Activites

• 1998/08/05 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 1998/48
  • OJ L 217 05.08.1998, p. 0018
• 1998/07/20 Final act signed
• 1998/07/20 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2111
• 1998/06/29 Council Meeting
• 1998/05/14 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T4-0277/1998 summary

    In adopting the recommendation for second reading by Mr Mark Philip HENDRICK (PSE, UK) Parliament approved the Council's common position with amendments. In particular it called for the Commission and the committee to be able to consult natural or legal persons from industry or academia, and where possible representative bodies, capable of delivering an expert opinion on the social and societal aims and consequences of any draft rule on services. The Member State concerned should indicate where appropriate the reasons why the detailed opinion could not be taken into account. Parliament called for the Commission at regular intervals to investigate developments in the market for new services in the field of the information society, especially in the framework of the convergence between telecommunications, information technology and media and, where necessary, take initiatives in order to adapt rules promptly in order to encourage the European development of new services. �

• 1998/05/13 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The rapporteur considered that the five re-tabled amendments, which had not been taken over in the common position, were realistic and minimalistic. Commissioner Bangemann was delighted to see Parliament and the Commission working on the same lines and accepted all the amendments.

• 1998/04/23 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A4-0151/1998
• 1998/02/19 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2066
• 1998/01/26 Council Meeting
  • 12944/1/1997 summary

    The Council common position incorporates, in full or in part, five amendments of the 12 included by the Commission in its amended proposal: - requirement to safeguard national measures preserving cultural identity and diversity, in accordance with Community law; - updating of the references to the recent directives in the audiovisual and telecommunications fields; - taking account of the social, societal and cultural objectives pursued by national draft rules; - proposal of both an evaluation report and a revision clause for this directive; - reference to the interpretation of the conception of free provision as developed in Court of Justice case law. The common position has included two significant changes to the substantive provisions of the proposal: (1) The first concerns the special arrangements introduced for notifying draft national rules relating specifically to on-line financial services: - the total exclusion from the scope of the present Directive of national rules on questions which are already the subject of Community regulations on financial services; - the partial exclusion of national rules on regulated markets (in particular stock exchanges) and other specific markets and bodies; - a special emergency procedure for draft national rules on the protection of the security and the integrity of the financial system; (2) The second important change made by the Council concerns the reduction of the total status quo period to four months (instead of the six months proposed by the Commission) if a detailed opinion is delivered by the Commission or by one or more Member States on a notified draft. In addition, the common position has introduced further changes and clarifications. These comprise in particular: - the exclusion of national rules on questions which are already the subject of Community regulations on telecommunications services; - the non-application, with regard only to draft national rules on Information Society services, of the twelve-month status quo period, when the Commission announces that it merely 'intends' to propose a directive, regulation or decision in the same field as that covered by the national draft; - definition of the criteria for applying the Directive; - non-application of the Directive to broadcasting services (including pay-TV and pay-per-view) already covered by the Television without Frontiers Directive; - provision that the Committee currently operating in the context of Directive 83/189 should meet 'in a specific composition' to examine matters relating to Information Society services. The Council has also fixed a period of 12 months for the transposition of this directive and has provided for an evaluation report and a possible review of the directive two and three years respectively after the end of the transposition period. �

• #2051
• 1997/11/27 Council Meeting
• 1997/11/17 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1997)0601 summary

    The Commission's amended proposal takes over 12 of the 17 amendments adopted by Parliament at first reading. It takes over in particular the substance of the first part of Parliament's amendment 14: although it does not set up an ad hoc Standing Committee - which would involve specific financial cover - provision is made for the existing Committee and the national authorities to consult experts from industry and academia on regulatory issues relating to Information Society services. A further amendment provides that the report on the implementation of the directive which the Commission must present every two years should take account in particular of the societal and cultural aims of future draft rules on services. The deadline for bringing national rules into line with this Directive is set at 30 June 1998 (instead of 31 December 1997). Before 1 July 2000 the Commission will assess whether it is appropriate to submit proposals for the revision of the directive in the light of the technological development of the services. �

• 1997/05/16 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    Commissioner Monti said that he could accept most of the amendments as they were specifically designed to strengthen the proposal or clarify the detail of its content. This was the case with Amendments Nos 2 (subject to rewording), 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 14 (in part). However, other amendments were not compatible with the spirit of the proposal and could particularly impair the proper functioning of the current Directive 83/189/EEC. The Commission was restricted to extending the procedure currently applying to goods to the area of the new information society services, without any changes. This was why, according to Mr Monti, Amendments Nos 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 16 and 18 had to be rejected. This was also the case with Amendment No 21 as the Commission considered that transparency must apply to all the new services provided on the information highway, without excluding the cultural sphere.

  • T4-0260/1997 summary

    In adopting the report by Mr Mark HENDRICK (PSE, UK), Parliament amended the proposal, calling in particular for the establishment of an advisory group comprising experts from industry and universities which would have the task of offering advice and guidance to the Standing Committee. In addition, Parliament calls on the Commission: - to monitor developments on the market in the new information society services, particularly as regards convergence between telecommunications, information technology and the media, with a view to adjusting the rules at the appropriate juncture; - to assess the implementation of the directive before 1 July 1999 with a view to revising it, if appropriate. �

• 1997/04/17 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0147/1997
• #1957
• 1996/10/25 Council Meeting
  • 1957
• #1953
• 1996/10/08 Council Meeting
  • 1953
• 1996/09/20 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1996/08/30 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1996)0392 summary

    OBJECTIVE : the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive is designed to set up a transparency mechanism introducing a procedure for the supply of information and administrative cooperation between national and Community authorities regarding rules and regulations on Information Society services. SUBSTANCE : the transparency mechanism proposed by the Commission pursues the following objectives: (a) ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market for Information Society services by preventing the creation of new obstacles; (b) ensuring an equivalent level of protection of general-interest objectives between Member States; (c) establishing more clearly and reducing the need for new Community rules and regulations; (d) facilitating administrative cooperation; (e) contributing to the stability of the regulatory framework, a prerequisite for stimulating the development of the Information Society. In concrete terms, each Member State would have to communicate to the Commission and the other Member States any draft national rules and regulations on Information Society services: their entry into force would be conditional upon a minimum standstill period of three months for verification of the consistency and compatibility of the draft with existing Community law, including internal market rules. A committee would administer the procedure.�

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1996)0392
• Debate in Council: 1953
• Debate in Council: 1957
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0147/1997
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0260/1997
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1997)0601
• Council position published: 12944/1/1997
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A4-0151/1998
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T4-0277/1998
• : Directive 1998/48
• : OJ L 217 05.08.1998, p. 0018

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)