Telecoms ministers renew commitment to ICT sector
Europe's telecommunications ministers have signalled their intent to further encourage the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), following a meeting of the Telecommunications Council in Brussels on 8 March. According to the Commission, the mood of the meeting was 'upbeat', in response to positive assessments from industry of the health of the electronic communications sector. Ministers held a broad exchange of views, and identified a range of actions to further strengthen the information society. The Council stressed that while the ICT sector already plays a key role in driving economic growth, a number of challenges still need to be addressed in order for the industry to thrive. These include providing broadband coverage in underserved areas, creating demand for advanced services, and successfully rolling out third generation (3G) mobile communications. The first step in facing these challenges, according to the Council, is for governments to recognise that they 'have a role to play in creating an environment that facilitates the development of the sector, in particular through the effective implementation of the new regulatory framework for electronic communications.' Ministers also called on their own governments to prepare and implement national broadband strategies, including, if necessary, digital divide quick-start projects to increase broadband access to underserved areas. Echoing the conclusions of a recent Commission communication, the Council also noted the importance of redirecting policy away from solely issues of availability of infrastructure and towards the development and uptake of innovative services. Focusing on the role of the Commission, ministers welcomed its intention to produce a communication in May on the progress of national broadband strategies, and demanded that in all such future communications, the Commission highlights those issues where an EU response is needed. Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society, Erkki Liikanen, who attended the meeting on behalf of the Commission, said: 'There are signs of returning confidence and of a new political commitment to push forward with eEurope. This remains a key sector to drive productivity growth in the economy and fuel innovation. [...] There are still things to be done, but we have moved a further step in the right direction.' Finally, the Council called on industry players collectively to increase their investment in research and development (R&D) as well as in 3G and broadband infrastructure, and to develop and provide innovative and high quality services based on high speed networks. During the same Council meeting, ministers also agreed next steps in the international fight against spam, discussed the findings of the Commission's eEurope 2005 mid-term review, and adopted conclusions as a follow up to the World Summit on the Information Society.