Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:157 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the year 2000 problem has ever been discussed at the European Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8279/99]
Written Answers. - EU Meetings.
At the meeting of the European Council held in Luxembourg on 12-13 December 1997, the Council welcomed the European Commissions plans to submit a communication on the problems arising from the year 2000 computer problem and called on the incoming Presidency, the United Kingdom, to accord top priority to the action to be taken.
At its meeting in Cardiff on 15-16 June 1998, the European Council recalled that problems for information technology and other electronic systems arising from the year 2000 could have serious cross-border effects and that it was important therefore that member states should share best practice in addressing the problem. The Council indicated that national programmes should raise awareness and prescribe action to minimize disruption and that such action should include ensuring millennium compliance in critical systems in the State sector, contingency planning and appropriate training to address skill shortages. The Council stressed that the issue should continue to receive top priority and invited the Commission to report on progress at the its meeting in Vienna on 11-12 December 1998.
At the meeting in Vienna, the European Council urged the member states to implement timely plans for the protection of their own infrastructure and to continue to raise awareness across all sectors, focusing in particular on the public sector and on small and medium-size enterprises. The relevant authorities in the member states were urged to examine closely the implications of the problem of supply-chain failures outside the EU, to elaborate contingency plans to address this and to exchange information with their counterparts in other member states. The Council called on the Commission to convene a meeting of representatives of the public infrastructure providers from the member states to establish whether the cross-border dependencies within the EU in areas such as transport, energy and water supply were being adequately addressed and to recommend appropriate action, where required, at the European Council to be held in Cologne in June 1999.
Discussions on the year 2000 problem are continuing at expert level, with particular emphasis on transport and energy aspects, and I understand that the Council of Telecommunications Mini sters will discuss the matter at their meeting on 22 April next.