Specific research programme: advanced communications technologies and services (1994-1998)

The Commission's amended proposal includes the amendments by the European Parliament dealing with: the deadlines for implementing the programme (the first appropriations will be committed within twelve months of the adoption of the programme at most), efforts to simplify, improve and make procedures more transparent, staff and operating costs, the reference to the financial perspectives, the need to conduct research into the social impact of advanced communication technologies and services and into interactions between citizens and the information infrastructure and the importance of as broad an access as possible for citizens to the new information infrastructures. The Commission did not incorporate the amendments on comitology, international cooperation (extending the Commission's negotiating mandate to the countries of the Mediterranean basin) or systematic priority for SMEs when selecting projects.