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Europe on the move

Towards a knowledge-basedEuropeThe European Union and the information society

European Commission

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Published in all the official languages of the European Union: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.

European Commission Directorate General Press and Communication PublicationsB-1049 Brussel/Bruxelles

Manuscript completed in October 2002.

Cover lay-out: EC-EACCover illustration: Zefa

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2003

ISBN 92-894-4422-3

© European Communities, 2003Reproduction is authorised.

Printed in Belgium

PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER

Towards a knowledge-basedEuropeThe European Union and the information society

The EU and the knowledge-based society 3

Putting the European stamp on the Internet 5

How to keep Europe competitive 6

eEurope: the components 8

Accomplishments to date: eEurope 2002 10

The future: eEurope 2005 17

Where do we go from here? 22

Further reading 22

Contents

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Digital technologies canhelp improve the qualityof life for everybody.

The Internet is changing the world welive in. It is a change no lesssignificant than the IndustrialRevolution of the 18th and 19thcenturies. Over the last two decades,information technologies and theInternet have been transforming theway companies do business, the waystudents learn, the way scientists carryout research and the way in whichgovernments provide services to theircitizens.

Digital technologies have proved to bea powerful engine for economic growthand competitiveness. In the 1990s,businesses and consumers in the Uni-ted States were quick to take advan-tage of this ‘digital revolution’. As aresult, American businesses becamemuch more competitive and the USeconomy enjoyed spectacular andunprecedented growth.

At the Lisbon Summit in March 2000,European heads of state and govern-ment recognised that Europe too mustbecome a much more digital economy.Indeed, they set a new goal for theEuropean Union — to become the mostcompetitive knowledge-based societyin the world by 2010.

The EU’s success in achieving this goalwill help determine the quality of lifeof its citizens, the working conditionsof its workers and the overall competi-tiveness of its industries and services.

The EU and the knowledge-based society

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Time for action

Already in November 1999, the Euro-pean Commission put forward its‘‘eeEEuurrooppee’’ initiative precisely tomanage this transition, both withinthe Union and in the candidate coun-tries of Central and Eastern Europe.

eEurope aims to ensure that everyonein the European Union — every citizen,every school, every company, everyadministration — has access to thenew information and communicationtechnologies and exploits them asfully as possible. That means, forexample, using the Internet for a hostof everyday activities, services and pro-ducts such as education, government,health, culture and entertainment.

So eEurope is not only about makingEuropean industry more competitive:it is also about ensuring that all Euro-pean citizens, especially those withspecial needs, have access to moderncommunications technologies toimprove their quality of life.

They must have direct and interactiveonline access to knowledge, educa-tion, training, government, healthservices, culture and entertainment,financial services and much more. Intoday's society, Internet access hasbecome a fundamental right for allcitizens and responsible governmentshave a duty to provide it.

Towards a knowledge-based Europe

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Games and education inyour mother tongue: theEuropean way of doingthings protects thelinguistic diversity

By boosting economic growth, infor-mation and communication technolo-gies have great potential for creatingnew and better jobs, and generatinggreater prosperity. European govern-ments want to ensure that these bene-fits are available to all — not just to aprivileged minority. The new know-ledge-based society must be an iinncclluu--ssiivvee society. Here too, the Internetoffers tremendous possibilities:anyone who can use a computer canparticipate in society at the click of amouse. eEurope and its componentprogrammes (eLearning, eHealth,eGovernment and eBusiness) focus onfully exploiting this potential for socialinclusion.

The enlargement of the EU makes thisall the more important. In or around2004, as many as 10 new countries(the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus,Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta,Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia) areexpected to join the Union, addingsome 75 million citizens to our exis-ting community of 375 million. Socialinclusion is vital to the success of thismajor enlargement, and ‘digital inclu-sion’ is an important aspect of it.

In emphasising digital inclusion, theEuropean Commission aims to distin-guish the European approach to theinformation society from other regionsof the world. It is no secret that theUnited States, for example, outper-formed Europe in the initial speedwith which industry and citizens took upthe Internet. eEurope is now, how-ever, helping Europe catch up, chan-nelling efforts at regional, nationaland European levels to ensure that thedigital economy brings benefits to aallll

European citizens and to put a Euro-pean stamp on the Internet.

