The objectives set by the State Secretariat for Telecommunications and the Information Society (SETSI) for the Spanish Presidency of the EU are:
1. Approval of the new strategy 2010 - 2015 for the promotion of Information Society
The initiative 2010, launched by the European Commision (EC) in June 2005 was the first coherent and comprehensive strategy of the EU for the development of the Information Society in Europe and one of the pillars of the Lisbon Strategy.
In August 2009, it was published the report of the European Comission about i2010, which resumes the global results of this multi-year strategy. The report acknowkedges the success of the Community strategy in the field of ICT, but it also warns that this "success" must be placed in a global perspective. And at that point, the conclusions are not so optimistic, because it's noticed that Europe risks losing its competitive advantage against new and innovative developments.
Therefore Europe needs a new action plan to address the new challenges emerging, to promote the development and implementation of first class infraestructures and to fully exploit the potential of the Internet as an engine of growth and as a basis for open innovation, creativity and participation.
In this context, work on the new initiative from 2010 to 2015, that will replace i2010 is being carried out.
To this end, the European Comission launched in August 2009 a consultation process with Member States and representatives of the ICT sector.
In parallel, the Swedish Presidency has led a major work in the framework of which has become known as Visby Agenda, representing a very important starting point.
In addition, the European Parliament also intends to offer its point of view on such a relevant issue and is expected that in early Spring it will approve the report that is being prepared by the ITRE Comission.
Finally, it's expected that the the European Comission presents its important Comunication (the base of the new strategy) during the Spanish Presidency in the first half of the semester.
In this context, the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council tries to facilitate the launch of the new Strategy 2010-2015 for the Information Society and its subsequent Action Plan (formerly known as European Digital Agenda). Therefore a new milestone has been set: the informal ministerial meeting to be held in Granada next month of April 2010: "For a Digital Europe: the Granada Strategy".
2. Promotion of an enabling environment for the deployment and use of advanced infrastructures and services
A firm commitment for the ICT as an element of change and development requires the definition of a coherent set of initiatives that will lead in the creation of an enabling environment for the deployment of advanced new generation infrastructures and services, encouraging the participation of private investment and defining a stable framework for the development of complementary public actions that promote equal opportunities to the access by all segments of popultaion.
This will require also the definition of conditions that encourage the use of such advanced infrastructures and services in a growing number of fields. Recognizing the potential that offers ICT use in most areas of social interaction, its intensive use would facilitate that interactions, increasing on one hand, the welfare of the citizens and on the other, raising our economies productivity in an environmental friendly manner.
Parallel to this, promoting the use of advanced infrastructures and services will attract the invesment of the private sector, promoting the relation between the investment and innovation in infrastructures and promoting new services as well as its more and better use.
In order to achieve, at EU level, this favourable environment for the deployment and use of advanced infrastructures and services, it is necessary that the EU institutions and national administrations undertake a group of horizontal actions. These actions will enable a good framework to attract investment and innovation and the use of such infrastructures and services.
Some horizontal actions could be: the consolidation of a regulatory framework that encourages investment in infrastructure and new services; the promotion of the networks and services availability; remove barriers to the use of these networks and services; the promotion of model actions made by governments (e-government, e-health, e-learning...).
3. Approval of an European Charter of Users' Rights on electronic Communications
The Spanish experience (whereas a User Rigths' Charter on electronic communications has already been approved - Royal Decree 899/2009, 22nd of May 2009), has led to the Spanish Administration to encourage the creation of a similar instrument at European level, so that users could rely on a comprehensive document where their rights in this sector were informed, emphasizing in the principles of transparency and simplification (suitable by an EU who is closer to the citizen, such as the Lisbon Treaty advocates), bringing together in a single text all the rights now dispersed among several legal texts.
Furthermore, it is intended that the right to access to broadband will be included as an essential and inherent part of the universal service.
4. Network security and protection of intellectual property rights on Internet
With regard to network security, the Spanish Presidency main objective is to improve, in Europe as a whole, the security levels related to networks and telecommunication infrastructures and to the provision of services that rely on them, with the ultimate goal of bringing more confidence to the end- users (business and home users) when they use information technologies
In this sense, the boost to the planned reform (assuming that the Comission will raise its proposal within the coming months) at the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) is capital, in order to strengthen and give greater effectiveness and flexibility in its operation, thus becoming a key pillar and a European knowledge center in the field of network and information security.
Regarding Intellectual Property Rights, to reach an appropriate balance between the rights and freedoms is essential for the harmonious development of information society and cultural industries. Security measures should be combined with awareness measures. Promoting strong and determined variety of contents within the legal framework and reasonably priced should also be done.
In this context, Spain seeks to encourage a high level political debate within European Union regarding the protection of Intellectual Property Rights online.
5. Encourage a harmonized international framework of indicators on development of Information Society
Both OECD and EU (Comission and Eurostat) have been working many years to improve the system used to measure the degree of development of the Information Society and the ICT sector. Also other international agencies as the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) are playing an important role in this regard.
Sometimes the lack of quality indicators, their lack of adaptation to the reality, the fast development of the ICT sector and, in some cases, the lack of official information, turns out in the use of information from private sources, which often have methodological problems, accuracy and comparability.
This problem, that has been discussed and analyzed by international organizations (Eurosata, EC, OECD, ITU...) for years, has not been solved so far due to many reasons: lack of consensus, of priority, interest or commitment and human and financial resources of specific countries, in addition to their own processes and internal deadlines for processing, discussion and decision in these international organizations.
Spain would like to promote a serious discussion leading to a harmonization effort, so that the analysis and results of measuring systems are directly comparable and consistent, providing greater clarity and transparency. This will help the adoption of more realistic and effective Information Society public policies.