‘personal watercraft’ means a watercraft intended for sports and leisure purposes of less than 4 m in hull length which uses a propulsion engine having a water jet pump as its primary source of propulsion and designed to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing or kneeling on, rather than within the confines of, a hull;

3. ‘personal watercraft’ means a watercraft intended for sports and leisure purposes of less than 4 m in length which uses an internal combustion engine having a water jet pump as its primary source of propulsion and designed to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing or kneeling on, rather than within the confines of, a hull;

17. Expresses its deep concern at the recent clashes on the Israeli-Gaza border which have caused the death of 18 Palestinians including 4 children and injured several dozens from both sides; calls on all the parties to immediately stop all military operations and acts of retaliation and to uphold their obligations under international law notably towards civilians; reiterates its call for the immediately, sustained and unconditional lifting of the blockade of the Gaza Strip and for steps allowing for the reconstruction and economic recovery of this area; calls also, by recognising Israel’s legitimate security needs, for an effective c ...[+++]ontrol mechanism preventing the smuggling of arms into Gaza;

enable the Union to take the lead in wireless electronic communication broadband services by freeing up sufficient spectrum in cost-efficient bands for those services to be widely available.

5. Notes that network infrastructure such as fast broadband and internet connections are of particular importance and are preconditions for the development of CCIs in that they diminish location handicaps, and that technology is a vital driving force behind these industries; welcomes the actions envisaged to strengthen the role of CCIs as a catalyst for innovation and structural change under the ‘Innovation Union’ and ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’ flagship initiatives; emphasises the role of ICTs in CCIs and the ‘creative nexus’ between investment, techno ...[+++]logy, innovation, entrepreneurship and trade, and invites the Commission and the Member States to promote access to, and encourage the use of, new ICT technologies in the cultural and creative sector, to support broadband infrastructure and, once comprehensive basic broadband coverage has been attained in Europe, to provide rural areas too with adequate fast and ultra-fast networks and other forms of cost-effective internet connections, with a view to ensuring their balanced development in the long term;

All of the national reform programmes (NRPs) submitted by the Member States to the Commission following the relaunch of the Lisbon Strategy last year deal with the subject of broadband provision and expansion, with competition viewed as the most important driving force for the development of broadband technologies.