The EU effort is designed to build onand to strengthen the ‘Europeansocial model’, including a high level ofsocial protection. It is also meant topreserve Europe's cultural and lin-guistic diversity. It focuses on develo-ping European content in Europeanlanguages so that everybody hasaccess to services and content in theirown mother tongue. The Internet mayturn the world into a global village,but the EU is committed to ensuringthat in this village every culture andevery language maintains its role atlocal level.

Putting the European stamp on the Internet

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To operate profitably in today’s globalmarketplace, businesses rely on infor-mation and communication technolo-gies — whether to contact their custo-mers and suppliers, to processaccounts, to run manufacturing plantsor to file taxes.

So information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs) have become‘enabling technologies’. In otherwords, they underpin the competiti-veness and smooth operation of allsectors of the economy. Greater useof ICTs therefore boosts growth andcompetitiveness.

But you do not achieve a strong, com-petitive economy simply by incorpora-ting digital technologies into manu-facturing or services: you also needhighly skilled workers to operate thenew systems, and digitally literateconsumers to buy the new goods andservices. That means training andeducation for people of all ages. Soyour competitiveness depends on howmuch you iinnvveesstt iinn ppeeooppllee..

Politicians are, moreover, well awarethat ICTs make a direct and majorcontribution to the EU economy. Inwestern Europe, the ICT sector was

Europeans invest more in research


How to keep Europe competitive

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worth 643 billion euro in 2001 or7.5 % of GDP. It grew by 5.1 % in2001 thanks to a 3.9 % growth in ITand 6.4 % growth in telecommuni-cations, according to the EuropeanInformation Technology Observatory.

At Lisbon in March 2000, EU leadersacknowledged these facts. In theirsummit conclusions they stressedthat:

• ‘businesses and citizens musthave access to an inexpensive,world-class communicationsinfrastructure and a wide rangeof services’;

• ‘every citizen must be equippedwith the skills needed to live andwork in this new informationsociety’; and

• ‘a higher priority must be given tolifelong learning as a basic com-ponent of the European socialmodel.’

The overall goal EU leaders set them-selves at Lisbon was to make theEuropean Union the world’s mostcompetitive knowledge-based societyby 2010. Every spring they meet totake stock of progress towards thisgoal, and to identify the priorities forthe next 12 months.

Free markets and betterresearch

Although eEurope has a key role toplay in achieving the Lisbon goal, itis not the whole story. The EU alsoneeds to invest more in research andto open up its markets to greater

competition — especially in some keysectors which, until now, have beendominated by national suppliers.

So it has set itself timetables for,among other things:

• liberalising Europe’s energy andtelecoms markets;

• creating a single market in finan-cial services;

• further liberalising postal andtransport services;

• introducing an EU patent,

• launching the Galileo satellitenavigation system;

• creating a single market for airtransport — known as the ‘singleEuropean sky’.

EU leaders have also agreed toincrease spending on research, sothat, by 2010, as much as 3 % oftheir GDP will be invested in researchand technological development.

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eEurope: the components

The European Union's eEurope schemeis based on the premise that theInternet is essential to future econo-mic growth, job creation and improve-ments in the quality of life — not onlyin Europe but across the globe.eEurope is necessarily ambitious. Itaims to bring everyone in theEuropean Union online as quickly aspossible so that using the Internetbecomes commonplace — whether byway of a computer, a mobile phone ora television set-top box and whetherat the office, at school or at home.

It seeks to create a ddiiggiittaallllyy lliitteerraatteeEEuurrooppee and to ensure that the wholeprocess is socially inclusive, buildsconsumer trust and narrows the gapbetween the haves and have-nots inEuropean society.

The European Commission launchedthe basic outline for eEurope inNovember 1999. Subsequent actionplans have set out roadmaps of whatneeds to be done by when.

There have, so far, been two actionplans:

• the action plan 2002 endorsed bythe EU leaders at their Feira sum-mit in June 2000;

• the action plan 2005 approved byEU leaders in Seville in June 2002.

Both plans pursue the aim of creatingan inclusive information society, butsince 2000 the situation has evolved:some measures have been completedand new challenges have emerged. Sothe second action plan updates the EU’spriorities and fine-tunes the process.

