number of new long-term jobs;

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- increased participation of SMEs in the programme.

(Amendment 34)

ANNEX II, INTRODUCTION, Strategic Objectives of the Programme, 2nd paragraph a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

In pursuing these objectives, the programme may however not contribute in any way to the development or facilitating of electronic surveillance technologies,

(Amendment 15)

ANNEX II, INTRODUCTION, Strategic Objectives of the Programme, 5th paragraph

>Original text>

Cross-programme themes The coordination and integration of the activities through a single work programme allows a 'theme' that cuts across the programme (e.g. interfaces, mobility or satellite-related activities) to be addressed in a coherent manner in more than one activity, each concentrating on and contributing from its particular perspective. Clustering and concertation will be used to focus, coordinate and integrate activities. Work, spanning the programme, will be undertaken on integrated application platforms to provide seamless interaction between citizens, businesses and administrations - these will be demonstrated and assessed in 'digital sites', encompassing cities or regions, paving the way to 'digital communities' in urban, rural and remote areas, and will be appropriately coordinated with initiatives in the Structural Funds. It will build on activities from all parts of the programme.

>Text following EP vote>

Cross-programme themes The coordination and integration of the activities through a single work programme allows a 'theme' that cuts across the programme (e.g. interfaces, mobility or satellite-related activities) to be addressed in a coherent manner in more than one activity, each concentrating on and contributing from its particular perspective. Clustering and concertation will be used to focus, coordinate and integrate activities. Work, spanning the programme, will be undertaken on integrated application platforms to provide seamless interaction between citizens, businesses and administrations - these will be demonstrated and assessed in 'digital sites', encompassing cities or regions, paving the way to 'digital communities' in urban, rural and remote areas, and will be appropriately coordinated with initiatives in the Structural Funds. It will be a dedicated supra-sectorial activity and it will build on activities from all parts of the programme.

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

RTD Priorities: to develop concepts and tools to realise coherent bundles of public and private services to European citizens and businesses; define and assess concepts of coherent sets of services fitting citizens' everyday life by re-use of applications and by linking services to provide users with intelligent choices customised to their requirements; evaluate the implications of, and the barriers to, the provision of integrated applications; prepare the foundations for the definition of appropriate standards; intelligent common user interfaces; standardised and inter-operable 'Application Programme Interfaces'; flexibility in network bandwidth; integration and management of fixed and mobile applications; business process methodologies to support process integration, management of applicationsdistributed over heterogeneous networks and platforms; reusable and scalable application components; mobile platforms, take-up: Socio-economic evaluation of the implications of, and barriers to, the provision of integrated applications.

(Amendment 16)

ANNEX II, INTRODUCTION, Strategic Objectives of the Programme, 6th paragraph

>Original text>

Flexibility The technological scope of the activities provides the flexibility to re-focus over time, through the single rolling work programme (defined in consultation with the key actors), to respond to changes in industrial and societal needs and the technological context.

>Text following EP vote>

Flexibility The technological scope of the activities provides the flexibility to re-focus over time, through the single rolling work programme (defined in consultation with the key actors), to respond to changes in industrial and societal needs and the technological context. In order to achieve the objective of flexibility more effectively, the individual projects funded by the Commission under the programme should be of an average duration significantly shorter than four years.

(Amendment 17)

ANNEX II, INTRODUCTION, Strategic Objectives of the Programme, 7th paragraph

>Original text>

Socio-economic needs. A vast range of goods, services and processes are being transformed through the integration and use of information society technologies. Work will target the quantitative and qualitative benefits that information society technologies offer in all industrial and societal activities, from more competitive methods of working and doing business to higher-quality, lower-cost general interest services or new forms of leisure and entertainment. It will take account of the ageing population and the necessity to remove discriminating factors, such as gender bias, and the need to contribute to increasing resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Socio-economic research, together with the results of other Community initiatives that identify needs for information society technologies, such as regional programmes, will be integrated throughout the programme, to support the take-up of information society technologies, and into its management. As too will be work on statistics, which are central to the information society and for which information society technologies offer new ways to attain the highest standards of quality and the widest and most rapid and accessible dissemination. Particular attention will be paid to ensuring that the 'innovation dimension' is actively addressed, and to stimulating and supporting the participation of SMEs, so as to contribute to the effective take-up of research results for economic and societal benefit.

