(1)

Article 157 of the Treaty assigns the Community and the Member States the task of ensuring that the conditions necessary for the competitiveness of the Community's industry exist. Article 151 provides that the Community is to contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore.

(2)

The Communication from the Commission entitled ‘i2010 — A European Information Society for growth and employment’ (1) announced a flagship initiative on digital libraries.

(3)

The Communication from the Commission entitled ‘i2010: Digital Libraries’ (2) launched an initiative on digital libraries consisting of actions in the areas of digitisation, online accessibility and digital preservation of cultural material and scientific information.

(4)

The Commission Recommendation 2006/585/EC of 24 August 2006 on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation (3) (hereinafter referred to as the Commission Recommendation) calls on Member States to take action to improve their policies in these areas.

(5)

The Council Conclusions of 13 November 2006 on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation (4) (hereinafter referred to as the Council Conclusions), invite the Commission to contribute to improved policy co-ordination in these domains, in particular through the creation of a group of Member States’ experts.

(6)

With a view to achieving these objectives, the Commission needs to call upon the expertise of specialists from the Member States in an advisory group.

(7)

The group should contribute to monitoring progress and assessing the impact of the implementation of the Commission Recommendation and the Council Conclusions. It should also assist co-ordination at European level and exchange information and good practices about Member States’ policies on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation.

(8)

It is therefore necessary to set up a Member States’ Expert Group on Digitisation and Digital Preservation and to define its tasks and its structure.

(9)

The group should be composed of representatives from the Member States with competence in the field concerned. The Commission should have the possibility to invite observers, in particular from other European countries and international organisations, or experts with specific competence in a subject on the agenda of the group, in order to achieve effective European cooperation.

(10)

Rules on disclosure of information by members of the group should be provided for, without prejudice to the Commission’s rules on security as set out in the Annex to Commission Decision 2001/844/EC, ECSC, Euratom (5).

(11)

Personal data relating to members of the group should be processed in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (6).

(12)

It is appropriate to fix a period for the application of this Decision. The Commission will in due time consider the advisability of an extension,

(a)

to monitor progress and assess the impact of the implementation of the Commission Recommendation of 24 August 2006 on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation and of the Council Conclusions of 13 November 2006 on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation;

(b)

to provide a forum for cooperation between Member State bodies and the Commission at European level and to exchange information and good practices of Member States’ policies and strategies on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation.