Health Telematics (AIM) Final Report
Home Documents AIM Volume 1
Back Table of contents Next 		Updated: Feb 1, 97 

2. Legal basis

2.1. Terms of reference

(see Annex 1: Council Decision)

The six main lines of action of the 3rd Framework Programme:

  1. Information technologies
  2. Industrial and materials technologies
  3. Environment
  4. Biotechnology
  5. Non nuclear energy
  6. Mobility

Information Technologies (Official Journal L 192, 16.7.1991)

1.1. Information technologies - ESPRIT
1.2. Communication Technologies - RACE
1.3. Telematics Systems (Total budget: 376,2 MECUs)

Telematics Systems in Areas of General Interest: To provide the conceptual, technological and pre normative basis for the gradual implementation of trans-European telematics service networks.

Areas:

  1. Administration
  2. Transport services
  3. Health care services
  4. Distance learning services
  5. Libraries
  6. Linguistic research and engineering
  7. Rural areas

Area 3: Health Care services (so called: AIM 91-94)

"Development of harmonised applications of information and communication technologies; development of the European health care information infrastructure; strategies for the use of technologies telematics systems and services and contribution to the definition of common functional specifications; development of telematics technology applied to medicine ; validation and integration"

Funds: 108 MECUs

In April of 1990 the Council of Ministers adopted the Third Framework Programme (1990-1994) for Research and Technological Development (OJ L117, 8.5.1990) totalling 5700 Million ECU. The Third Framework Programme covered three high priority areas, namely

I. Enabling technologies
II. Management of natural resources, and
III. Management of intellectual resources,

which were designed to update and streamline the activities of the Second Framework Programme (1987-1991). These three areas were subdivided into six lines of action and 15 specific programmes. In particular, the area of Enabling technologies was subdivided into two lines of action:

1) Information and communication technologies, and

2) Industrial and materials technologies.

The line of action Information and communication technologies contained three specific programmes, namely

The last of the three has been adopted in July 1991 (OJ L 192, 16.7.1991) and totalled 376.2 Million ECU. The aim of this specific programme was to provide the conceptual, technological and pre normative basis for the gradual implementation of trans-European telematics service networks. The programme included 7 areas: administrations (ENS), transport services (DRIVE), health care services (AIM), distance learning services (DELTA), libraries, linguistic research and engineering, rural areas.

Figure 15: Decision making process in the EC institutions and
administrative insertion of the IT&C-related programmes management.

The area of health care services, or so called Advance Informatics in Medicine (AIM) of the specific programme Telematics systems has been funded by 108 Million ECU. A workplan has been developed in 1991 based on the legal mandate from the Council and input from Member states and independent experts. The objective of the workplan were to develop tools, techniques and practices supporting a common European approach to health care telematics and to guarantee their acceptance by promoting close collaboration between all actors: research or academic institutes, industry providers and the whole spectrum of health care users.

2.2. Committology (JCH/MS)

Within the framework of European institutions "comitologie" (coming from the French word, and referred to the work of committees), has been established along time with clear rules to apply in a certain given area and context:

A) Scientific and Technological Consultancy Committees/Boards

Members of these committees are chosen in the Member States and the experts are consulted for scientific and technical opinions:

B) Management Committees for specific programmes

Management committees legally emanates from the Council and their job is to assist the Commission in the development and the management of specific programmes.

Since a decision on "comitologie" the 13 of July 1987, 3 types of committees exist, as listed below in order of increasing ability. They are all made up of representatives from the Member States, (with a maximum of 2 representatives, 2 deputies and 3 experts per Member State) and the chair is taken up by a representative of the Commission.

The first type of committees (Type I) are solely advisory. The Commission consults with these committees and has to take their opinion into account (yet they have limited real influence on decisions). These committees correspond to the earlier consultative committees.

Type II committees are advisory but have an additional regulatory ability in comparison with the committees in type I. As a result, in the case where the Commission and the committee have a difference of opinion, the Commission can defer the application for proposed measures for a maximum of one month (in the case of the committees in type IIa) or for a maximum of three months (in the case of the committees in type IIb). In these cases, the Council can arbitrate and rule by qualified majority in the time allowed.

These committees correspond to the earlier management committees (e.g.: CGC) with the difference that they are chaired by the Commission and not by a representative of a Member State who is selected by his peers.

Type III committee are statutory, in this case a difference of opinion between the Commission and the committee or the lack of opinion of the committee, the Commission refers its proposal to the Council which can: either arbitrate in a ruling by a qualified majority (for type IIIa) or oppose the proposal by a simple majority (for type IIIb) this should all be done within a maximum of three months; or, remain silent, i.e. disregard the opinion of the committee and tacitly approve the Commission's proposal.

C) Associative committees

The associative committees were created to aid the specific programme committees in the case where the programme was open to other Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). These committees are chaired by the Commission and consist partly of representatives from the Member States belonging to the management committee, considered in this case as experts, and partly also of representatives from the members of EFTA who have signed an agreement to participate with a specific programme.

The qualified majority is a majority measured by the number of votes of each Member State decided by Article 148 of the Single European Act, and is proportionate to a certain number of factors weighting a country's population, etc.

The Telematics Management Committee (TPC) was included in the Council Decision and defined as a consultative body, made up of representatives of the member states, with the mission of assisting in the process of programme implementation. It can be defined as Type II committee, which worked with a calendar of meetings several times per year, and by means of a permanent communication with the programme management. It provided strategic advice and guidance, taking part in particular aspects of the decision making process.

Each sector was assisted by a specific Working Party, made up of experts in the specific domains, proposed by the member states. The Healthcare Working party was mainly integrated by two or three experts nominated by the health ministries or other departments of each country, and they worked in close contact with the TPC and the Commission services.

EFTA observers were also, as organisations from those countries were allowed to participate in consortia but without receiving CEC funding.

Back Table of contents Next Next
Back to the Main Page
Copyright 1997 © EHTO All rights reserved
This server is the only official EHTO WWW knowledge repository.
Mail suggestions to: webmaster@ehto.org