Action plan 2002 cast its net verywide and successfully put the Internetat the top of the European politicalagenda. Action plan 2005 narrowsthe focus, concentrating on effectiveaccess, usage and the ready availabi-lity of the Internet.

eEurope 2005 puts users at thecentre. At all levels and in all imple-menting measures it emphasises e-inclusion, including e-accessibility forpeople with special needs. E-inclusionmeans that key services must be avai-lable not only via personal computerbut also via interactive digital televi-sion, third generation mobile phonesand cable networks.

As the EU leaders stated, the newaction plan should focus on ‘thewidespread availability and use ofbroadband networks throughout theUnion by 2005 and ... the security ofnetworks and information, e-govern-ment, e-learning, e-health and e-busi-ness’.

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How does the EU work?

The eEurope effort is not about creating new institutions or laws.It is about bringing coordination and a common goal to politicalactions that already take place in many different contexts:

>> NNaattiioonnaall ccoommppeetteennccee:: each EU country has the exclusive rightto decide how its schools and public services systems work. Theyhave, however, decided to try to learn more from each other byagreeing common goals and to exchange information on theirprogress towards achieving them. This is referred to as the ‘opencoordination method’. Regional or local authorities are often responsible for the action on the ground.

>> EEuurrooppeeaann UUnniioonn ccoommppeetteennccee:: The EU treaties say that EEuurrooppeeaannllaawwss can be made on matters such as free trade in goods. Someof this legislation is adapted to take account of new technologies.The EEUU bbuuddggeett finances programmes to promote development inless well-off regions, research, educational exchanges, etc. Someof this money is re-directed to promote Internet use.

No strings to tie medown! Portabletechnology is set to takeover from conventionalcomputers

ZEFA

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Accomplishments to date:eEurope 2002

When the eEurope programme wasconceived in 2000, use of the Internetin the Europe was being hamperedmainly by:

• expensive, insecure and slowaccess;

• an insufficient number of digitallyliterate people online;

• the lack of a sufficiently dynamic,entrepreneurial, service-orientedculture;

• the public sector not doing enoughto help develop new applicationsand services.

eEurope identified the steps neededto correct these weaknesses. They cen-tred on three main objectives:

• to develop cheaper, faster andsecure Internet access;

• to invest in people and skills;

• to stimulate use of the Internet.

eEurope 2002 has achieved signifi-cant successes in all these areas dur-ing the last three years.

Cheaper, faster and secureInternet access

One of the top priorities for eEurope2002 was to modernise the rules andregulations governing Internet accessand to create a single market for alltelecommunications services.

Conditions for Internet access havebeen influenced by laws and struc-tures from earlier times, when mostcustomers depended on just onemonopoly telephone company. Liber-alisation began in the late 1980s butdid not go far enough. So, in March2002, the EU formally adopted a newregulatory framework. The packagewill simplify and streamline the exist-ing EU legislative framework, cuttingthe number of laws from 23 down toeight and creating a truly liberalisedtelecoms market where competitioncuts prices and improves the qualityof services. The result will be cheaperand faster Internet access for citizensand business alike.

But what about making it secure? Therisks of security breaches multiply withthe Internet explosion, so if Europe is tosucceed in bringing and keeping usersonline it must ensure consumer andbusiness confidence in the Internet.

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Here too, the EU has been active. TheCommission has set out comprehen-sive strategies for network and infor-mation security. It has also proposeda framework decision on combatingterrorism (which includes attacksagainst information systems) and aspecific decision on attacks againstcomputer systems. The aim is toensure that the different EU countriesall take tough action against the per-petrators of serious attacks.

Equally important to building con-sumer confidence is data protectionand privacy. A 1995 EU frameworkdirective and a specific 1998 directive(later modified) covering electroniccommunications guarantee a highlevel of privacy for the individual andensure free movement of personaldata within the EU and to third coun-tries with similar standards.

RReessuullttss:: By mid-2002, 40 % of EUhouseholds had Internet access,according to the ‘eEurope Bench-marking Report’ for 2002, up from18 % in March 2000. This stagger-ing improvement means that there areroughly 150 million web users inEurope — on a par with the US. Thenumber of web users world wide is404 million, and this figure isexpected to grow to 550 million by2005.

