20|01|2010

The new ICT strategy of the EU must include the Single Digital Market, according to Miguel Sebastián

The minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Miguel Sebastián, took part in the public presentation of the report drawn up by European business associations from the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector at the request of the Spanish Government as a consequence of Spain holding the Presidency of the European Union (EU) for the first half of 2010.

The President of the European Foundation for the Information Society and Coordinator of the working group charged with drawing up the report, Enrique Barón, and the President of the Executive Council for Digital Europe, Erkii Ormala, also took part in the event.

One of the basic priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU in the domain of the ICTs is to adopt common actions to consolidate these technologies as a key element for improving productivity and the qualify of life in Europe. In order to meet this objective, the Ministry of Industry invited European associations and companies from the ICT sector to prepare a report containing their objectives and needs in key areas, given the fact that the sector constitutes a powerful engine for the promotion of new ideas and specific proposals that could turn Europe into the leading digital economy in the world.

During his speech, Sebastián underscored the fact that this is the first time in history that a presidency of the EU had provided the ICT sector with the possibility of transmitting its demands to political leaders and added that the offer had been the result of the conviction of the Spanish government of the need to formulate common and joint policies in which collaboration was the cornerstone on which success could be built.

The report includes a Declaration of the European Industry expressing the main concerns and priorities of the ICT sector in Europe looking to the future: How can the ICTs help us overcome the economic crisis and what is the role they should play in the design and implementation of a new economic growth model based on the Knowledge Economy.

The minister stressed the fact that the Spanish Presidency was committed to the official distribution of the report to Member States of the EU, to the Commission and the European Parliament, so it could serve as a base for drawing up the Granada Strategy, set to take over from the i2010 Strategy, to be presented in the Informal Meeting of Telecommunications and Information Society Ministers to be held in Granada on the 19th and 20th of April.

Sebastián added that the new strategy must include questions concerning latest generation networks, the achievement of the Single Digital Market, to turn the Fifth Freedom of the EU (free movement of digital contents and services) into a reality, the promotion of equality of access to the information society and the role of the ICTs in questions such as the energy efficiency or eco-efficiency.
Main proposals of the ICT sector
The industry has identified seven key areas in which urgent action is required for Europe to fully benefit from the advantages of the ICTs: productivity and growth, sustainability, creative contents in the digital world, confidence, participation for all, market access and reductions in administrative workloads.
Objectives of the Spanish Presidency
In addition to drawing up the new strategy for the promotion of the Information Society, the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade has laid down the following objectives for the Spanish Presidency of the EU during the first half of 2010:

• The drawing up of a European Bill of rights for users of electronic communications, a document of similar characteristics to one already passed in Spain.

• The promotion of a debate on improving Information Society indicators. There is a huge disparity of criteria in the data and methods used by international organizations in setting up indicators, which has a major affect on their reliability.
• The creation of a suitable framework for the deployment of latest generation networks, infrastructures and services, to ensure economic, legal and harmonization conditions that foster investments in these infrastructures in the domain of the EU.

• The strengthening of network security, the protection of intellectual property on Internet and the fight against piracy.
The following European associations participated in drawing up the report: BSA, Cable Europe, Digital Europe, EDIMA, ECTA, ESOA, ETNO, EurolSPA and GSMA Europe. And the following Spanish organizations also contributed to the process: AETIC, ASIMELEC, ASTEL and Redtel.