>Text following EP vote>

Socio-economic needs. A vast range of goods, services and processes are being transformed through the integration and use of information society technologies. Work will target the quantitative and qualitative benefits that information society technologies offer in all industrial and societal activities, from more competitive methods of working and doing business to higher-quality, lower-cost general interest services or new forms of leisure and entertainment. It will take account of the ageing population and the necessity to remove discriminating factors, such as gender bias, and the need to contribute to increasing resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Special attention will be paid to the social risks and benefits of new working methods (home working, teleworking etc), in particular for women, and to their impact on the equal opportunities policy and on quality of life. Socio-economic research, together with the results of other Community initiatives that identify needs for information society technologies, such as regional programmes, will be integrated throughout the programme, to support the take-up of information society technologies, and into its management. As too will be work on statistics, which are central to the information society and for which information society technologies offer new ways to attain the highest standards of quality and the widest and most rapid and accessible dissemination. Particular attention will be paid to ensuring that the 'innovation dimension' is actively addressed, and to stimulating and supporting the participation of SMEs, so as to contribute to the effective take-up of research results for economic and societal benefit.

(Amendment 18)

ANNEX II, INTRODUCTION, Strategic Objectives of the Programme, 7th paragraph a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

The participation of SMEs in the Information Society Technologies projects of the Fourth Framework Programme accounts for 26 % in value. The Commission will target a further strengthening of the SMEs' participation in the Fifth Framework Programme and will have to make special efforts in the field of supervision and aid.

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Support for SMEs at the competitive stage may take the form of special aid for the development of proposals, the gathering of data and the compilation of the documentation needed (exploratory awards), but the criterion of the excellence of the proposal must never be compromised.

(Amendment 19)

ANNEX II (I), SYSTEMS AND SERVICES FOR THE CITIZEN,

1st indent, 2nd paragraph

>Original text>

RTD priorities: professional health care: systems enhancing the ability of health care professionals for prevention, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation, such as intelligent systems for non-invasive diagnosis and therapy, intelligent medical assistants, and advanced medical imaging; advanced telemedicine applications; 'virtual hospitals' offering single-point-of-entry services; high-speed secure networks and applications for linking hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, primary care and social centres for continuity of care; health service workflow management and re-engineering; new generation electronic health records and cards for sophisticated health data objects; personal health systems: systems for personal health monitoring and fixed or portable prevention systems, including advanced sensors, transducers and micro-systems; personal medical advisors for supervision of prevention and treatment; tele-systems and applications for supporting care in all contexts; user-friendly and certified information systems for supporting health education and health awareness for citizens; the work will be complemented by take-up actions including validations and assessments, together with first-user actions and other best-practice initiatives.

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: professional health care: systems enhancing the ability of health care professionals for prevention, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation, such as intelligent systems for non-invasive diagnosis and therapy, intelligent medical assistants, and advanced medical imaging; advanced telemedicine applications; 'virtual hospitals' offering single-point-of-entry services; high-speed secure networks and applications for linking hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, primary care and social centres for continuity of care; health service workflow management and re-engineering; new generation electronic health records and cards for sophisticated health data objects; affordable and user-friendly equipment and sensors for data gathering and health monitoring; personal health systems: systems for personal health monitoring and fixed or portable prevention systems, including advanced sensors, transducers and micro-systems; personal medical advisors for supervision of prevention and treatment; tele-systems and applications for supporting care in all contexts; user-friendly and certified information systems for supporting health education and health awareness for citizens; the work will be complemented by take-up actions including validations and assessments, together with first-user actions and other best-practice initiatives.

