Dates for the diary
24 June - Telecommunications Package/ Electronic Communications Package
30 June - Alcohol and Health Forum
July (Tbc) - Private Copying Levies
7 July - Telecommunications Package/ Electronic Communications Package
16 July - Alcohol and Health Forum
28 July - Car Advertising
2 September - Telecommunications Package/ Electronic Communications Package
September (Tbc) - Green Paper on Copyright in Knowledge Economy
November - Car Advertising
31 December Latest - Rome II
End 2008 - Media Pluralism
Early 2009 - Media Pluralism
Beginning 2009 - State Aid and Public Service Broadcasters
14 January 2009 - Copyright
July 2009 - Work Plan for Culture 2008-2010
Second Half 2009 - Study on Access of Young People to Culture
More detail
An important vote is taking place in the EP Committee for Civil
Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). They will be voting on the
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council
amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users’ rights
relating to electronic communications networks, Directive 2002/58/EC
concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in
the electronic communications sector and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on
consumer protection cooperation. Whatever decision is taken is likely to be
adopted by the IMCO committee (the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer
Protection) on 7 July.
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The first meeting of the Science Group takes place in Brussels.
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Commissioner McCreevy is suggesting the creation of a Forum where the
Collecting Societies and Industry will look at issues involving
cross-border trade and electronic commerce of consumer electronics as well
as the basis and calculation of the different levies.
He has suggested the following topics for a Forum to discuss:
- First, clamping down on free-riders - the traders who do not pay the
levies - leaving legitimate businesses to shoulder the burden and pay
while others do not;
- Second, improving the practical modalities of obtaining
reimbursement of levies once electronic equipment is exported to another
Member State where a new levy is collected; and
- Third, seeing if broad principles can be worked out on how levies
could be calculated taking into account future technological
developments.
His full speech on this issue can be found at:
http://europa.eu.
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- Vote by IMCO Committee (Rapporteur, Malcolm Harbour.
- Vote expected in the Committee for Industry Research and Energy of
Draft report - amending Directives 2002/21/EC on a common regulatory
framework for electronic communications networks and services, 2002/19/EC
on access to, and interconnection of, electronic communications networks
and services, and 2002/20/EC on the authorisation of electronic
communications networks and services. (Rapporteur Catherine Trautman).
- Vote in the Committee for Industry Research and Energy of the
proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council
establishing the European Electronic Communications Market Authority.
(COM(2007)0699 – C6-0428/2007 – 2007/0249(COD))
(Rapporteur: Del Castillo Vera Pillar).
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Next task force on communications will be on 16th July. Agenda not yet
available.
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End of public consultation 28th July and proposal for a Communication
to go to the college of Commissioners in November 2008.
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EP Plenary vote on The Telecoms Package.
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DG Markt revisiting exceptions of copyright in the light of
developments in new media.
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College of Commissioners to debate Communication on car advertising
following end of consultation back in July.
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A new study is expected not later than 31 December 2008 based on the
terms of the Rome II regulation that said that by the end of 2008, the
Commission should “submit to the European Parliament, the Council and the
European Economic and Social Committee a study on the situation in the
field of the law applicable to non-contractual obligations arising out of
violations of privacy and rights relating to personality, taking into
account rules relating to freedom of the press and freedom of expression
in the media, and conflict-of-law issues related to Directive 95/46/EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the
protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data
and on the free movement of such data.”
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A study on Media Pluralism is expected to be completed by the end of
2008. A public report will follow (see below).
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A Commission Communication on the indicators for media pluralism in the
EU Member States is planned for early 2009, following consultation.
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/media_taskforce/pluralism/index_en.htm.
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Public consultation on this issue is over. We are now waiting for a
first draft for the Communication to come up in the beginning of 2009.
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Medina Ortega is to do an own initiative report on the Commission's
report on the application of Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of
certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information
society.
The timetable for the discussion within the Committee is not known yet
but it is expected that the Plenary vote will probably take place in the
week of 14/01/2009.
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In this work plan, the Council calls for the establishment of working
groups composed of experts from Member States to invite each Presidency to
build on the achievements of the Work Plan as well as to report on the
implementation of the latter; to invite the Member States and the
Commission to regularly consult the stakeholders regarding the
implementation of the Work Plan to ensure the relevance and visibility of
the activities; to invite the Commission, in consultation with and on the
basis of voluntary contributions from Member States, to report on
developments both at mid-term and at the end of the period covered by the
Work Plan.
Each Member State interested in participating in the work of the
working groups will nominate an expert as a member of a working group. The
expert should ideally have a mix of operational and policy experience in
the relevant field at a national level. Member States can invite other
experts or officials to attend the meetings of the working groups as
observers. The working groups will submit a mid-term report by July 2009
on the work carried out thus far, which will feed into the final report on
the implementation of the Council Work Plan for Culture 2008 - 2010.
The Working Plan’s priorities are
- to improve the conditions for the mobility of artists and other
professionals in the cultural field
- to promote access to culture, in particular through the promotion of
cultural heritage, multilingualism, digitisation, cultural tourism,
synergies with education, especially art education, and greater mobility
of collections
- to develop data, statistics and methodologies in the cultural sector
and improve their comparability
- to maximise the potential of cultural and creative industries, in
particular that of SMEs; (this will involve several studies and a Green
Paper on cultural and creative industries);
- to promote and implement the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
For each of the above priorities there are specific actions
provisioned, both for the Commission and the Member States with specific
timetable and objectives. Cultural education in schools will be of
interest as it gives space to mention copyright and respect for IPR.
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/08/st09/st09018.en08.pdf.
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This study will seek to identify obstacles to the access of young
people to culture as well as good practices in making this access easier.
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For more information please contact
Angela Mills-Wade, EPC Executive Director on Tel: +44 1865 310 732 or
Heidi Lambert
on Tel: +44 1245 476 265 or visit
www.epceurope.org.
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