Strasbourg, 14/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption, on Tuesday, of the report by Danish Liberal Lone Dybkjaer on information and communication technologies (ICT) and the developing countries, the EP considers it is necessary to step up efforts with a view to guaranteeing the right of universal access to education and training, the use of new information technologies having a major impact on reducing poverty in sectors such as education, health, the environment, rural development and tourism. The Parliament, however, notes that, at the end of this year, 700 million people will be connected to Internet although over two billion men and women will never have had access to the telephone. The revolution of ICT (telephones, computers, material, software) could bring about a greater gap between rich and poor countries unless measures are taken to open the developing countries up to this process. For this, the EP calls for: - the question of access to ICT to have a place in the new programme of the European Development Fund for support to the private sector; - the Commission to set in place, within the Europe Aid cooperation office, an e-development unit able to assist sectoral units concerning the integration of ICT in development; - the work carried out by the Commission in the context of the Task Force established by the G8 (Dot.force) to be continued.