The European Parliament adopted by 560 votes to 70 with 15 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on guidelines for trans European telecommunications networks and repealing Decision No 1336/97/EC.
Parliament adopted its position in first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of a compromise agreement between Parliament and Council. They amend the Commission proposal as follows:
Objective: Parliament specified that the Regulation must lay down guidelines for the timely deployment of projects of common interest in the field of trans-European networks in the area of telecommunications infrastructure.
The Regulation provides for:
· the objectives and operational priorities of projects of common interest;
· the identification of projects of common interest;
· the criteria according to which actions contributing to projects of common interest shall be eligible for Union financial assistance;
· priorities for funding for projects of common interest.
Broadband networks: the projects of common interest shall make improvements in daily life for citizens, businesses and public authorities at every level through the promotion of broadband networks, interconnection and interoperability of national, regional and local broadband networks, as well as non-discriminatory access to such networks and digital inclusion.
A new recital refers to the resolution on the digital agenda for growth, mobility and employment, adopted by Parliament on of 12 September 2013: in the resolution Parliament emphasised that a revised forward-looking Digital Agenda for Europe target for 2020 is to connect all Union households with broadband connections delivering 100 Mbps, with 50 % of households subscribing to 1 Gbps or more.
Projects of common interest: the list of projects of common interest in the Annex to the Regulation must include well-established digital service infrastructures particularly identified to be eligible for funding contributing to uninterrupted service.
As well-established digital service infrastructure, Europeana (access point to Europeana cultural heritage content) and Safer Internet for Children should have priority for funding.
Actions contributing to projects of common interest in the field of broadband networks shall, inter alia:
· deploy the technology best suited for the specific project, while proposing the best balance between state of the art technologies in terms of data flow capacity, transmission security, network resilience, and cost efficiency;
· have a high potential for replicability and/or be based on innovative business models.
Methods of intervention: Member States shall be encouraged to take the measures necessary to facilitate the implementation of projects of common interest. The final decision on the implementation of a project of common interest that relates to the territory of a Member State shall be taken after the approval of that Member State.
The total amount of the budget allocated to financial instruments for broadband networks shall not exceed the minimum necessary to establish cost-efficient interventions which shall be determined on the basis of ex-ante assessments.
That amount shall be 15 % of the financial envelope for the telecommunications sector referred to in Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 establishing the Connecting Europe Facility.
At least one-third of the broadband projects receiving financial assistance under this Regulation shall aim at broadband speeds above 100Mbps.
Exchange of information, monitoring and reporting: Member States and the Commission shall exchange information and best practices about the progress made in the implementation of the Regulation. Local and regional authorities will be involved in the process. The Commission shall publish a yearly overview of that information and submit it to the European Parliament and to the Council.
The Commission shall publish a report on progress in the implementation of the Regulation. That report shall provide an evaluation of the progress achieved in the development and implementation of projects of common interest, including where relevant delays in implementation and difficulties are encountered, as well as information about commitments and payments.