(Amendment 20)

ANNEX II (I), SYSTEMS AND SERVICES FOR THE CITIZEN,

3rd indent, 2nd paragraph

>Original text>

RTD priorities: technologies and systems for on-line support for the democratic process and for improved, distance- and language-independent, access to information and services, in order to support one-stop service access and transaction handling for citizens and businesses; multilingual personalised services and intelligent multi-functional systems facilitating interaction between citizens and administrations, including the development of virtual fora (public hearings, opinion polling, etc.); systems and tools for enabling statistics to play their role in enhancing the transparency and accessibility of administrationsand for promoting multimedia data interchange between administrations; the innovative applications to support the adaptation of administrations to the information and processing systems needs of Community policies; take-up: best practice and other take-up measures will be a priority.

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: technologies and systems for on-line support for the democratic process and for improved, distance- and language-independent, access to information and services, in order to support one-stop service access and transaction handling for citizens and businesses; technologies and systems for the management of complex systems for multiple users and affordable access techniques for users; multilingual personalised services and intelligent multi-functional systems facilitating interaction between citizens and administrations, including the development of virtual fora (public hearings, opinion polling, etc.); systems and tools for enabling statistics to play their role in enhancing the transparency and accessibility of administrations and for promoting multimedia data interchange between administrations; the innovative applications to support the adaptation of administrations to the information and processing systems needs of Community policies; take-up: best practice and other take-up measures will be a priority.

(Amendment 21)

ANNEX II (I), SYSTEMS AND SERVICES FOR THE CITIZEN,

4th indent, 2nd paragraph

>Original text>

RTD priorities: monitoring, forecasting and decision support:intelligent information systems on air/water/soil quality and for monitoring and management of natural resources; advanced systems for water/air/sea/soil/waste pollution monitoring, prevention and warning; high-performance systems and advanced tools for environmental data fusion, data mining and modelling, including geo-referenced data; integrated information tools and support systems for sustainable development and to improve ecological and resource efficiency; risks and emergencies: advanced management systems exploiting satellite imagery, remote sensing, sensor systems, real-time systems, and communication networks; take-up: a key aspect will be validations and demonstrations.

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: monitoring, forecasting and decision support:intelligent information systems on air/water/soil quality and for monitoring and management of natural resources; low-cost widespread land surveillance systems, advanced systems for water/air/sea/soil/waste pollution monitoring, prevention and warning; high-performance systems and advanced tools for environmental data fusion, data mining and modelling, including geo-referenced data; integrated information tools and support systems for sustainable development and to improve ecological and resource efficiency; risks and emergencies: advanced management systems exploiting satellite imagery, remote sensing, sensor systems, real-time systems, and communication networks; take-up: a key aspect will be validations and demonstrations.

(Amendment 22)

ANNEX II (I), SYSTEMS AND SERVICES FOR THE CITIZEN,

5th indent a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

- Integrated applications platforms

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Work will be based mainly on validated results from other key actions under the user-friendly information society programme, in particular Key Action 1 'Systems and Services for the Citizen'. Further, the integration of various services around a common user/citizen group requires that development and demonstration activity be concentrated in particular sites (cities or regions) to make it easier to provide the critical mass for a full-scale validation and an exemplary demonstration effect.

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: Intelligent generic common user interfaces; standardised and inter-operable 'Application Programme Interfaces'; flexibility in network bandwidth; integration and management of fixed and mobile applications; management of applications distributed over heterogeneous networks; reusable and scalable application components; mobile platforms, and support for integrated services engineering.

(Amendment 23)

ANNEX II (I), NEW METHODS OF WORK AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE, title

>Original text>

NEW METHODS OF WORK AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

>Text following EP vote>

NEW METHODS OF WORK AND ELECTRONIC

EXCHANGES

(Amendment 24)

ANNEX II (I), NEW METHODS OF WORK AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE,

1st indent, 1st paragraph

>Original text>

Work will focus on enabling, validating and demonstrating competitive, flexible and human-centred work methods and organisation, including in administrations and non-profit organisations by means of an integrated approach to the combination of business process and work organisation, human resource management, and information society technologies, informed by socio-economic and legal requirements analysis and considerations of the global context and actual business practice. It will address the needs of workers, enterprises and consumers alike. Best-practice pilots and scaleable demonstrations, together with dissemination actions to stimulate broad experimentation and adoption will be major features of the work.

