1. Stresses that the digital agenda and the completion of a digital single market must stand at the heart of the EU’s efforts to generate growth and exit from the crisis; believes that political leadership is required at both EU and national level to address existing barriers to the digital single market in order to create jobs and growth in the EU; recalls that the digital economy is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy and notes that the completion of the digital single market could give it a boost of EUR 110 billion per year;

14. Highlights the need for the broadband uptake and access, e-commerce, digital inclusion, cross-border public services and research and innovation targets set in the Digital Agenda for Europe to remain an overreaching priority in order for the EU to reap the full benefits of the digital society;

19. Considers that the role of competition in spurring investment in new digital infrastructure to promote economic growth should not be undermined; believes that it is crucial for the Commission to guarantee a regulatory framework which allows all market players to invest in innovative digital infrastructure; considers that, to this end, new rules on setting efficient access prices for Next Generation Access (NGA) networks should reflect the underlying competitive process in each Member State by respecting the prerogatives of national regulatory authorities (NRAs); believes that, to this end, NRAs should be working to pursue common objectives, e.g. those of the Digital Agenda ...[+++], drawing on their better knowledge of, and specific expertise regarding, their respective national markets;

86. Calls on the Member States to strengthen and facilitate the development of information and communications infrastructures, since, while all Member States have a national broadband strategy, only a few have a fully-fledged operational plan which includes the targets required to fully realise the flagship initiative for a digital agenda for Europe as laid down in the Europe 2020 strategy; welcomes the new ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ initiative, since it will be crucial for the effective implementation of the Digital Agenda for Eur ...[+++]ope targets set for 2020 promising broadband access for all, and the intermediate objective of every EU citizen having access to a basic internet connection by 2013;

(2)The Digital Agenda is built upon wide consultations, in particular on inputs from the Digital Competitiveness Report 2009 - COM(2009) 390.the Commission's 2009 public consultation on future ICT priorities; the Conclusions of the TTE Council of December 2009, the Europe 2020 consultation and strategy; and the ICT Industry Partnership Contribution to the Spanish Presidency Digital Europe Strategy:, the own-initiative report of the European Parliament on 2015.eu and the Declaration agreed at the informal Ministerial meeting in Granada in April 2010.

Summary code: Audiovisual and media / Digital television and interactive media Employment and social policy / European Strategy for Growth / Intelligent growth Information society / Digital Strategy, i2010 Strategy, eEurope Action Plan, Digital Strategy Programmes / Digital Strategy