2. Emphasises that, if the harmonious development of the Union and the smooth functioning of Union programmes is to be ensured, these structures need modern administrative and management capacities in order to formulate informed and interlinked forward-looking strategies, which should also include issues specific to the regions, and thereby contribute to the quality and effectiveness of different policies in various fields; stresses that the existing decision-making mechanisms and administrative processes should be assessed with a view to establishing whether the administration needs to be modernised; points out, however, that any incr ...[+++]ease in capacity should not involve the creation of new mechanisms or institutions but that existing administrative processes should be used more effectively as part of forward-looking strategies; takes the view that, if the harmonious development of the Union and the smooth functioning of Union programmes is to be ensured, the Member States require modern administrative and management capacities; takes the view that particular attention should be paid to Member States which record delays and low absorption rates over the programming period 2007-2013;

take the necessary steps to ensure the efficient running of the programme at Member State level involving all the parties concerned in higher education in accordance with national practice, and endeavour to adopt such measures as may be deemed appropriate to remove any legal and administrative barrier linked specifically to exchange programmes between European countries and third countries.

an exploitation phase comprising infrastructure management, the maintenance, constant improvement and renewal of the system, certification and standardisation operations relating to the programme, the marketing of the system and all other activities needed to develop the system and ensure that the programme runs smoothly.

– a exploitation phase comprising infrastructure management, the maintenance, constant improvement and renewal of the system, certification and standardisation operations relating to the programme, the marketing of the system and all other activities needed to develop the system and ensure the programme runs smoothly.

The Commission will continue to inform the European Parliament and the Council at regular intervals about the progress of the programme.

If the programme is to run smoothly, it is essential to make final decisions on these aspects by the end of 2002 since they will determine the technical specifications of the system (satellite design, ground station architecture, frequency plan, etc.) which must be identified before issuing the invitation to tender for the whole of the development phase (2002-2005).