Information society, eEurope: good practices and network security, MODINIS programme 2003-2005

The Council's common position, unanimously adopted, includes a number of proposed changes to the Commission's original proposal. It shares the overall objective of the Commission's proposal and in general terms, the proposed means of attaining that objective. However, the text of the proposal has been reworded in the course of discussion within the Council. Moreover, some articles were restructured to enhance clarity and user-friendliness. The common position has re-structured Article 2 (Specific actions) to align it with Article 1 (Objectives of the decision) and the four actions included in the proposed programme. Moreover, in these articles, the local level has been given a parallel status to national and regional levels in the framework of good practices and exchange of experiences. The Council has also enforced the impetus given to achieving the objectives of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan. In this context, it added a reference to an eEurope Steering Group. As far as network and information security is concerned, the 'cyber-security task force' referred to in the Commission's proposal has been termed 'future structure at European level for network and information security issues'. This is due to the fact that, since the present Commission's proposal, a new Commission proposal for the establishment of a European Network and Information Security Agency was issued, and the final form of this structure is currently not decided. However, the need to prepare this structure, which is to be operative from the beginning of 2004, is underlined. On the basis of the experience from the preceding programme PROMISE and given unfortunate delay in the adoption of the programme, the financial reference amount now proposed in the common position is EUR 20 million (as opposed to EUR 25 million proposed by the Commission). The Council has broadened the scope of the involvement of the management committee in order to ensure sufficient control over the implementation of the programme while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. Lastly, the common position provides for the possibility of opening the programme to EEA countries, applicant and candidate countries as well as the association countries of central and eastern Europe. Moreover, co-operation with nonmember countries and international organisations or bodies is encouraged.