>Text following EP vote>

Work will focus on enabling, validating and demonstrating competitive, flexible and human-centred work methods and organisation, including in administrations and non-profit organisations by means of an integrated approach to the combination of business process and work organisation, human resource management, and information society technologies, informed by socio-economic and legal requirements analysis and considerations of the global context and actual business practice. It will address the needs of workers, enterprises and consumers alike.

Activities under this action should identify and contribute to the development of technologies and platforms in the civil sector, such as electronic signatures, encryption and the security of payments systems, needed in order to build up trust on the part of users and consumers with a view to the rapid development of commercial applications. With this in mind, consideration should be given to the possibility of using dual-use skills and technologies from the military sector. Best-practice pilots and scaleable demonstrations, together with dissemination actions to stimulate broad experimentation and adoption will be major features of the work.

(Amendment 25)

ANNEX II (I), MULTIMEDIA CONTENT AND TOOLS, 4th indent, 2nd paragraph

>Original text>

RTD priorities: mastering information: rich descriptive models of digital information content, covering all media types and supporting all human senses, in addition to spatial and temporal aspects; associated tools to enable users to develop information profiles, possibly based on vague concepts and enabled via personalised agents; radically new cognitive relations between the system and users via individualised metaphors or visualisation techniques; information management systems; new organisation and management methods for multimedia information sources: work will explore advanced techniques for data warehousing integrating access control mechanisms, quality assurance, integrity control and technical protection of multimedia 'fragments'; information categorisation, labelling and filtering enabling selective information retrieval and filtering (including for the control of illegal and harmful content); take-up: first-user and other take-up measures will be a priority; work will be complemented by validation and assessment in trials, and by concertation measures to contribute to standards.

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: mastering information: rich descriptive models of digital information content, covering all media types and supporting all human senses, in addition to spatial and temporal aspects; associated tools to enable users to develop information profiles, possibly based on vague concepts and enabled via personalised agents; radically new cognitive relations between the system and users via individualised metaphors or visualisation techniques; information management systems; new organisation and management methods for multimedia information sources: work will explore advanced techniques for data warehousing integrating access control mechanisms, quality assurance, integrity control and technical protection of multimedia 'fragments'; information categorisation, labelling and filtering enabling selective information retrieval and filtering (including for the control of illegal and harmful content); network navigation and network distributed content management systems, search engines for all types of information including non-textual information, simple and intelligent user interfaces; take-up: first-user and other take-up measures will be a priority; work will be complemented by validation and assessment in trials, and by concertation measures to contribute to standards.

(Amendment 26)

ANNEX II (I), ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES,

1st indent, 2nd paragraph

>Original text>

RTD priorities: concurrent systems: technologies and tools for the sharing and interactive use of remote resources and concurrent activities in geographically dispersed locations, in the context of heterogeneous hardware and software architectures and systems; real-time systems handling large volumes of data; basic technologies and tools supporting real-time embedded systems applications - related work should actively contribute to, or adhere to, standards; broadband telecommunications networks: reliable high capacity terabit optical transmission; a major effort in photonic technologies for end-to-end optical transparency in core and access networks; technologies and architectures, including specifically all-optical networks: topological and functional layout, switching and routing, operation and management; technologies for network integration (notably for the convergence of fixed and mobile, including satellite, networks) and new service independent architectures and systems, to ensure all users have affordable access to broadband multimedia nomadic services; interoperability and interworking of networks particularly at the network management and service levels, to increase capacity, flexibility and functionality and to promote the introduction of competition and new intelligent network services (including the evolution of the Internet); generic service management models capable of handling the increased network complexity, new architectures and the requirements for network dependability and security; take-up: measures to promote and transfer best practice, for concertation to contribute to standards, and to test and validate technologies and services in field trials.

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: concurrent systems: technologies and tools for the sharing and interactive use of remote resources and concurrent activities in geographically dispersed locations, in the context of heterogeneous hardware and software architectures and systems, distributed software environments and access to large network distributed data bases; real-time systems handling large volumes of data; basic technologies and tools supporting real-time embedded systems applications - related work should actively contribute to, or adhere to, standards; broadband telecommunications networks: reliable high capacity terabit optical transmission; a major effort in photonic technologies for end-to-end optical transparency in core and access networks; technologies and architectures, including specifically all-optical networks: topological and functional layout, convergence of data, voice and multimedia networks, switching and routing, operation and management; technologies for network integration (notably for the convergence of fixed and mobile, including satellite, networks) and new service independent architectures and systems, to ensure all users have affordable access to broadband multimedia nomadic services; interoperability and interworking of networks particularly at the network management and service levels, to increase capacity, flexibility and functionality and to promote the introduction of competition and new intelligent network services (including the evolution of the Internet); generic service management models capable of handling the increased network complexity, new architectures and the requirements for network dependability and security; take-up: measures to promote and transfer best practice, for concertation to contribute to standards, and to test and validate technologies and services in field trials.

(Amendment 27)

ANNEX II (I), ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES,

2nd indent, 2nd paragraph

>Original text>

RTD priorities: software and systems engineering: work will focus on dependable, survivable and scaleable systems and address the reduction of the development cycle and costs; the use and further development, as required, of reliable methods and tools will be a central issue; the integration of custom and off-the-shelf components into systems will be a key aspect; service engineering will address the integration of heterogeneous platforms and networks and the increasing complexity and sophistication of the new services and their creation and provision - the objective will be to develop technologies and tools for rapid, customised and cost-effective service creation, deployment, provision and management that provide for an open information and communications service infrastructure, with the necessary reliability, security and quality of service; software technologies work will foster knowledge-based methods and tools, which increase the usability as well as the capability of systems and the intelligence and the intelligence in the network, this includes the timely collection, production, dissemination and communication of high-quality information (including statistical and management information); take-up: best practice and other take-up measures will be a priority; work will be complemented by the validation and assessment of technologies, systems and services in field trials, and by concertation measures to contribute to standards.

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: software and systems engineering: work will focus on dependable, survivable and scaleable systems and address the reduction of the development cycle and costs, scaleable architectures and software modularity; the use and further development, as required, of reliable methods and tools will be a central issue; the integration of custom and off-the-shelf components into systems will be a key aspect; service engineering will address the integration of heterogeneous platforms and networks and the increasing complexity and sophistication of the new services and their creation and provision - the objective will be to develop technologies and tools for rapid, customised and cost-effective service creation, deployment, provision and management that provide for an open information and communications service infrastructure, with the necessary reliability, security and quality of service; software technologies work will foster knowledge- based methods and tools, which increase the usability as well as the capability of systems and the intelligence and the intelligence in the network, this includes the timely collection, production, dissemination and communication of high-quality information (including statistical and management information); take-up: best practice and other take-up measures will be a priority; work will be complemented by the validation and assessment of technologies, systems and services in field trials, and by concertation measures to contribute to standards.

(Amendment 28)

ANNEX II (I), ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES, 3rd indent a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

- Informatics and telematics technologies and methodologies in production systems

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

This area should be split between the key action 'New methods of work' of the second thematic programme 'Technologies for a user-friendly Information Society' and the Key Action 'Innovative products, processes, and organisation' of the third thematic programme 'Competitive and sustainable growth'. Work will focus on informatics technologies useful for the development and optimisation of new types of machine tool, aimed at creating a 'flexible' project which can be adapted to the characteristics of a number of products, and 'factories within factories' (concentrating on a number of activities and delegating other activities to other organisations), and new models for logistical management of networks and virtual manufacturing.

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

RTD priorities: virtual prototype and simultaneous engineering technologies, new high-performance simulation and calculation instruments to assess reliability levels. Diagnostic sensors and self-calibration techniques, machine network architectures and interconnection protocols, multiplexing systems, architectures and protocols for office networks, factory networks, maintenance networks and remote diagnostics, equipment and software used in the setting up of GNSS for air, sea and land vehicles.

