Under the European Union’s Digital Agenda for Europe, all member states are to offer a minimum level of 30Mbps broadband to everybody by 2020. (Some countries, like Denmark and Finland, are already nearly there.) But last month, over $9 billion designated to accelerate this broadband deployment was slashed from the EU budget as part of massive budget cuts. The cuts have raised doubt about whether the soon-to-be-28-member-nation group will make the 30Mbps goal. But Neelie Kroes, the EU’s Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, is still intent on getting to that ambitious target.

In a new speech in Brussels on Tuesday, “Steelie Neelie” outlined a plan that would take advantage of existing infrastructure and construction sites, as is already the case in some EU member states.

First, she called for unifying regulations: “Why spend extra money and effort duplicating what's already there? So this regulation will ensure telecoms companies know what is already out there and will open up access to it—with fair and reasonable prices and conditions.”

Second, she called for “operators and providers to work together, especially when taxpayer money is at stake." She also wants to work on eliminating the EU’s notorious red tape. “Conditions would be more transparent, requests could be made through a single point, and by default decisions should be taken within six months,” she said.

Finally, “all new buildings and major renovations will have to be equipped for high-speed broadband,” she said.

This is just a proposal, and it will have to wind its way through the EU's bureaucracy. We’ll be pleasantly surprised if the EU can act on it within six months.