Brussels, 26/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - A two-day ministerial conference on the development of the information society in the enlarged Europe opened in Budapest on Thursday. Organised by the Irish Presidency of the EU, the European Commission and the Hungarian government, it will be the opportunity to take stock of progress made in implementing the eEurope+ action plan (the branch of eEurope for the accession and candidate countries), and discuss the challenges Europe is faced with in the field of the information society. Some forty Ministers from the accession and candidate countries, several current Member States of the EU and countries of south-eastern Europe are taking part in the conference, which will bring together some 500 participants, among them high-level representatives of the private sector, universities and civil society.
Speaking at the beginning of the conference, the European Commissioner in charge of the dossier, Erkki Liikanen, said that the aim of making the information society accessible to all (individuals and businesses) "means getting the right regulatory framework to foster investment, boost competition and lower prices. But this also means making sure that public authorities drive demand by making greater use of on-line services in areas like administration, healthcare and education". Mr Liikanen also said that for the accession countries, "this meeting presents a final stage in their preparations for accession to the Union. The implementation of the EU regulatory framework and the shaping of national strategies for the deployment of broadband networks is therefore at the top of their agenda".
The conference is based around the evolution of national strategies on the information society, and progress made in the deployment of broadband and other networks, and the exchange of good practice and policies in the field of electronic affairs. Also to be discussed are measures to ensure broader participation in the information society, independently of age, sex or place of residence. A final progress report will be presented on progress made as part of the action plan eEurope+, based on information gathered in the ten accession countries and the three candidates. This report (http://www.emcis2004.hu ) shows that in these countries, the information society is already a reality. National strategies for the information society have been drawn up, and the implementation of the Community legislation applicable in this field (especially relating to telecommunications and electronic commerce) is underway. The level of connections to fixed-line and mobile networks has risen. There are ambitious programmes to provide schools with computers, and on-line administration has seen considerable progress. However, the Commission stresses in a press release that "the cost of access and use of the Internet varies considerably, and the cost of a PC in relation to monthly salaries may hold up the spread of personal computers". It concludes that "sustained efforts are needed to encourage electronic business, especially in SMEs".
The EU's future priorities will be those laid down in the action plan eEUROPE 2005. The plan sets ambitious objectives for all Member States of the EU. The Commission believes that for the ten accession countries and for the candidates, "taking up these challenges halfway through could cause considerable difficulties". For this reason, the Irish Presidency has scheduled a political debate between Ministers and/or their representatives on eEUROPE 2005, especially in the framework of the mid-term review launched by the Commission several days ago (see EUROPE of 24 February, p.17).