The European Parliament adopted the report by Mr Claude DELCROIX on the proposal for a Council decision on the general guidelines and the multi-annual Community action concerning the development of ISDN as a trans-European network (TEN-ISDN).
The Integrated Services Digital Network "was the key element in the European strategy on telecommunications networks". In fact, it was the link between the current telephone network and the future "information highways". The first proposal for a Council decision laid down a global framework for the development of ISDN with a series of objectives (harmonised infrastructure and services, full geographical coverage in all the Member States) and actions required to achieve them (elimination of bottlenecks, end-to-end interoperability of telematic services, etc.).
The second proposal concerned the multi-annual programme aimed at supporting the projects of common interest relating to the development of ISDN. This support should enable the implementation of ISDN infrastructures and services with a view to ensuring the interconnection of networks and interoperability of applications.
The amendments adopted by the European Parliament aimed to improve the clarifications in both texts. Moreover, the question of financing, which was scarcely mentioned in the Commission text, was the subject of amendments, providing in particular for the financing of infrastructures, among other things, by Community funds.
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