Est. 2min 25-03-2005 (updated: 05-11-2012 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram EU leaders meeting at the spring summit endorsed the Commission’s proposed ‘i2010’ initiative to boost R&D in the ICT sector. But they did not say whether they would support the Commission’s plea for the EU R&D budget to be doubled. EU heads of state and government meeting in Brussels on 23 March endorsed the Commission’s proposed new ‘i2010’ initiative on ICT. They requested that the ‘i2010’ initiative “focus on ICT research and innovation, content industry development, the security of networks and information, as well as convergence and interoperability in order to establish a seamless information area”. However, there was no clear indication that the summit supported the Commission’s plea for a doubling of the R&D budget for the EU’s next financial round (2007-2013). The summit conclusions will be fed into the ‘i2010’ plan to be officially presented by Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding within the next two months. Speaking at the EU employers organisation UNICE before of the summit, Reding announced she will use her mandate to promote convergence and innovation in ICT. Convergence: Noting it is the first time a commissioner is responsible for both infrastructure and content, Reding pledged to give a helping hand to make sure convergence actually happens. “We need a roadmap for convergence and that is what I intend to do in the first part of my mandate,” she said. The upcoming review of the regulatory framework (2006) and the TV without frontiers directive will be used to this end, Reding said. Innovation and research: Pro-innovation research needs to target “technical bottlenecks” including “security, authentication and standards & interoperability,” said Reding. She pledged to fight for an increased share for ICT (currently standing at 20%) in the upcoming R&D budget. Read more with Euractiv Solana sees coherent EU foreign policy aheadThe adoption of the Constitution is as important to the future of EU foreign policy as the Maastricht treaty was to the Euro, says Javier Solana. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters PositionsEarlier in March, senior executives from leading European telecoms operators and content providers launched a cross industry dialogue to ease content distribution over digital networks. Participants in the dialogue include the likes of British Telecom, France Telecom, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Time Warner, Walt Disney, Phillips electronics, Tiscali, the BBC and several other broadcasters, film and music companies. The conference - organised by the European telecom network operators (ETNO) on 3 March - concluded on the importance of protecting intellectual property rights through the use of digital right management systems and technological protection measures for quality content to be safely distributed online. It also stressed the importance of developing standards to enable content to be exchanged seamlessly between different devices (interoperability). The launch of such a dialogue reflects the urgency for these previously secluded industries to press ahead with convergence if they do not want tough regulations to be imposed upon them. One representative privately admitted that the nomination of Viviane Reding as commissioner for both media and information society very much helped launch the initiative. BackgroundInformation and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been given flagship status in the Commission's renewed Lisbon agenda for jobs and growth with a new 'i2010' programme unveiled by Commissioner Reding on 31 January (see EURACTIV, 3 Feb. 2005). 'i2010' is due to replace 'e-Europe 2005' as the EU programme to achieve competitiveness and inclusion in the electronic communications sector (see EURACTIV LinksDossier on e-Europe). Timeline'i2010' will be officially unveiled "within the next two months," according to Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding Further ReadingEU official documents Europäischer Rat:Schlussfolgerungen(23. März 2005) Kommission, Rede von Kommissarin Reding:Convergence and Innovation: the New Agenda for Growth and Jobs(21. März 2005) EU Actors positions Verband der Europäischen Betreiber von Telekommunikationsnetzen (ETNO):eContent: Telecoms operators and content providers launch a cross industry dialogue to identify common solutions(3. März 2005) IFPI:"Music Is Driving Growth In Digital Commerce"(3. März 2005)
