European Commission Position on XML/EDI

[annabelle.bullen@us.pwcglobal.com]

Hi Team

Did not know if you were aware of these hapennings on the European side.


Ann
---------------------- Forwarded by Annabelle Bullen/P I/Arlington
VA/C&L/US on 12/19/99 07:53 PM ---------------------------


Khwaja Shaik
12/19/99 03:08 PM





To:   Internet-Intranet Interest Group
      XML SIG
cc:
Subject:  European Commission Position on XML/EDI

FYI...
---------------------- Forwarded by Khwaja Shaik/MCS/Price Waterhouse on
12/19/99 03:02 PM ---------------------------


Dick Raman <Dick.Raman@cab-edi.net> on 12/19/99 09:57:02 AM

Please respond to Dick Raman <Dick.Raman@cab-edi.net>
To:   "XML/EDI List" <xmledi-list@lists.bizserve.com>
cc:
Subject:  European Commission Position on XML/EDI

1 file attached




LS,

Please take a moment to read how the XML/EDI Dissemination event of 1
December
in Brussels has prompted the European Commission to come up with
this statement. I guess this lays a heavy responsibility with the XML/EDI
Workshop,
but I think it is a challenge we can meet!

Dick Raman,
CEN/ISSS XML/EDI Workshop Chair

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
ENTERPRISE DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
Regulatory policy and standardisation, electronic commerce, telematics
networks, environment
Industrial aspects of electronic commerce
The Head of Unit

Brussels, 9 December 1999
NOTE TO THE ATTENTION OF MR. VARDAKAS
- For information -

On 1st December, a dissemination event "Advancing XML/EDI in Europe" took
place in
Brussels, attended by more than 200 people. It had been triggered by two
complementary
ISIS projects (XML/EDI and EXPERTS) for the validation and demonstration of
XML/EDI. The event focused on business aspects relating to the
implementation of
XML/EDI, and development of common practices based on open standards.
Representatives
from major business and standards organisations made an active
contribution.
The event was hosted by the Commission and organised by the ISIS projects,
with support
provided by CEN/ISSS; it was already the fifth major public event in 1999
that involved
CEN/ISSS.

There are a number of lessons to be learnt from this and other events:

(1) Open meetings of this kind are an extremely valuable tool.
- They attract new players in the standardization arena, not least from
industrial and specific business sectors.  More than 500 experts in total
have
participated in CEN/ISSS open meetings, and many of them will further
contribute to standardization activities;
- They have improved understanding of the market requirements for
information society standardization.
By opening up the traditional standardization processes, the open meetings
have
demonstrated that it is of critical importance to involve all relevant
stakeholders
directly in the standardization process. The traditional standardization
approach
neither guarantees that market needs will be sufficiently addressed nor
that the
relevant players will be actively involved.
As a general matter of principle, in future open hearings organised by
CEN/ISSS
should be a "must" to discuss with the relevant stakeholders the
preparation and
further implementation of information society standardization work
programmes,
thus ensuring feedback from the market players at all stages.

(2) XML/EDI is a highly important application to EDI of the new Web data
format
XML to EDI.  It can cover exchange between people, where human readability
is
important, between people and application programmes, or directly between
two
application programmes. XML/EDI will have a deep impact on the development
of
message formats in many applications and sectors (e.g., healthcare,
business services,
and multilingualism).
EDI will take advantage of a number of XML features (Internet foundation,
message
design know-how, industry support, marketing), just as XML will of EDI
features
(semantics, user support). The CEN/ISSS Workshops XML/EDI and EBES address
XML/EDI and EDIFACT respectively.  CEN/ISSS should strengthen internal co-
ordination, and should create the conditions for the evolution of a single
Workshop
that will attract the interest of all interested parties. The still
existing EDIFACT and
Internet communities should stop fighting each other, and start to
cooperate with a
view to combining the best of both worlds.


