ICT is the largest single research area within the EU's seven-year 7th Framework Programme (FP7) for research and development, accounting for 18% of the total Community budget. The first call for proposals for ICT projects under FP7 was launched on 22 December 2006 and will close on 8 May 2007. Project participation is open to all organisations in Europe and beyond. Project consortia must submit a joint proposal which will then be evaluated by independent panels of experts. The quality of the proposals determines whether they will be successful. The Electronic Proposal Submission Service is now available for this ICT Call 1 and the Future and Emerging Technologies Open Call. Proposers are invited to register with this service.

In a new round of proceedings for infringements of EU telecom rules, the European Commission has decided to refer six Member States to the European Court of Justice: Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Portugal and Slovakia for deficiencies related to Europe’s emergency number 112; and against Estonia for failing to carry out the required market analysis under the EU telecom rules. The Commission has also opened one new infringement case against Cyprus on rights of way for mobile markets. The Commission could also close four pending cases in this round.

Continental Automotive Systems, a division of Continental AG, and a worldwide automotive supplier, today announced its signature of the eCall Memorandum of Understanding. eCall is an in-vehicle safety system which, in the event of a serious accident, automatically makes a phone call to the nearest emergency centre. Via this call, the exact location of the accident scene is transmitted. This reduces response times of the emergency services by 50% in rural and 40% in built-up areas. Estimates suggest that 2,500 lives will annually be saved in the European Union once eCall is fully deployed. With its signature, Continental Automotive Systems wants to show its sustained support for a Europe-wide roll-out of eCall as of 2010. (At the bottom of the English version of the press release, links to a German and a French version can be found.)

On 27-28 February 2007, the European Commission supported Integrated Project GST "Global System for Telematics", coordinated by ERTICO – ITS Europe, held its final workshop in Brussels. The event featured an extensive set of presentations and demonstrations of achievements. The GST consortium has created an open and standardized end-to-end architecture for automotive telematics services, enabling vehicles to communicate with each other and the outside world. Such an open platform also allows vehicle manufacturers, public services and certified companies to provide and distribute their own services to consumers. Subscribers can then choose the telematics services that best suit their needs and budget.

The European Commission has updated the Recommendation on human/machine interfaces in vehicles. This update responds to the increased presence of portable devices in cars (for example mobile telephones, PDAs, laptops etc). While still allowing competition to continue between manufacturers, the text aims at making the design and the installation of these systems safer. It also underlines the responsibility of each actor concerned, from designers to consumers as well as car manufacturers, rental agencies and fleet managers.

For people wanting to participate in Europe's 7th Framework Programme of ICT research, the Commission and German Presidency are organising an Information Day in Köln (Germany) on 1 February 2007. This is a "not to be missed" opportunity to meet other researchers having similar interests, and to build the consortia necessary to make a research proposal. Entry is free of charge, and the event is expected to be heavily attended. On line registration is now open. In preparation for attending the event, we encourage you to prepare and publish on the event's website a profile of yourself, and your organisation's research interests. If you are forming a research consortium, it may also help you to provide a short profile of the skills / industrial expertise you are seeking from others to complete you consortium. This information supports our networking objective of allowing you to be "found" during the event, and also allowing you to find others. The ICT Information Day will be opened by Dr. Annette Schavan, German Federal Minister of Education and Research and Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, and the rest of the day will be organised as an information fair, with no formal agenda.

According to a recent Eurobarometer study, European motorists attach high importance to safety in choosing a car, but the perceived high price and lack of understanding of the benefits still slow down market penetration of intelligent safety systems. The European Commission has already recognised this and has increased efforts to raise awareness of the real benefits of intelligent safety systems.

Following the presentation of the eSafety Commission Communication titled "Bringing eCall back on track" in the Telecommunications, Transport and Energy Council of 11 December, Iceland signed the eCall Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This brings up to 10 the number of countries which have signed the Memorandum.

An urgent set of actions to restart moves to roll-out emergency call (eCall) technology for cars in Europe has been proposed by the Commission. The Commission-industry action plan agreed in 2005 to add eCall to all new cars in Europe by 2009 has stalled, warns the Commission status report of 23 November. While there has been significant progress at European level, some Member States have been slow to invest in infrastructure, and industry now refuses further action.
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A new site has been launched on CORDIS focusing on the ICT research to be funded under the Seventh Framework Programme.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Commission’s Public Consultation

A major new drive for improving awareness of intelligent vehicle systems and their road safety benefits was announced on 28 September. This new platform to promote awareness brings together stakeholders from the public sector, automotive suppliers and users.

The European Commission is announcing a contest for the Best IST Project Website Award. The winning project will receive €10,000 on 23rd November 2006 at the final session of the IST 2006 Event in Helsinki (21-23rd November 2006). The aim of the contest is to encourage IST projects to improve their project websites. The contest is open and the Internet voting will be done in October 2006. A jury will select three finalists amongst the highest ranked sites.

An online public consultation on how the European Commission can help to ensure that the growing use of radio frequency identification devices (RFID) boosts the competitiveness of the Europe's economy and improves the quality of life of its citizens, whilst safeguarding their basic rights, and in particular their privacy, was launched on 3 July. The deadline for responding to this consultation has now been extended to 30 September 2006. Translations of the consultation text will be available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Polish by 4 September.

An online public consultation on how the European Commission can help to ensure that the growing use of radio frequency identification devices (RFID) boosts the competitiveness of the Europe's economy and improves the quality of life of its citizens, whilst safeguarding their basic rights, and in particular their privacy, was launched on 3 July on the ‘Your Voice in Europe’ website.
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On the occasion of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, Norway signed the eCall Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). State Secretary Tungesvik stressed Norway's great interest in the eCall initiative as an important, new measure for improved road safety both on a national and European level. "We firmly believe that the system will save lives and reduce the social burden by improving the notification of road accidents and speeding up emergency service response. Norway supports the ambition of introducing the system by 2009, and will actively contribute to the development and agreement of implementation plans conforming to the principles of a Pan-European eCall service".

To get the full benefits from information and communication technologies (ICT), EU Member States need more ambitious plans to exploit them, says the Commission in its first annual progress report on i2010 – the digital economy part of the EU’s revised "Lisbon" strategy for growth and jobs. To help get growth back on track, Member States need to step up their efforts to improve access to broadband internet connections, facilitate the EU-wide circulation of digital content, free up radio spectrum for new applications, integrate research and innovation and modernise public services.

From 11.00 hrs on 7 April, anyone with a residence in the European Union can apply to register a name under the .eu Top Level Domain, on a first-come, first-served basis. Nationality of an EU Member State is not a prerequisite.
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The non-availability of caller location information to emergency authorities in 11 Member States is at the centre of new round of infringement proceedings started by the European Commission this week. In another 4 cases that were initiated previously, the Commission has sent this week reasoned opinions to Belgium, France, Poland and Slovenia (step two in the infringement proceedings under Article 226 of the EC Treaty). At the same time, the European Commission is closing 9 cases from previous infringement rounds as the Member States concerned have meanwhile ensured that the EU telecom rules are properly implemented.

This year's edition of the most important European event in the field of Information Society Technologies will take place in Helsinki on 21-23 November, coinciding with the launch of the EU's Seventh Framework R&D Programme. Day One of the conference programme will feature high-level policy discussions on how governments can help ICTs contribute to an innovative Europe, with Days Two and Three devoted to the Seventh Framework Programme and other topics surrounding European research and innovation. Organisations from across Europe can submit proposals via the website for the Exhibition (deadline: 21 April) and the Networking Programme (deadline: 15 June).