New emerging priorities in the Information Society
As part of its preparations for updating the Information Society Action Plan, the European Commission has adopted two communications, one on "The implications of the Information Society for EU policies" and one on "Standardization in the Information Society." The first communication, subtitled "Preparing the next steps", outlines the actions needed in four major areas of political priority: - Improving the business environment; - Investing in the future; - People at the centre; - Meeting the global challenge. As a result of consultations based on this communication, the Commission will prepare a revised and updated Action Plan before the Dublin European Council in December 1996. The second communication, on standardization and the Information Society, examines how the best conditions can be created for the drawing up of standards required for the implementation of the Information Society. In particular, this communication addresses the issues relating to interconnection in a liberalized telecommunications market. The Commission intends to put forward proposals relating to legislation in the area of publicly available standards (PAS). Since the development of the Information Society is primarily a market-driven activity, the Commission wishes to ensure that standardization takes place in a competitive environment. Standardization should also benefit the consumer and ensure that all citizens benefit equally from the Information Society. In this context, the Commission will organize a worldwide conference to follow up the conclusions of the G7 Information Society Conference, held in Brussels in February 1995.