Internet access costs are going down.A Commission survey carried out inNovember 2001 found that, for a typ-ical residential user (i.e. 20 hours ofusage off-peak), monthly costs were

between 10 and 20 euro for thecheapest offer in most Member States,including call charges.

Smart ways to handleknowledge is the key toall jobs

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The number of peoplewith access to the

Internet has increaseddramatically and the

costs have gone down.


Investing in peopleand skills

At their Lisbon summit, EU leadersacknowledged that future competi-tiveness depended on a renovatededucation policy including ‘e-learning’and life-long vocational training.

Each EU country remains fully respon-sible for organising its own nationaleducation system and for what istaught in its schools and colleges. Butthe EU plays a crucial role in coordi-nating national policies towards com-mon EU-wide objectives.

That is where the ‘eLearning’ pro-gramme comes in. It coordinatesnational efforts to modernise our edu-cation and vocational training sys-tems. The aim is to ensure that schoolleavers are all computer-literate andthat workers have the right to life-longlearning so they can keep up with theInternet revolution at their workplace.

This modernisation drive gives schoolchildren and students opportunitiesfor online education that many schooland college libraries cannot otherwiseafford to provide, and certainly not inthe quantities necessary.

Meanwhile, manufacturing and ser-vice industries will have the highlyskilled workers they need, and digi-tally literate consumers will be

ready to buy their new products andservices.

The governments of the EU countrieshave committed themselves:

• to a substantial annual increase inper capita investment in humanresources including an increase inspending on education, from anaverage 5 % of GDP in 1999 and5.1 % in 2000;

• to halve by 2010 the number of 18to 24 year olds with only lower-sec-ondary level education who are notin further education and training;

• to turn schools and training cen-tres, all linked to the Internet, intomulti-purpose local learning cen-tres accessible to all;

• to agree a European frameworkdefining new basic skills (includingIT skills, foreign languages, tech-nological culture, entrepreneurshipand social skills) to be providedthrough lifelong learning.

RReessuullttss:: The initial target was that bythe end of 2001 all schools in the EUshould have access to the Internet andmultimedia resources. The Union hasachieved a 93 % Internet access forschools in 2002 compared to 89 % in2001. Of these, 64 % have ISDN con-nections while 19 % have broadbandaccess via the ADSL technology.

There are still major discrepanciesbetween the different EU countriesbut the gaps are narrowing. In 2001there was on average one online com-puter for every 25 students. In 2002

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there were only 17 students to everyonline computer. The objective in2002 is to lower the ratio to 15 stu-dents per online computer by the endof 2003.

At the workplace, the goal is to ensurethat the people of Europe are in aposition to acquire — at any time inlife — new knowledge and skills toensure their future employability. Thisobjective is crucial in social terms ifthe EU is to head off exclusion in aEuropean Union in which 150 millioncitizens have not completed highersecondary level education. The guar-antee of life-long learning is thereforeof fundamental importance to ourEuropean social model, and helpsmake e-inclusion possible.

By 2002, more than half of EU work-ers were using computers at theirworkplace, and this has grown byabout a fifth since 2001. Three out offour white-collar workers are computerusers. However, not enough peopleare receiving the necessary training:only about a third of the EU workforcehas ever had computer training for ajob. This situation has to improve: dig-ital skills are essential to the employ-ability of workers in all sectors.

Stimulating the useof the Internet

To stimulate Internet take-up the EUhas concentrated on providing afavourable environment in which com-panies and any other types of organi-sation can develop digital skills andservices. It has, for example, set out alegal framework for electronic com-merce in a directive which became lawthroughout the EU in January 2002.In March 2002 the formal decisionwas taken to create the ‘.eu’ top leveldomain which will allow European cit-izens, organisations and businesses tohave web sites and e-mail addressesthat end with ‘.eu’ instead of lettersindicating a country or ‘.com’.

But most EU action has not involvedlegislation. Instead it has relied onpeer pressure and the annual ‘springreviews’ to make sure the individualEU countries actually do what theyhave promised each other to promoteeGovernment, eHealth, eContent andsimilar initiatives.

