In order to allow national regulatory authorities to meet the objectives set out in the Framework Directive and the Specific Directives, in particular concerning end-to-end interoperability, the scope of the Framework Directive should be extended to cover certain aspects of radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment as defined in Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity and consumer equipment used for digital television, in order to facilitate access for disabled users.

It covers inter alia: access to network elements and associated facilities, which may involve the connection of equipment, by fixed or non-fixed means (in particular this includes access to the local loop and to facilities and services necessary to provide services over the local loop); access to physical infrastructure including buildings, ducts and masts; access to relevant software systems including operational support systems; access to information systems or databases for pre-ordering, provisioning, ordering, maintaining and repair requests, and billing; access to number translation or systems offering equivalent functionality; ...[+++] access to fixed and mobile networks, in particular for roaming; access to conditional access systems for digital television services and access to virtual network services’.

This can be only be achieved by sharing equipment and knowledge through networks and virtual teams, and by the setting up of co-operative, multidisciplinary, public/private ventures, with adequate access to risk capital and funding.

Combating digital illiteracy, promoting virtual campuses and virtual twinning of schools: the e-learning programme's aims (2004-2006)

The Commission has already published a report on this, detailing its aims (cf. IP/02/809 of 4 June 2002), namely that each of the 150 000 secondary schools in the European Union conclude an agreement on virtual twinning with one or more schools in other Member States or non-member countries by 2006, enabling any young European to participate in a cooperation project with other pupils from other countries through the Internet while they are at school.

It covers inter alia: access to network elements and associated facilities, which may involve the connection of equipment, by fixed or non-fixed means (in particular this includes access to the local loop and to facilities and services necessary to provide services over the local loop), access to physical infrastructure including buildings, ducts and masts; access to relevant software systems including operational support systems, access to number translation or systems offering equivalent functionality, access to fixed and mobile networks, in particular for roaming, access to conditional access systems for digital television services; ...[+++]access to virtual network services.