(3) XML/EDI is born global, and there is very little that is specifically
European in this area.
In general, global standards are needed, but European standards groups have
an important role in ensuring that global standards meet the needs of
Europe and are
implemented in Europe. This, however, requires the direct involvement of
business
players into the standardization process and a profound understanding of
the
emerging business models of the digital economy.
The CEN/ISSS XML/EDI Workshop could become the European focal point for the
preparation of inputs to international initiatives by ensuring full
transparency,
involvement of the relevant stakeholders, and proper coordination with
national
initiatives.  Since XML/EDI is a global phenomenon, national standards in
this field
are premature, as they will generate barriers to trade and will hamper the
creation of
Europe-wide businesses in electronic commerce.  Inputs should be provided
in
particular to ebXML , a recently launched joint forum of OASIS  and
UN/CEFACT.
An active involvement in ebXML will require consolidation of the European
position, and the availability of financial tools to support European
participation in
international standardization work related to XML/EDI.  The two ISIS
projects have
demonstrated that European interests can be leveraged at international
level.

(4) The XML/EDI standards will be further developed at the international
level.
However, they have to be adapted to specific sectoral needs.  The
transition from old
EDI-based systems to the new technologies implementing XML/EDI should be
facilitated, and should become a priority for future ISIS projects.
XML/EDI related projects, running under different programmes of the
Commission,
should be encouraged to co-operate under the umbrella of the CEN/ISSS
XML/EDI
Workshop (as this is already the case for related ISIS projects).  Key
elements such
as best practices, awareness, and standards should be addressed commonly,
in order
to avoid duplication of work and to learn from each other in a constructive
and
efficient manner.

(5) During the debate, most participants agreed that the further promotion
of XML/EDI
depends strongly upon the active involvement of consulting companies and
software
developers.  XML/EDI implementation in existing corporate systems will
require the
re-engineering of the structure of companies and their business processes
and thus be
"filtered" by professional business consultants and commercial software. In
most
cases, XML/EDI standards will not be direct implemented as they form part
of more
complex business solutions. The publication of such standards is therefore
an
insufficient tool to further promote their usage (even if made available
free of
charge).
Promotion and acceptance of XML/EDI will be carried out successfully only
through combined efforts in standardization policy, awareness-building and
software
development. To this end, the Commissions initiatives in these different
fields need
to be better coordinated and more strictly oriented towards strengthening
European
competitiveness, notably through incentives for the creation of dynamic
electronic
marketplaces and the development of cost-effective and SME-friendly
software,
based on open standards and specifications.


signed
Reinhard Büscher


Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Bruxelles/Wetstraat 200, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium
- Office: SC15 2/9.
Telephone: direct line (+32-2)2959906, switchboard 299.11.11. Fax: 2967019.
Telex: COMEU B 21877. Telegraphic address: COMEUR Brussels.

Internet: reinhard.buescher@cec.eu.int

LS,

 

Please take a moment to read how the XML/EDI Dissemination event of 1 December

in Brussels has prompted the European Commission to come up with

this statement. I guess this lays a heavy responsibility with the XML/EDI Workshop,

but I think it is a challenge we can meet!

Dick Raman,
CEN/ISSS XML/EDI Workshop Chair

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
ENTERPRISE DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
Regulatory policy and standardisation, electronic commerce, telematics networks, environment
Industrial aspects of electronic commerce
The Head of Unit

 

Brussels, 9 December 1999
NOTE TO THE ATTENTION OF MR. VARDAKAS
- For information -

 

On 1st December, a dissemination event "Advancing XML/EDI in Europe" took place in
Brussels, attended by more than 200 people. It had been triggered by two complementary
ISIS projects (XML/EDI and EXPERTS) for the validation and demonstration of
XML/EDI. The event focused on business aspects relating to the implementation of
XML/EDI, and development of common practices based on open standards. Representatives
from major business and standards organisations made an active contribution.
The event was hosted by the Commission and organised by the ISIS projects, with support
provided by CEN/ISSS; it was already the fifth major public event in 1999 that involved
CEN/ISSS.

