ICT Sector Committee
Report of meeting 01-Oct-2014
industriAll Europe Sector Committee on ICT
Luxemburg, 1st October 2014
REPORT
Venue
European Commission, Jean Monnet Building, Luxembourg
Participants: See Appendix 1
The meeting was presided over by the Chair of the ICT Committee, Philippe Saint-Aubin (FGMMCFDT). The meeting was supported by the slides listed in Appendix 2.
Executive summary of main points

The proposed Policy Briefs on the “Telecommunications equipment sector” and
“Monopolistic digital platforms” were discussed and will be adopted, following formal
consultation procedures on the documents and incorporating the remarks made during the
meeting.

The Strategic study on the ICT sector was submitted to DG EMPL in June 2014.
Strategic study on ICT
Laurent Zibell (industriAll Europe) reported on the final version of our proposal to DG EMPL (see
attached slides and executive summary of the proposal). The answer to our proposal is expected by
October 2014.
Industrial policy in the telecommunications sector
IndustriAll Europe held a meeting on 7th July 2014 with the European Commission, DG Connect, and
with the Chairpersons of the European Works Councils of the three main industrial players in
telecommunication infrastructure manufacturing (Alcatel – Lucent, Ericsson, Nokia Solutions &
Networks). Following this meeting, two position papers were drafted by the Secretariat: (1) on the
regulation of telecommunications operators (in direct cooperation with the EWC chairpersons of the
three main industrial players), and (2) on the regulation of monopolistic digital platforms (e.g.
Amazon, Google, eBay, Apple Store, etc.)
Laurent Zibell (industriAll Europe) presented a draft of the documents, and a discussion ensued.
The document regarding the telecommunications equipment sector was globally welcomed as
addressing the most pressing issues, and as proposing solutions to these. However, the following
observations were made:

Focus should be placed on the sector specifically, rather than on the overall macro-economic
situation
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ICT Sector Committee
Report of meeting 01-Oct-2014

National regulation of telecommunications should also be addressed

The growing convergence between computer science, informatics and telecommunication
should be underlined

By restricting participation in standardisation processes to Europe, there is a risk that input
from the most innovative countries may end up being unduly disregarded. The standards
should therefore not just be restricted to Europe, but should also incorporate input from the
rest of the world.
The document regarding monopolistic digital platforms was also welcomed. The observations made
were as follows:

Monopolies should be regulated for their behaviour with regard to price, suppliers, and
customers

Regulating digital monopolies would also increase choice for end-users.
Strategic Roadmap for Micro- and Nanoelectronic components and
systems – Implementation plan
This plan, which implements the existing roadmap of February 2014 in a series of concrete steps,
was disclosed on 30th June 2014, and involves a massive investment (ca. EUR 35 billion) by the
industry, the European Commission and the Member States, on industrial manufacturing capacity
building, pilot cases, etc., far above that of the ECSEL Public Private Partnership on R&D (EUR 2.4
billion).
Laurent Zibell (industriAll Europe) presented the plan using slides provided by the European
Commission, DG Connect (attached) and put forward some observations and suggestions for further
work (see slides). (This part of the meeting was later discussed on 22nd October 2014 with W. Van
Puymbroeck, Head of Unit for Components, European Commission, DG Connect, who is in charge of
the plan on Electronic Components & Systems).
Trade union networking of ICT and white-collar workers in Central and
South-Eastern Europe
IG Metall is organising, with the backing of industriAll Europe and OZ KOVO (Slovakia), a conference
in Bratislava on 12th – 14th November 2014 to support the networking of ICT and white-collar
workers and the setting up of trade unions in Central and South-Eastern Europe, with a specific focus
on two companies: HP and Atos-Bull.
Diana Kiesecker (IG Metall) presented the project, explaining that it was based on the successful
conference which had been held in Sofia (Bulgaria) on 7th – 9th October 2013, and which had
gathered 400 participants from HP sites across Europe.
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ICT Sector Committee
Report of meeting 01-Oct-2014
Mission Letter to Commissioner Öttinger
Philippe Saint-Aubin (Chairman, FGMM – CFDT) commented on the mission letter sent by President
Jean-Claude Juncker to Commissioner Günther Öttinger. The letter stressed:

An investment plan for digital networks

The regulation of the digital world

The usage of R&D in ICT for other sectors

Data protection and cyber-security.
He noticed that many of these priorities coincide with those of industriAll Europe. The actual
implementation of these priorities remains to be seen.
Education, Training and Skills for ICT
On 26th March 2014, industriAll Europe participated, together with UNI Europa, at the "E-Skills
International Conference" organised by DG ENTR, which was briefly reported upon in the SWP of
27th March 2014.
In addition to this e-Skills initiative that we already know of, an additional branch has been
developed, supported by the DG Connect, which is dedicated to electronic/photonic components
and smart/embedded systems, i.e. to the areas specifically covered by industriAll Europe.
Finally, a study is underway, piloted by the European Commission, DG ENTR, on the skills necessary
for Key Enabling Technologies (KETs).
André Richier (European Commission, DG ENTR) presented the draft report on skills for Key Enabling
Technologies (see attached document). The recent definition of Important Projects of Common
European Interest (IPCEI) and the capacity to combine funding from various European sources for
the same project are the main legal tools available to publicly fund the development of industrial
demonstrators and of KET pilot lines.
Regarding skills, the purpose is to improve the professionalism and the capabilities of ICT
professionals in Europe, using the European e-Competence Framework. The European Union has
limited legal competences on the topic of education, but can disseminate information on good
practice, and improving mobility of workers.
He also announced the e-Skills conference in Brussels on 2nd -3rd December 2014.
Interventions by participants underlined the following items:

The difficulty to mobilise some Member States e.g. Spain on the topic of skills for ICT

The need to provide training to all, including in SMEs and to white-collar workers, because of
the speed at which competences in this field become obsolete
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ICT Sector Committee
Report of meeting 01-Oct-2014

The need to consider skills specific to manufacturing (real-time, embedded software,
modelling physical phenomena, industrial processes and technical systems, science-based
algorithms).
FoxConn in Europe & China
Laurent Zibell (industriAll Europe) briefly reported on the main findings at the workshop of 26th –
27th June 2014 in Padua (see attached slides).
Appendix 1: List of participants
INDUSTRIALL
Laurent
Zibell
CENTRAL REGION
GERMANY
Diana
Kiesecker
NORDIC-BALTIC REGION
DENMARK
Torben
Andressen Linhart
FINLAND
Roni
Jokinen
Satu
Tähkäpää
NORWAY
Trond
Smaavik
SOUTH REGION
ITALY
Carlo
Anelli
SOUTH WEST REGION
FRANCE
AnneMarie
Chopinet
Didier
Odile
Philippe
Stéphane
SPAIN
Angel
Silvia
industriAll Europe
IG Metall
CO Industri
Trade Union Pro
IL ry
NITO
CISL FIM
Pasquini
Denise
Saint-Aubin
Flegeau
FO Métaux
CFE-CGC Métallurgie FCMTM
FGMM-CFDT
FGMM-CFDT
CGT FTM
Jurado
Ramos
CC.OO FI
MCA-UGT
External speaker: André Richier, European Commission, DG ENTR
Appendix 2: List of attached documents

European Commission, DG ENTR: Vision and Sectoral Pilot on Skills for Key Enabling
Technologies
International Trade Union House (ITUH) - Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5 (bte 10) - B-1210 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 226 0050 info@industriall-europe.eu www.industriall-europe.eu
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ICT Sector Committee
Report of meeting 01-Oct-2014

industriAll Europe: ICT Sector Committee meeting

European Commission, DG Connect: Electronics Leaders Group Roadmap – Implementation
Plan Recommendations

industriAll Europe: Demands for a dynamic and innovative telecommunications equipment
sector (version 4, in “track changes” mode)

industriAll Europe: Demands for a regulation of monopolistic digital platforms (version 3, in
“track changes” mode)

industriAll Europe: Executive summary of the proposal to the European Commission, DG
EMPL “Providing workers' organisations with the strategic ability to anticipate and shape
changes in the European Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) sector”
International Trade Union House (ITUH) - Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5 (bte 10) - B-1210 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 226 0050 info@industriall-europe.eu www.industriall-europe.eu
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