26. Welcomes the Commission’s proposals on the Connecting Europe Facility covering TEN-T, TEN-E and ICT guidelines as this financial instrument will play an important role in developing better connectivity between all component parts of integrated Single Market - transport, energy and broadband networks; stresses the importance of developing comprehensive multimodal EU transport infrastructure network, inter alia, addressing the issues of lack of appropriate infrastructure, accessibility and low interoperability between various parts of the EU; stresses a need to help Member States to meet core energy objectives concerning supply, comp ...[+++]etitiveness and sustainability; also stresses a need to help Member States to meet the targets set in the ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’ and believes that investment in energy and telecom infrastructure should be market driven with public finance provided only in cases where there is a genuine market failure;

53. Calls on the Commission to safeguard the principles of the neutrality and openness of the internet and to promote the ability of end-users to access and distribute information and run applications and services of their choice; instructs the Commission to assess whether the implementation of the revised EU telecoms framework requires specific guidance rules;

38. Highlights the need for better guidance on broadband investment for local and regional authorities in order to encourage the full absorption of EU funds, as expenditure figures for the Structural Funds suggest that the regions have difficulty in absorbing the available funds and targeting them on broadband projects; considers that state aid for broadband investment should be used in synergy with structural funds to stimulate local entrepreneurship and the local economy, create local jobs and promote competition in the telecom market; believes that to make maximum use of limited public funding, whether by the Member States directly or via the EU, such ...[+++] funding needs to have a clear focus on those projects where it can be expected to have the maximum effect in private investment in order to further increase both coverage and capacity; emphasises the need for public funds or preferential loans, in accordance with the Commission's guidance on state aid, which should be targeted towards future-proof, long-lasting and open infrastructures which support competition and consumer choice;

15. Underlines that progress in services negotiations is essential to accommodate the EU’s economic interests, calls for substantive results with regard to market opening in the fields of telecommunications, financial, business, transportation, environmental and other services; welcomes the considerable progress made in the negotiations and encourages all interested WTO members to submit initial offers and engage actively in the negotiations; calls on the WTO members to adopt guidelines and a timetable for completing the negotiations;

We're very pleased to have with us Mr. David Colville, the vice-chair of telecommunications; Ms. Shirley Soehn, executive director, telecommunications; and Mr. Paul Godin, director, independent carrier relations.

Annie Laflamme, Director, French Language Television Policy and Applications, Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission: Madam Chair, I am the Director of the French Language Television Policy and Applications at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, which is better known by the acronym CRTC.