EU Commissioner outlines i2010 plans

EU Commissioner outlines proposed changes to regulatory frameworks

The EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media today outlined proposed changes to the regulatory frameworks for broadcasting and radio spectrum licensing.

Viviane Reding said that the EU's current productivity gap is not a failure, but an opportunity that needs to be met.

She called on the heads of state of member countries and industrial stakeholders to work together, and promised that the EU would do its part.

Reding outlined three immediate priorities central to the EU's i2010 strategy. The first step is the establishment of a common information space in Europe with competitive and open markets.

This means eliminating trade barriers and "outdated regulation" such as the existing legal frameworks covering broadcasting.

"The regulations for broadcasters were designed in the 1980s," she told delegates at the i2010 conference in London.

"Consumers will be able to watch audio/visual content anytime, anywhere and on all platforms. Policy has to keep up so that we will have modern and flexible rules."

In September Reding will announce an EU proposal to rewrite the Televisions Without Frontiers directive to allow for modernisation and the distribution of European media. This includes a commitment to work towards interoperability, particularly on digital rights management software. 

The radio spectrum is also a focus and Reding stated that she would be announcing a "market orientated strategy" for better spectrum allocation later this month which would be implemented in 2006. The role of regulators will also be examined.

The second priority is to boost low levels of spending on research and development across the EU. Reding pointed out that the US and Asia typically spend about a third of turnover on R&D but that the EU figure is barely 20 per cent.

While business must do its part, Reding promised that the EU would help to boost research spending.

"I propose to increase EU spending on R&D by 80 per cent from 2007," she said. "There is no doubt that we need to invest in the future of our industry. This cannot be done by bringing the EU budget down."

The third priority is that individual citizens of the EU must benefit from these changes. To this end Reding announced three areas that would be run as grassroots campaigns:

• An EU-wide plan on electronic health monitoring systems to enable Europe's aging population to face old age with dignity and independence
• An EU motor industry initiative to make cars safer, cleaner and smarter
• The expansion of the EU's digital libraries programme

"We must draw together archives with multimedia search engines to bring EU culture online," she explained.

"We hope to make our rich cultural heritage available to all, and the entertainment industry can use these vast resources.

"Member states and the EU have responded favorably to this idea, and its implementation is a joint responsibility that requires the commitment of all of us."