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Government made simple

The 20 types of public services, where governments aremaking life easier through new technology:

Public services for citizens: 1. Income taxes: declaration, notification of assessment2. Job search services by labour offices3. Social security contributions:

• unemployment benefits• family allowances• medical costs (reimbursement or direct settlement)• student grants

4. Personal documents (passport and driver's licence)5. Car registration (new, used and imported cars)6. Application for building permission7. Declaration to the police (e.g. in case of theft)8. Public libraries (availability of catalogues, search tools)9. Certificates (birth, marriage): request and delivery10. Enrolment in higher education/university11. Announcement of moving (change of address)12. Health-related services (e.g. interactive advice on the

availability of services in different hospitals; appoint-ments for hospitals)

Public services for businesses:1. Social contribution for employees2. Corporation tax: declaration, notification3. VAT: declaration, notification4. Registration of a new company5. Submission of data to statistical offices6. Customs declarations7. Environment-related permits (incl. reporting)8. Public procurement

Easy accessto public services

The motto for the ‘‘eeGGoovveerrnnmmeenntt’’scheme is ‘better online than in line.’Its aim is to provide easy electronicaccess to public services. No longerneed we stand in queues waiting tobe served! EU governments havestarted making 20 basic services avail-able online. For citizens these servicesinclude filing income tax returns andlooking for jobs, while businesses cannow use the Internet to file VATreturns, to register new companies, tomake customs declarations and forpublic procurement.

RReessuullttss:: In April 2002, research carriedout for the European Commissionshowed that, on average, 55 % of basicpublic services were available onlinecompared to 45 % in October 2001and that most of the web sites surveyedalready provide more interactivity thansimply downloading forms.

It also reveals that the provision ofeGovernment services to business(68 %) is progressing much faster thanto citizens (47 %). The sole exceptionis the Netherlands where online publicservices to citizens are more widespreadthan services to business.

Services which involve paying money tothe public sector remain the highestperformer with a 79 % rate in April2002 compared to 62 % in October2001. Of these services, VAT declara-tions have the highest score (88 %).

Overall, Ireland has the highest score(85 %) followed by Sweden (81 %),Finland (70 %) and Denmark (69 %).

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We need better education— including basic skillslike reading, arithmeticand languages.

Doctors online

Another initiative, ‘‘eeHHeeaalltthh’’, aims touse digital technologies to improvethe quality and accessibility of healthservices. This includes e-accessibilityfor the disabled.

In March 2002, the EU Council ofMinisters adopted a resolutiondesigned to facilitate Internet accessfor 37 million disabled people inEurope by agreeing a set of interna-tionally recognised standards. Theresolution also calls on MemberStates and the Commission to ‘estab-lish a permanent dialogue withorganisations representing disabledpersons and organisations represent-ing the elderly with a view to takingaccount of their comments andconcerns.’

ZEFA

RReessuullttss:: There has been considerableprogress in Internet take-up by gen-eral practitioner doctors. In June2001, 60 % of all primary careproviders were equipped with anInternet connection, compared to48 % in May 2000. Over the sameperiod, the percentage of generalpractitioners using the Internet tocommunicate with patients rose from12 to 34 %.

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The content is the real thing

A third initiative, ‘‘eeCCoonntteenntt’’, is aimedat ensuring that content and infor-mation on the net is available in yourown language. Currently, 75 % of allpages on the world wide web are inEnglish.

In April 2002, the Commission pro-posed a directive to harmonise someof the conditions governing the useof public sector information. It isbased on the principle that all suchinformation should be reusable forcommercial or non-commercial pur-poses, and it requires the publicauthorities supplying the informa-tion to apply tariffs based on costs.The proposal is designed to stimu-late the creation of Internet content— a market estimated to be worth433 billion euro in Europe andemploying four million people.

RReessuullttss:: Internet penetration in busi-nesses is far higher than the house-hold rate. According to aEurobarometer survey, almost 90 %of firms with more than 10employees have an Internet connec-

tion and more than 60 % have aweb site. A notable exception isPortugal, where only two thirds of allbusinesses have an Internet connec-tion and only about one third havetheir own web site.

