Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-14-Speech-1-085"

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". Mr President, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament has been following very closely the process of switching from terrestrial analogue broadcasting to digital broadcasting in Europe. As a vitally important resource, the frequency spectrum must be utilised efficiently. Europe must not lag behind in this regard. In other words, if we want to achieve the Lisbon goals and be a part of the innovation in this area too, then we must not lag behind with the switchover. We therefore support the fact that the Commission has proposed 2012 as the target year for switching off analogue broadcasting throughout Europe. The European Parliament therefore calls upon the Member States to give their full support to this schedule, while at the same time aiming to keep the transitional period of ‘simulcasting’ as short as possible. The digital switchover will be a success if it is carried out in a coordinated manner. We therefore propose that the Commission establish a European Digital Working Party – perhaps within the existing structures – with a view to ensuring that the switchover takes place in as coordinated a manner as possible. We propose that this Working Party have the task of monitoring the progress of Member States and coordinating their objectives and regulations. It should initiate discussion and consultation between Member States and market players. The European Parliament believes that the digital switchover will bring tangible benefits if the additional frequency spectrum released as a result of the change in technology is reallocated on a flexible basis and at European level. We need to make a timely start as regards working on the question of how to make the best use of the frequency spectrum dividend. In this context I am also referring to the potential it offers for new pan-European services, as in the case of the transport sector, to mention only one of many examples. The aforementioned Working Party would provide an appropriate framework for this. In order to ensure that the switchover has the desired results, it is impossible to overstate the need for technological neutrality and interoperability, which is one of the pillars of European innovation in this field. We also call upon Member States to ensure that the switchover process and reallocation of the spectrum dividend are impartial, transparent, proportionate and non-discriminatory. The European Parliament believes that the transition will be a success if European citizens have access to the most advanced technology for receiving digital broadcasts, for example technology comprising a Multimedia Home Platform or an open Embedded Panel Interface (EPI). This will help prevent vertical bottlenecks. In order to ensure access to these technologies for all European citizens, it may be necessary to subsidise them at national level, in accordance with Community law. We must ensure that a digital divide is not allowed to develop between different regions of Europe. Indeed, we must ensure that the opposite is the case. We call upon the Commission to publish and present models of best practice with regard to financing aspects. The switchover will not only bring economic dividends, but also better and more sophisticated services for European citizens if the social and cultural challenges relating to it are met. For instance, public service platforms could be the standard-bearers of the digital switchover. We propose that the common position we need to agree on at the Regional Radiocommunication Conference in 2006 (RRC06) should include a provision making the transitional period for third countries as short as possible. The European Parliament is confident that the December meeting of the Council will take Parliament’s views into consideration in arriving at a decision on the tasks that lie ahead."@en1

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