Brussels, 15/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - When addressing a conference in Monaco, Commissioner Likanen, responsible for the information society, stressed the threats laying in wait for the development of the information society in Europe. He noted that implementation of the "eEurope" action programme, launched last year, was an important breakthrough, but that much remained to be done.
Among the difficulties, he identified the gap in skills that is forging in Europe. Over one million jobs are said to be vacant. For him, European governments must invest in vocational training, and, like in the United States, create poles of attraction for talented people in the new technologies. The digital "divide" is also a source of concern. There are regional and social disparities in the use of the Internet, which prevent many people from reaping the benefits of the information society. Family revenue is an important factor, but Liikanen referred to a study that reveals that Internet penetration by families depends on the child itself, and believes with the size of the family. At this level, the school has a fundamental role. The anti-Internet sentiment is also an important brake. The Commissioner believes that people's fear of seeing their private lives violated by the use of the world network must be taken seriously and fought through appropriate instruments and laws.
Network insecurity is, he concluded, one of the priorities which governments and e-business circles must face up to. According to him, this goes together with the development of adequate technologies such as anti-virus programmes, encryption, currently liberalised in Europe, and the electronic signature, whose legal recognition will be a reality in July.