On average, around 20 % ofEuropean companies buy and sellover the Internet, with Germany,Ireland and the UK spearheading thesales part and Denmark and Finlandstrong on the online purchasing side.In six Member States, more than30 % of all firms purchase some orall of their supplies via the Internetwith Finland and Denmark above40 %. At the other end of the scale,only 5 % of Portuguese and 10 % ofFrench enterprises use the Internet topurchase their supplies.

No longer filling in formsand queuing in public

offices: it can be done onthe net from home or

might not be needed atall.

GO

OD

SHO

OT

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The creation of an information soci-ety is a moving target. The processmust be continually fine-tuned as newchallenges emerge and obstaclespersist.

Upgrading our education and life-long learning standards is a continu-ing process, as is learning to use theInternet in more advanced ways.Although eEurope 2002 took Europepart of the way to the informationsociety, there is still a long way to go.

However, eEurope is steadily achiev-ing its objectives. Internet accesscosts, originally identified as one ofthe major hurdles, are going down.The marginal costs of Internet accessfor a PC owner have become small,but remain significantly higher thanin the United States. They are alsomuch higher for broadband Internetaccess. Slow e-commerce develop-ment and difficult broadband deploy-ment are also important challengesthat must be tackled.

To overcome these deficiencies whilebuilding on the successes of eEurope2002, eEurope 2005 focuses on amore limited number of priorities.These concern the effective use of theInternet for e-commerce and publicservices, including schools andbusinesses.

It gives top priority to e-government,e-learning and e-health and the cre-ation of a dynamic environment forthe development of e-business. Theaction plan sets out two groups ofactions that reinforce each other andwhich are both essential in enablingthe provision of priority services:

• action to ensure widespreadbroadband access and a secureinformation infrastructure;

• services, applications and content,covering online public services ande-business.

Broadband access andsecurity: the great enablers

Action plan 2005 seeks to acceleratethe rollout of ‘broadband services’ –i.e. the high-speed transmission ofvoice, data and video signals overfixed or mobile networks. These net-works include fixed-wireless, fibreoptics and satellite links, and will alsoinclude third-generation mobilephones (UMTS) when these becomewidely used. By 2002, however, thenetworks most readily available areADSL and cable modem networks.ADSL stands for ‘asynchronous digi-tal subscriber lines’ which, by meansof data compression, can provide dig-ital broadband services over an exist-ing phone line.

The future: eEurope 2005

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Currently, broadband systems provideInternet access at speeds of up to 1.5megabits per second, roughly 25times faster than a standard tele-phone modem working at 56 kilobitsper second, allowing people to quicklydownload big data files. They alsoallow users to stay permanently on-line (‘always-on’ connections).

Rolling out broadband requires thepromotion of content, services andapplications. Consumers will not buybroadband services unless useful orenjoyable content in their own lan-guage is available to simplify orimprove their lives. Without strongdemand from users, investment ininfrastructure will not materialise. Butin the typical chicken and eggdilemma, there will be no push todevelop new applications and contentunless the supporting infrastructureexists.

The more networks and computersbecome a central part of business anddaily life, the more need there is fordata security. Secure networks andinformation systems are therefore a

key ‘enabler’ for e-businesses and apre-requisite for privacy. To meet thischallenge, the EU has alreadylaunched a comprehensive strategybased on its communications (strate-gic policy decisions) on network secu-rity and cyber crime, and the data pro-tection directive on electroniccommunications.

eEurope 2005 actions:

• The EU countries are to use theEU’s existing Structural Funds(regional and social funds, etc) tofacilitate broadband access inremote and rural regions.

• The EU countries should eliminatelegislative barriers, promote invest-ments in broadband notably byeasing ‘right-of-way’ restrictions.

• By mid-2003, a cyber security taskforce (CSTF) is to be up and run-ning as a centre of competence onsecurity questions.

eGovernment

eGovernment is a key component ofaction plan 2005 because it is ameans of getting government mas-sively online, thereby bringing muchof the economy with it.

The public sector can act as a catalystsince it is both a supplier of informa-tion and a customer in need ofbroader bandwidth to provide thisinformation to citizens. Today, thepublic sector is the single biggestholder and producer of content in

Broad band connectionsare needed to get moving

images and sound foreducation and entertainment

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Europe, so there is huge potential forre-using public sector information foradded value services.

