Doc. 8104
4 May 1997

Standardisation in the field of information and communication technologies

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Beaufays and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.       Standardisation is one of the least glamorous but most crucial aspects of information and telecommunication technologies. It benefits service providers, equipment manufacturers and users, bringing them lower costs and uniform services. This is to everyone's advantage, from residential users, whose fixed and mobile handsets should be cheaper and with more features, to managers of multinational companies, who want to see the same standards implemented in every country they work in.

2.        National and international standard bodies are somehow in an unenviable position, because they have to deal with the interests of networks operators, equipment manufacturers and users - which do not always coincide - as well as with swiftly emerging market-oriented developments. A middle path is to be found to avoid the most powerful organisations automatically imposing their will.

3.        The ongoing process of liberalisation of the communication sector should be developed with regard to the need of the interconnection of networks and of the interoperability of the services and applications built on them. Just as in the past the political will to interconnect national telephone networks resulted in hundreds of millions of subscriber connections world-wide, similar political determination and corresponding effort are required to set up the considerably more complex information infrastructures.

4.        The technologies of data processing, telecommunications and broadcasting media are converging. Standardisation of the information technologies touches upon the very important areas of cultural identity, cultural diversity and national security, since standardisation policies are inextricably associated with issues such as the suitability of standards for operation in a multilingual environment, the control and security of information and data privacy. Although standards are of a technical nature, their choice and effects are highly political.

5.        Being aware that both the speed and the degree of responsiveness to market-oriented developments of the European standardisation process in the field of information and communication technologies should be increased, the Assembly invites the governments of member states, as well as the European Union:

i.       to promote the establishment of European standards enabling networks to be interconnected and applications to be interoperable, with a view to encouraging the dissemination of multimedia products;

ii.       to intensify international co-operation, which is essential in order to assure the convergence of these standards.

Signed : ¹

Beaufays, Belgium, EPP/CD

Birraux, France, EPP/CD

Brunhart, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

Ciupaila, Lithuania, LDR

Cunliffe, United Kingdom, SOC

Faldet, Norway, SOC

Guirado, Spain, SOC

Hoffmann, Germany, SOC

Lengagne, France, SOC

Liiv, Estonia, LDR

Melnikov, Russia, UEL

Newall, United Kingdom, EDG

Olrich, Iceland, EDG

Prokes, Slovakia, NR

Raskinis, Lithuania, EPP/CD

Roseta, Portugal, EPP/CD

Steolea, Romania, EDG

Turini, Italy, EDG

Uroic, Croatia, EPP/CD

Wittbrodt, Poland, EPP/CD

Zissi, Greece, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      PPE/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      GDE: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group