Brussels, 03/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - Access of the whole population to new technologies was the last point on the Telecoms Council agenda on Thursday, 29 November. The European Commission submitted its e-Inclusion initiative to European ministers responsible for this area. The initiative calls on member states to support a number of key actions, including an awareness campaign for 2008 "e-Inclusion, be part of it!" Ministers also adopted conclusions on the Commission communication, “Ageing well in the information society”. In this connection, all member states agreed that the ageing population is one of the most urgent challenges to meet and communication and information technology (CIT) could considerably contribute to helping senior citizens in their daily lives. Member states also underlined that the quality of life could be considerably improved thanks to new technologies which are used to create systems that enable these people to live long but independent lives, improve their security and provide for their healthcare needs. However, enormous efforts have to be made to encourage an interest among elderly people in CIT. The Council affirmed that trade barriers, fragmentation and insufficient market development, as well as poor knowledge of the market and the multiplicity of applicable rules are some of the difficulties that member states have to overcome if they are to take full advantage of new technology. The Council recommends a global and multi-sector approach to tackle these problems, and the implementation of national action plans as part of the approach to attaining the June 2006 Riga Declaration objectives - which recommend a 50% reduction in the gap on internet use by senior citizens, and ensuring access to public web sites. (I.L.)