Action plan 2005 also places theemphasis on e-government in ‘backoffices’. The aim is to improve effi-ciency in the back offices of central,regional and local government, as thisis seen as the first necessary steptowards improving the front office ser-vices provided to the citizen.


• By the end of 2003, the Commis-sion will put forward an ‘interop-erability framework’ — involvingcommon technical specificationsto ensure that national e-govern-ment services can be delivered tocitizens and businesses throughoutthe European Union.

• By the end of 2004, EU govern-ments will ensure that 20 basicservices are available on line, inter-actively. This must include guar-anteed access for citizens with spe-cial needs.

• By the end of 2005, the EU Mem-ber States will carry out a signifi-cant portion of their public pro-curement electronically.

eLearning

If the European Union is to becomethe most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010,it must have a vigorous educationstrategy. It is for the educationauthorities in each country to developthe skills of its citizens through edu-cation and life-long learning, but theEurope-wide ‘eLearning’ initiative pro-motes new online ways of learningthroughout the EU.

At their summit in Barcelona in March2002, the EU’s heads of State andgovernment set themselves the targetof ensuring that, by the end of 2003,there would be one online computer,used for educational purposes, forevery 15 pupils in EU schools.


• EU governments should seek toensure that all schools and univer-sities have broadband access bythe end of 2005.

• By the end of 2002, the EU shouldhave in place an eLearning Pro-gramme to implement the eLearn-ing action plan in 2004—06.

• By the end of 2003, EU govern-ments should launch training pro-grammes to provide adults withthe skills they need for employ-ment in the knowledge society.

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eHealth

Digital technologies are becomingessential to health management atall levels – from the family doctor tothe Ministry of Health. They have thepotential to cut costs, to deliverhealth care at a distance and tomake health records accessible to thepeople who need to consult them.This will avoid unnecessary duplica-tion of effort. For example, you willnot have to undergo the same medi-cal examination twice just becausetwo different doctors need the sameinformation.

eEurope provides the frameworkwithin which these efforts can becombined in a strategy that deliversvisible results by 2005.


• By spring 2003, the EuropeanCommission will propose theintroduction of electronic healthcards based on common standardsand exchange of best practice.

• By the end of 2005, EU govern-ments should develop health infor-mation networks linking hospitals,laboratories and homes.

• By the end of 2005, the EuropeanCommission and EU governmentswill ensure the online provision ofhealth services, including informa-tion on healthy living and illnessprevention, electronic healthrecords, e-reimbursement, etc.

In an emergency, yourchances are better if the

health services have effective systems for

storing and communicatingmedical data.

EKA

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eBusiness

The concept of ‘e-business’ refers toboth e-commerce (buying and sellingonline) and restructuring businessprocesses to make the best use of dig-ital technologies.

It is precisely when information tech-nologies transform traditional busi-ness procedures, products and servicesthat e-business fulfils its potential.Clearly the responsibility for bothactivities lies with industry, but gov-ernments determine the regulatoryenvironment that can either stimulateor undermine the development ofe-businesses.


• An e-business summit will takeplace in 2003 to give high-levelbusiness representatives theopportunity to describe the diffi-culties encountered when doinge-business.

• By the end of 2003, the Commis-sion will set up an e-business sup-port network to promote the take-up of digital technologies and pro-cesses by small and medium-sizedbusinesses.

• By the end of 2003, the privatesector should develop interopera-ble e-business solutions for trans-actions, security, signatures, pro-curement and payments.

• By the end of 2003, the Commis-sion will examine possible ways ofsetting up an EU-wide online dis-pute resolution system.

It is never too late tolearn! EU-supportedscheme to combat socialisolation helps bringpeople together.

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Further reading

☛ Documents, news and other information on the subjects dealt with in thisbrochure can be found on the web site of the European Commission foreEurope: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/index_en.htm

Information in particular about education and training: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/index_en.html

The EU's eEurope initiative wasdesigned as a means of gettingEurope online as quickly as possible.It also gives the Internet a Europeandimension by encouraging multi-lin-gual content and by allowing Euro-pean countries to build on their com-petitive advantages in areas such asmobile phone technologies and digi-tal television.