(Amendment 29)

ANNEX II (III), 1st paragraph

>Original text>

The objective is to facilitate the supply of trans-European broadband interconnections between national research, education and training and industrial researchers and to keep the resulting network at the forefront of the state of the art. This implies an upgrading of the existing capacity of 34 Mbits/s via 622 Mbits/s to gigabits/s, including support for different levels of 'Quality of Service' and the necessary connectivity to third countries, in the context of the global evolution of the Internet. This aim is to facilitate effective European collaborative research, education and training activities (including the creation of 'virtual laboratories' and 'virtual institutes'), enabled by the deployment of state of the art Internet-based applications within the academic and industrial research communities. This work will support research in all fields and therefore the whole Framework Programme.

>Text following EP vote>

The objective is to facilitate the supply of trans-European broadband interconnections between national research, education and training and industrial researchers and to keep the resulting network at the forefront of the state of the art. This implies an upgrading of the existing capacity of 34 Mbits/s via 622 Mbits/s to gigabits/s, including support for different levels of 'Quality of Service' and the necessary connectivity to third countries, in the context of the global evolution of the Internet. This aim is to facilitate effective European collaborative research, education and training activities (including the creation of 'virtual laboratories' and 'virtual institutes'), enabled by the deployment of state of the art Internet-based applications within the academic and industrial research communities. This work will support research in all fields and therefore the whole Framework Programme.

The network, which will be partially financed from public funds, should not as a rule be used for reselling capacity or for by-pass telephony services, or for general Internet services (commodity Internet)..

(Amendment 30)

ANNEX II (IIIa) (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

IIIa. ETHICAL ASPECTS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

INFO-ETHICS: PROTECTION OF SECURITY OF ELECTRONIC EXCHANGES AND DEMOCRATISATION OF INTERNET ACCESS

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

The protection of security in Internet transactions raises ethical questions such as the value of information, the right to freedom of expression, the right to respect for privacy, confidentiality and the vital need for universal access to a user-friendly information society, and the security of communications. In all these areas, research and technological development must take into account the info-ethical implications of the economic challenges.

(Amendment 31)

ANNEX III (1), 7th indent

>Original text>

- analyses of the socio-economic consequences associated with information society technologies developments in co-ordination with the Fourth Activity;

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analyses of the socio-economic consequences associated with information society technologies developments, including their impact on the policy of equal opportunities for men and women, in co-ordination with the Fourth Activity;

(Amendment 32)

Annex III (1), 7th indent a (new)

>Original text>

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- continuous monitoring and yearly evaluation of women's participation in the information society (statistics, gender analysis, indicators, parameters, gender impact assessment methods).

(Amendment 33)

ANNEX III (2), 1st paragraph

>Original text>

The Commission will endeavour to ensure complementarity between the indirect RTD actions under the programme, in particular by grouping them around a common objective, and to avoid duplication, while respecting the legitimate interests of proposers of indirect RTD actions.

>Text following EP vote>

The Commission will endeavour to ensure complementarity between the indirect RTD actions under the programme, in particular by grouping them around a common objective, and to avoid duplication, while respecting the legitimate interests of proposers of indirect RTD actions.

In particular, the Commission will introduce a constant monitoring mechanism of the coherence of the IST programme and will report annually to the European Parliament.

Legislative resolution embodying Parliament's opinion on the proposal for a Council decision adopting a specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration on a 'User-friendly information society' (1998-2002) (COM(98)0305 - C4-0434/98 - 98/0178(CNS))(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council, COM(98)0305 - 98/0178(CNS) ((OJ C 260, 18.8.1998, p. 16.)),

- having been consulted by the Council pursuant to Article 130i(4) of the EC Treaty (C4- 0434/98),

- having regard to Rule 58 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on External Economic Relations and the Committee on Women's Rights (A4-0452/98),

1. Approves the Commission proposal, subject to Parliament's amendments;

2. Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 189a(2) of the EC Treaty;

3. Asks to be consulted again should the Council intend to make substantial modifications to the Commission proposal;

4. Instructs its President to forward this opinion to the Council and Commission.