Telecommunications in Europe

Directorate-General For Translation European Commission

Description

Information technology and telecommunications
Industrial policy

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION
• Nombre de lectures: 9
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

HERBERT UNGERER
with the collaboration of
NICHOLAS P. COSTELLO
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
IN EUROPE
Revised edition, 1 990
Foreword by J. DELORS
Preface by F.M. PANDOLFI
Introduction by M. CARPENTIER
european
Commission of the European Communities COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Telecommunications
in Europe
Free choice for the user
in Europe's 1992 market
The challenge for the European Community
by Herbert UNGERER
with the collaboration of Nicholas COSTELLO
Foreword by J. DELORS
Preface by F. M. PANDOLFI
Introduction by M. CARPENTIER
THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES SERIES
BRUSSELS Notice
This publication is designed to contribute to public debate on European integration. The views
expressed are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the
Commission of the European Communities.
Cataloguing data appear at the end of this publication
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1990
ISBN 92-826-1640-1
Catalogue number: CM-59-90-346-EN-C
© ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels · Luxembourg, 1990
Printed in Belgium Foreword
Europe can no longer afford to wait. The world race against the clock in which our coun­
tries are already participating and playing for survival, requires a greater ability to adapt
and take initiative from all, while demanding that our strengths and our energies be united.
Following the proposal by the European Commission, the Community has resolved to
establish by 1992 a genuinely common and cohesive European economic space which will,
by virtue of its size, offer European enterprises new possibilities for expansion and coop­
eration. It has also decided to develop its scientific and technological programmes, which
have already demonstrated that Europeans can aspire to the first rank as soon as they put
together their resources and unite their talents.
The single market is a challenge. In the sphere of telecommunications, it will offer a new
framework of regulation and management, on a higher level, favouring research and
development, and the establishment of high capacity networks which will be an essential
dynamic element of our productive capacity. It is an opportunity that must be grasped for
the sake of employment and the future of European technology.
Jacques DELORS
President of the Commission
of the European Communities Preface
Telecommunications is of increasing strategic and structuring significance throughout the
economy and society. The European telecommunications industry is currently going
through a far-reaching process of reorganization—new services and service providers, new
regulations and regulatory bodies, and a new competitive environment. The scale and
rapidity of the reorganization bear witness to the magnitude of the challenge facing all
involved in this sector.
The trend world-wide is towards the opening of telecommunications markets. Europe's
challenge is to manage this change in a coherent way across the Community and to use this
opportunity to build up one of the most important nervous systems which the 1992
European market will need. A good start has been made in Europe with the broad
consensus process based on the Green Paper on telecommunications. More effort still will
be required as new questions arise.
The nature of the new telecommunications markets—characterized by diversity, flexibility
and rapid change—requires the liberalization of a sector that has traditionally been the
preserve of monopoly. However, this introduction of competition will only proceed
smoothly and successfully if a proper balance is preserved between liberalization and
harmonization.
This is the key-note of Community policy on regulation. Liberalization must go hand-
in-hand with harmonization if we are to arrive at one single, free, European market, rather
than 12 isolated markets, each of which would be non-viable on its own.
However, the role of the Community, and of the Member States' governments, extends
beyond the development of a liberal market for telecommunications and the promotion of
the development of the technologies that will be required.
Public administration is itself one of the largest consumers of telecommunications, and
government has a duty to show the way in the introduction of the new technologies of
administration.
As mentioned in the proposal for a new framework programme of Community activities in
the field of research and technological development (1990-94), what is now needed is a
more comprehensive approach and the of telematic systems in areas of general interest: telecommunications is one of the crucial infrastructures of a modern economy and
society.
The realization of the large internal market is defining new requirements in the field of
information exchange. At the level of public administration, faced with problems posed by
the abolition of barriers and the realization of the single market, these requirements
comprise topics in the field of domestic policy—police, justice, customs and social security.
At the level of the individual user, questions of transport, health, distance learning,
environmental protection and access to rural areas predominate.
To meet these requirements, beyond the efforts being undertaken within regional or
national contexts, additional Community effort is needed. This comprises the development
of telematic systems combining information technologies, communications and audiovisual
techniques.
Industrialists, network users and suppliers throughout the Community will be encouraged
to regroup around projects which meet both the requirement of economic development and
social demand, thereby cementing a community of interest and spirit.
Linking Europe's public administration networks and meshing Europe's research and
development programmes can go a long way towards ensuring that Europe fully benefits
from the new dynamism which the 1992 goal has created.
As regards the role of telecommunications in this process, the challenge is to complete the
1992 programme, developing a single market for telecommunications as set out in the EC
Green Paper, and to develop the organizational and human telecommunications infrastruc­
ture that will permit the 1992 market to function as an integrated whole.
Filippo Mario PANDOLFI
Vice-President of the Commission
of the European Communities
September 1989 Acknowledgements
Telecommunications is a complex and multi-faceted issue; it follows that our work has
necessarily drawn on materials and studies from a wide variety of sources. Our thanks go
especially to our colleagues in the Directorate-General for Telecommunications, Informa­
tion Industries and Innovation of the European Commission, and to our colleagues in the
other departments of the Commission, in particular the Directorate-General for Compe­
tition. Of course responsibility for the final contents lies with the authors. We wish fur­
thermore to thank our secretaries, who have contributed to the production of this work
with great diligence and patience.
September 1989