Decision 2001/48 - 2001/48/EC: Council Decision of 22 December 2000 adopting a multiannual Community programme to stimulate the development and use of European digital content on the global networks and to promote linguistic diversity in the information society - Main contents

official title

 

Legal instrument	Decision
Number legal act	Decision 2001/48
Original proposal	COM(2000)323
CELEX number i	32001D0048

Avis juridique important

|

2001/48/EC: Council Decision of 22 December 2000 adopting a multiannual Community programme to stimulate the development and use of European digital content on the global networks and to promote linguistic diversity in the information society

Official Journal L 014 , 18/01/2001 P. 0032 - 0040

Council Decision

of 22 December 2000

adopting a multiannual Community programme to stimulate the development and use of European digital content on the global networks and to promote linguistic diversity in the information society

(2001/48/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 157(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(3),

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(4),

Whereas:

• (1) 

  The evolution towards an information and knowledge society should influence the life of every citizen in the European Union by, inter alia, affording new means of gaining access to knowledge and new ways of acquiring knowledge.

• (2) 

  The Lisbon Summit stressed the need to bridge the digital divide in the emerging information society and to strengthen social cohesion.

• (3) 

  Digital content plays a predominant role in this evolution. Four million Europeans are currently employed in the content sector. Content production has given rise to rapid job creation in recent years and continues to do so. Most of these jobs are created in small emerging companies. This will radically change the conditions of access to knowledge or acquisition of it, and thus constitutes an essential asset for economic growth, enterprise and employment, and enhancing the professional, social and cultural development, and the creativity and innovative capacity of the citizens of Europe now and in the future.

• (4) 

  The economic and social potential of the development of digital content extends to the culture, education, training and leisure sectors.

• (5) 

  The structures and business environment of the content industries are changing fast.

• (6) 

  Respect for intellectual property and labelling of works are preconditions for increased distribution and exploitation of digital content on global networks.

• (7) 

  There are numerous barriers to the full development of the European content industries and markets.

• (8) 

  The Bonn ministerial declaration, issued at the conference of 6 to 8 July 1997 on the role of global networks for the information society, devotes special interest to the Internet commercial developments, thus forming the basis for the continuing discussions on Internet content, management issues and electronic commerce.

• (9) 

  On 8 December 1999 the Commission adopted the eEurope initiative which was subsequently welcomed by Member States at the Helsinki European Council of 10 and 11 December 1999.

• (10) 

  The Council has underlined, in its conclusions adopted on 17 December 1999(5) on culture industries and employment in Europe, that progress in communication technology and the information society has substantially increased the number of distribution channels, which has boosted demand for new programme content.

• (11) 

  On 23 and 24 March 2000 the European Council in Lisbon specifically recognised the role of the content industries in creating added value by exploiting and networking European cultural diversity.

• (12) 

  Community actions undertaken concerning the content of information should respect the Union's multilingual and multicultural character and encourage initiatives that facilitate access to digital information in the languages of present and candidate countries.

• (13) 

  The interim...

This text has been adopted from EUR-Lex.

This page is also available in a full version containing the legal context, de Europese rechtsgrond, other dossiers related to the dossier at hand and the related cases of the European Court of Justice.