 

There are a number of lessons to be learnt from this and other events:

 

(1) Open meetings of this kind are an extremely valuable tool.
– They attract new players in the standardization arena, not least from
industrial and specific business sectors.  More than 500 experts in total have
participated in CEN/ISSS open meetings, and many of them will further
contribute to standardization activities;
– They have improved understanding of the market requirements for
information society standardization.
By opening up the traditional standardization processes, the open meetings have
demonstrated that it is of critical importance to involve all relevant stakeholders
directly in the standardization process. The traditional standardization approach
neither guarantees that market needs will be sufficiently addressed nor that the
relevant players will be actively involved.
As a general matter of principle, in future open hearings organised by CEN/ISSS
should be a "must" to discuss with the relevant stakeholders the preparation and
further implementation of information society standardization work programmes,
thus ensuring feedback from the market players at all stages.

 

(2) XML/EDI is a highly important application to EDI of the new Web data format
XML to EDI.  It can cover exchange between people, where human readability is
important, between people and application programmes, or directly between two
application programmes. XML/EDI will have a deep impact on the development of
message formats in many applications and sectors (e.g., healthcare, business services,
and multilingualism).
EDI will take advantage of a number of XML features (Internet foundation, message
design know-how, industry support, marketing), just as XML will of EDI features
(semantics, user support). The CEN/ISSS Workshops XML/EDI and EBES address
XML/EDI and EDIFACT respectively.  CEN/ISSS should strengthen internal co-
ordination, and should create the conditions for the evolution of a single Workshop
that will attract the interest of all interested parties. The still existing EDIFACT and
Internet communities should stop fighting each other, and start to cooperate with a
view to combining the best of both worlds.

 

(3) XML/EDI is born global, and there is very little that is specifically European in this area. 

In general, global standards are needed, but European standards groups have
an important role in ensuring that global standards meet the needs of Europe and are
implemented in Europe. This, however, requires the direct involvement of business
players into the standardization process and a profound understanding of the
emerging business models of the digital economy.
The CEN/ISSS XML/EDI Workshop could become the European focal point for the
preparation of inputs to international initiatives by ensuring full transparency,
involvement of the relevant stakeholders, and proper coordination with national
initiatives.  Since XML/EDI is a global phenomenon, national standards in this field
are premature, as they will generate barriers to trade and will hamper the creation of
Europe-wide businesses in electronic commerce.  Inputs should be provided in
particular to ebXML , a recently launched joint forum of OASIS  and
UN/CEFACT. 
An active involvement in ebXML will require consolidation of the European
position, and the availability of financial tools to support European participation in
international standardization work related to XML/EDI.  The two ISIS projects have
demonstrated that European interests can be leveraged at international level.

 

(4) The XML/EDI standards will be further developed at the international level. 
However, they have to be adapted to specific sectoral needs.  The transition from old
EDI-based systems to the new technologies implementing XML/EDI should be
facilitated, and should become a priority for future ISIS projects.
XML/EDI related projects, running under different programmes of the Commission,
should be encouraged to co-operate under the umbrella of the CEN/ISSS XML/EDI
Workshop (as this is already the case for related ISIS projects).  Key elements such
as best practices, awareness, and standards should be addressed commonly, in order
to avoid duplication of work and to learn from each other in a constructive and
efficient manner.

 

(5) During the debate, most participants agreed that the further promotion of XML/EDI
depends strongly upon the active involvement of consulting companies and software
developers.  XML/EDI implementation in existing corporate systems will require the
re-engineering of the structure of companies and their business processes and thus be
"filtered" by professional business consultants and commercial software. In most
cases, XML/EDI standards will not be direct implemented as they form part of more
complex business solutions. The publication of such standards is therefore an
insufficient tool to further promote their usage (even if made available free of
charge).
Promotion and acceptance of XML/EDI will be carried out successfully only
through combined efforts in standardization policy, awareness-building and software
development. To this end, the Commissions initiatives in these different fields need
to be better coordinated and more strictly oriented towards strengthening European
competitiveness, notably through incentives for the creation of dynamic electronic
marketplaces and the development of cost-effective and SME-friendly software,
based on open standards and specifications.

 

signed
Reinhard Büscher

 

Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Bruxelles/Wetstraat 200, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium - Office: SC15 2/9. 
Telephone: direct line (+32-2)2959906, switchboard 299.11.11. Fax: 2967019. 
Telex: COMEU B 21877. Telegraphic address: COMEUR Brussels.

 

Internet: reinhard.buescher@cec.eu.int

 

 

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