The Commission will: ensure, through an internal network, that all departments apply its multilingualism policy in a coherent way; continue to foster multilingualism on its Internet portal (Europa) and in its publications; launch a Languages portal on Europa providing information about multilingualism in the European Union and accommodating new portals dedicated to language learners and language teachers; give a greater role to its translation field offices in the Member States in promoting multilingualism, particularly through the customisation of the Commission’s messages for local target audiences; organise high-level seminars on ...[+++]multilingualism in the Member States, targeted at journalists and other opinion multipliers; continue to offer universities grants and teaching assistance in the field of conference interpreting, help develop distance learning tools and fund student bursaries and training visits; continue to develop cost-effective multilingual conferencing and communication tools under the Commission’s project on the interoperable delivery of pan-European e-government services to public administrations, businesses and citizens; [38] support the European Master’s in Conference Interpreting and the European Master’s in Conference Management, thereby enhancing co-operation, pooling expertise and disseminating best practice in these fields; continue to play a full part in the International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publication, a body which discusses new job and skills requirements; continue to provide universities with a model curriculum of a Master’s degree in translation and supply visiting translators to help train students in translation; and organise an international translation competition between schools in Member States, to promote language knowledge and the language professions. |

The requirement of an affordable price was introduced when legislation was passed on the liberalisation of the network industries, as a vital component of the universal service for telecommunications, electricity and postal services, and as being closely linked to the objective of social and territorial cohesion pursued by the EU.

In the event that a Member State decides to designate one or more undertakings for the provision of the universal service, or for the provision of the various components of the universal service, it must be ensured that quality requirements pertaining to the universal service are imposed in a transparent and proportionate manner on the universal service providers.

The overall net cost of universal service obligations to any designated universal service provider is to be calculated as the sum of the net costs arising from the specific components of universal service obligations, taking account of any intangible benefits.