Brussels, 19/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - Since the conference held in March 2001, on the initiative of the President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, the economic situation has deteriorated. It is therefore now more necessary than ever to systematically integrate the "e-dimension" into policies affecting enterprises and develop a policy agenda in 2002 to allow companies to maximise their benefits from the e-Economy. These are the main conclusions of the Commission's Communication presented to the Council of Industry on 5 December.
The Commission is looking into the necessary measures companies should take to benefit from the e-Economy which include: accelerating the construction of a clear and predictable framework for e-business; fostering the full participation by SMEs in the e-Economy; improving the availability of venture capital and market based financing; fostering a culture of entrepeneurship and innovation; enhancing ICT and e-business professional skills; promoting e-Economy-related research; promoting market openness and competition, enhancing the ability of European enterprises to compete in a global economy; further improving and maximising business opportunities in the EU internal market; increasing efficiency in government-business relations.
The Commission believes that in order to meet these challenges, the e-dimension must be integrated into all EU and national policies that have an impact on European enterprise competitiveness. Implementing policy measures will require good and timely co-ordination. This is why the Commission will intensify the debate and deepen its co-operation with all relevant stakeholders. (The Commission Communication can be consulted on the following web-address: http: //europa.eu.int/enterprise/ict/policy/doc/com/_2001_711_fr.pdf).