Achieving the eEurope goals will cer-tainly help create jobs and make Euro-pean industries more competitive.This is part of the EU’s continuingefforts to fulfil its obligation —enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty onEuropean Union — ‘to promote eco-nomic and social progress and a highlevel of employment’.

The success of eEurope depends notonly on the European institutions buton national, regional and local gov-ernment throughout the EU, on busi-nesses, schools, hospitals… In fact, itdepends on you — the Europeancitizen. eEurope is designed for you:it’s up to you to take the fullestadvantage of it and make it work foryou.

Where do we go from here?

European Commission

Towards a knowledge-based EuropeThe European Union and the information society

Europe on the move series

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

2003 — 22 pp. — 16.2 x 22.9 cm

ISBN 92-894-4422-3

The Internet is changing the world we live in, and the challenge for Europe isto embrace the digital age and become a truly knowledge-based economy. Theway in which the European Union manages this transition will help determineour quality of life, our working conditions and the overall competitiveness of ourindustries and services.

‘eEurope’ is the EU's scheme for guiding this process of change and formodernising our education and vocational training systems to ensure digitalliteracy at school and in the workplace.

eEurope and the related education strategy have become the driving forcebehind the EU’s push to become the most competitive knowledge-basedeconomy in the world by 2010.

European Commission and Parliament representations and offices exist in all the countries of theEuropean Union. The European Commission also has delegations in other parts of the world.

Other information on the European Union

Information in all the official languages of the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).

EUROPE DIRECT is a freephone service to help you find answers to your questions about theEuropean Union and to provide information about your rights and opportunities as an EUcitizen: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11

From outside the EU: (32-2) 299 96 96Information and publications in English on the European Union can be obtained from:

EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATIONSRepresentation in Ireland18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2Tel. (353-1) 662 51 13Fax (353-1) 634 11 12Internet: www.euireland.ieE-mail: [email protected]

Representation in the United Kingdom Jean Monnet House8 Storey’s Gate, London SW1P 3ATTel. (44-20) 79 73 19 92Fax (44-20) 79 73 19 00/10Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Wales 2 Caspian Point, Caspian Way,Cardiff CF10 4QQTel. (44-29) 20 89 50 20Fax (44-29) 20 89 50 35Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Scotland 9 Alva Street, Edinburgh EH2 4PHTel. (44-131) 225 20 58Fax (44-131) 226 41 05Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Northern Ireland Windsor House9/15 Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7EGTel. (44-28) 90 24 07 08Fax (44-28) 90 24 82 41Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Information services in the United States 2300 M Street, NW — 3rd FloorWashington DC 20037Tel. (202) 862 95 00Fax (202) 429 17 66

305 East 47th Street3 Dag Hammarskjöld PlazaNew York, NY 10017Tel. (212) 371 38 04Fax (212) 688 10 13Internet: www.eurunion.org

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT OFFICES

Office in Ireland European Union House43 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2Tel. (353-1) 605 79 00 Fax (353-1) 605 79 99Internet: www.europarl.eu.intE-mail: [email protected]

United Kingdom Office 2, Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9AATel. (44-20) 72 27 43 00Fax (44-20) 72 27 43 02Internet: www.europarl.eu.int/ukE-mail: [email protected]

Office in Scotland The Tun4 Jackson’s EntryHolyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8PJTel. (44-131) 557 78 66Fax (44-131) 557 49 77Internet: www.europarl.eu.int/ukE-mail: [email protected]

TThhee EEuurrooppeeaann UUnniioonn

EU Member States

New Member States due to join in 2004

Candidate countriesStatus spring 2003

The Internet is changing the worldwe live in, and the challenge forEurope is to embrace the digitalage and become a trulyknowledge-based economy. Theway in which the European Unionmanages this transition will helpdetermine our quality of life, ourworking conditions and the overall

competitiveness of our industries and services.

‘eEurope’ is the EU's scheme for guiding this processof change and for modernising our education andvocational training systems to ensure digital literacyat school and in the workplace.

eEurope and the related education strategy havebecome the driving force behind the EU’s push tobecome the most competitive knowledge-basedeconomy in the world by 2010.

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