No L 129/24 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 5. 96 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 20 May 1996 adopting a multiannual Community programme to stimulate the development of a European multimedia content industry and to encourage the use of multimedia content in the emerging information society (INFO 2000) (96/339/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 130 (3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (3, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (), Having regard to the Committee of the Regions (%), M @ Whereas the European content industry can make a significant contribution to the stimulation of growth, to the strengthening of competitiveness and to the development of employment in the Community, as indicated in the White Paper on ‘Growth, competitiveness, employment — the chal- lenges and ways forward into the 21st century’; Whereas the European Council at Brussels on 10 and 11 December 1993 decided, on the basis of that White Paper, to implement an action plan, consisting of concrete measures at both Commu- nity and Member State level, notably with respect () OJ No C 250, 26. 9. 1995, p. 4. () OJ No C 117, 22. 4. 199. () OJ No C 82, 19. 3. 1996, p. 36. () OJ No C 129, 2. 5. 1996, p. 39. ® * (6) to information infrastructures and new applications, for which new content is required; ‘Whereas the European Council at Corfu on 24 and 25 June 1994 took note of the Recommendations of the High Level Group on the information society as presented in the report ‘Europe and the global information society’ and underlined the fact that the Community and Member States have an important role to play in bringing about the infor- mation society by giving political impetus, by crea- ting a clear and stable regulatory and legal frame- work and by setting an example in areas which come under their aegis; Whereas the Commission’s action plan ‘Europe’s Way to the Information Society — an Action Plan’ recognizes the importance of content and stipulates that the Commission will propose ways to stimu- late the creation of favourable conditions for content providers to adapt their skills and products to the new multimedia environment and to stimu- late increased usage of new information services; Whereas the Council on 28 September 1994 under- lined the particular urgency of the need to enhance the global competitiveness of the European content industry, taking account of the cultural diversity and of the impact of these products on society; Whereas the European Council at Essen on 9 and 10 December 1994 underlined the importance of content in bringing about the information society;