The Telecoms Council was today (5/6/2003) successfully concluded in Luxembourg. The President of the Council, Greek Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Manolis Stratakis, thanked his counterparts for their excellent cooperation and Commissioner Erkki Liikanen for his contribution and for having given the Greek Presidency the opportunity to successfully conclude all the matters it had set as objectives and to take the credit for the developments it has shaped in such a crucial field for the promotion of knowledge in Europe.

In particular, regarding the establishment of an Organisation for Information and Network Security, despite initial differences of opinion between the European Commission and the Member States, the Greek Presidency managed to bridge the divide and reach a political agreement, thus expediting the establishment and operation of the organisation in question.

This development was considered to be the pleasant surprise and peak of the Greek Presidency’s success, a fact stressed by both Stratakis’ counterparts and Liikanen. The Greek Presidency has thus completed its work in the field of Communications and the Information Society, having attained all the objectives it had originally set. Agreement was also reached on all other matters on the agenda, and Stratakis closed the Council’s proceedings by thanking all the participants and wishing every success to the forthcoming Italian Presidency.

It is worth noting that at the joint press conference which followed, Liikanen expressed satisfaction over the achievements of the Greek Presidency in the field of Communications and the Information Society and underlined the success of the Greek initiatives on e-Integration in Crete, e-Governance in Athens and e-Health in Brussels, as well as their importance for the rapid achievement of the targets that have been set.