Bruxelles, 10/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - The committee on industry, research and energy of the European Parliament held a hearing on 6 October, under the chairmanship of French Socialist Catherine Trautmann on the World Summit on the Information Society, which is due to take place in Tunis from 16 to 18 November. The own-initiative report by Ms Trautmann, which was adopted on 23 June, broadly approved the proposals of the European Commission to move forward talks in Tunis, after an initial Summit in Geneva. The Tunis conference is set to make progress towards a common definition of Internet governance and provide financial mechanisms allowing the digital divide between the developed and the developing countries to be bridged (see EUROPE 8979 and 8964). "We hope to achieve greater efficiency in the implementation of the action plan and to answer the needs of the people. Fair management of the Internet with solidarity and a reduction of the digital divide are at the heart of our concerns", said the MEP. "The EU must have a coherent approach for this summit", said Peter Zangl, deputy Director-General of DG "Information Society" of the European Commission. Mr Zangl said that the Commission, which will represent the European Union in Tunis, is working relentlessly on preparations for the summit, which should translate the principles agreed upon in Geneva into action. Mr Zangl voiced a few reservations about the conclusions of the last preparatory meeting ("PrepCom3"), which was held in Geneva from 19 to 30 September and which, he commented, met the EU's position on a new model of cooperation "with surprise". "The digital divide is getting wider: currently, 80% of the population has no access to the Internet", emphasised Pierre-Alain Muet, the deputy mayor of the city of Lyons and a specialist in new technologies. Professor Muet stressed the need to develop South/South and North/South partnerships, adding that "ICT is not a gadget, but an essential tool in development and education". In the view of Emilio Ontiveros, an adviser with "Analistas Financieros Internacionales SA", ICT has enormous potential to accelerate growth and economic development. In order to make the best possible use out of these resources, Mr Ontiveros recommends the implementation of a single point of contact for the citizens, which would allow the public administrations to carry out dialogue with the citizens more easily, and to allow the least developed countries to benefit from experience acquired in this field. "The digital solidarity fund (a tool created in Geneva to help the least developed countries to bridge the digital divide: Ed) is appropriate and judicious", he added. Helping the States to guarantee generalised access to information technologies is a fundamental objective, added Professor Paolo Atzeni, of the Department for Information Technology and Automation of the Third University of Rome, stressing the importance of getting local initiatives heard about. Christine Diamente, Director of the European Affairs Unit with Alcatel, identified the major obstacles to an effective distribution of new technologies in the developing world: a lack of revenue and telecommunications infrastructures, a lack of initiative on the part of the political authorities, and the need to raise awareness among the population. "There is no point in the Internet if it reaches only 3% of the population", Ms Diamente pointed out. Internet will never replace roads and infrastructures, she acknowledged, but it can be an instrument of communication which can help poor countries to develop new services and pilot projects, with the support of the private sector. Businesses have a very important role to play in the development of ICT, added Ms Trautmann, who went on to stress the importance of getting business involved in the work of the Tunis summit.
Souhayr Belhassen, vice president of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, spoke out against the perverse effect of information technologies which are used for the purposes of repression by totalitarian regimes. Using examples of this to support her case, she called upon businesses to resist the temptation of working with these regimes and refusing to provide them with software which can be used to track political opponents on the Internet. She also called for NGOs, particularly Tunisian, Iranian and Chinese ones, to be allowed to take part in the Tunis summit, from which they are currently excluded. The conference will be held at the same time as the summit, to speak out against infringements of freedom of expression by new technologies, Ms Belhassen announced, to vigorous applause.
Several of those who took the floor put forward concrete examples of development aid via new technologies. Karl-Juergen Schmitt of Siemens explained applications developed by his group in the field of healthcare, and Emmanuel Eveno (University of Toulouse Le Mirail) referred to the "E-Atlas".