§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the outcome of the Telecommunications Council held in Luxembourg on 22 April; and if he will make a statement. [82396]
§ Mr. WillsI represented the UK at the Telecommunications Council on 22 April. The Council reached political agreement on a common position in respect of a Directive on a Common Framework for Electronic Signatures. A Council Resolution on the Year 2000 Computer Problem was agreed in principle.
The Council also held a debate on the state of the EU telecommunications market. The Commission presented a Communication on the results of public consultation on the Green Paper on the Convergence of Telecommunications, Media and Information Technology Sectors, on which Council Conclusions were agreed in principle. The Commission also presented its Green Paper on Access to Public Sector Information, and provided an oral update regarding developments on Globalisation and the Information Society, Internet Domain Names, and on the public consultation on the Commission Green Paper on Radio Spectrum Policy.