Europe: Commissioner Reding set out priorities for the future, including mobile payments, electronic invoicing and cloud computing

[wsj] The European Commissioner telecommunications and technology chief Viviane Reding set out her vision for the next five years Thursday, highlighting four main priorities for telecom reform.

The commissioner was nominated for a third five-year term by her native Luxembourg earlier this week, although it isn't yet clear whether she will be able to keep the telecom portfolio under a new commission formed in the autumn.

Speaking at a gathering organised by Brussels-based thinktank The Lisbon Council, Reding said her first priority for the next commission would be to create a legal framework to make it easier for consumers to access digital content wherever it is produced in Europe. This would include an E.U.-wide licensing system for copyright and other intellectual property rights in online services and E.U. rules to encourage the digitalization of books, she said.

Another priority would be the creation of a safe system for mobile payments.

"We have more than 500 million mobile users in Europe. This means Europe has the economies of scale that will allow transforming the mobile phone into an electronic wallet," she said.

Consumers would be able to buy tickets at a train station, sodas from a vending machine or flowers in a shop, she added.

In addition, Europe should encourage small businesses to go digital by creating an E.U. "cloud computing" system, similar to systems that exist in the U.S.

"In Europe we have 23 million small and medium-sized businesses accounting for 100 million jobs," Reding said. "But only 9% use electronic invoices and only 11% have technology-based human resources management."

Cloud computing would mean small businesses could download business software from the Internet for a small monthly fee rather than buying it outright and having to upgrade and maintain it.

Another priority, Reding said, was for companies to make better use of digital technology so as to cut their carbon dioxide emissions, for example by using video conferencing instead of air travel.

During her speech, the commissioner also urged E.U. countries to speed up their switchover from analog television broadcasting to digital as a stimulus for economic recovery.

"I call on all EU governments: Don't wait until 2012, the EU-wide deadline for the final digital switch-off to bring these benefits to businesses and citizens act swiftly now," she said.

The commissioner has long been an outspoken supporter of the switchover, as it frees up airwaves to be used for other business ventures such as mobile broadband.

The switchover would increase the value of the spectrum by between EUR150 billion and EUR200 billion, she said.

EU Sets Outs Priorities For Future Telecom Reform