This Communication from the Commission deals with Europe’s Digital Competitiveness Report - “Main achievements of the i2010 strategy 2005-2009”.

In 2005, the Commission presented the i2010 strategy to boost Europe’s lead in ICT and to unlock the benefits of the information society for European growth and jobs.

This strategy outlined concrete policy measures to: (i) boost the single market for businesses and users by eliminating regulatory obstacles and enhancing regulatory consistency in the telecoms sector and for audiovisual media services; (ii) stimulate ICT research and innovation in Europe by pooling public and private research funding and focusing it on areas where Europe is or can become a global leader; (iii) ensure that all citizens benefit from Europe’s lead in ICT , in particular through first-class online public services accessible to all.

Over the past four years, ICT policies have confirmed their role as a major driver of Europe’s economic and social modernisation and have made Europe more resilient in times of crisis. Today, they are firmly anchored in European core policies for growth and jobs. All EU Member States have ICT policies and consider them a key contributor to national growth and jobs under the renewed Lisbon agenda. i2010 has also influenced other policy areas, such as the Single Market and the Consumer Agenda. ICT policies today are implemented through various instruments, such as the Structural Funds or the Rural Development Funds.

ICT, and in particular the broadband internet, is a crucial component of the European economic recovery plan . ICT accounts for half of the rise in EU productivity and available high-speed broadband is key to new jobs, new skills, new markets and cutting costs. It is essential to businesses, public services and to making the modern economy work. This has been recognised in the Commission’s proposals to speed up economic recovery by smart investments in broadband networks in rural areas, endorsed by the European Council, up to EUR 1.02 billion .

The main results are as follows:

the number of regular internet users has increased from 43% in 2005 to 56% in 2008; most of them use the internet almost daily and with high-speed internet access. Regular internet use is also becoming more inclusive, with the numbers of users in disadvantaged groups (the inactive, the less educated and those aged 55-64) rising the fastest; Europe has become the world leader in broadband internet. With 114 million subscribers, it is the largest world market and penetration rates are rising swiftly. Half of all European households and more than 80% of European businesses have a fixed broadband connection, three quarters of them with average download speeds above 2 Mbps. Broadband internet is available to 93% of the EU25 population, up from 87% in 2005; 80% of regular internet users engage in increasingly interactive activities, e.g. communicating, using online financial services, sharing and creating new content and participating in innovative processes; the market for mobile phones has exceeded 100% penetration — increasing from 84% of the EU population in 2004 to 119% in 2009. This makes Europe the world leader in mobile penetration, as the rates in the US and Japan are around 80%. Consumers spend more time talking and texting at prices at least 34.5% less than in 2004, including a 70% drop in roaming charges since 2005; Europe has made fast progress in the supply and use of the 20 benchmarked online public services. The supply of fully available services to citizens has increased to 50% in 2007 27% in 2004) and for businesses to 70% (58% in 2004). One third of European citizens and almost 70% of businesses in the EU use eGovernment services; Europe is also the home of breakthrough research, such as Giant Magneto-Resistance technology, which revolutionised the hard disk business and won the 2007 Nobel prize in physics, and ADSL technology, the basis for today’s broadband internet success; many Member States now have integrated national ICT strategies with objectives similar to those of the i2010 initiative.

These are some of the key success stories of the past four years.

Conclusions and perspectives : the achievements of i2010 and the ways it has been implemented in the Member States provide a snapshot of the dynamism and range of schemes that innovative policies can produce; i2010 has laid the building blocks for a modern ICT-enabled society. Broadband is today firmly on the political agenda .

Nevertheless, Europe faces important decisions about how to build a seamlessly connected digital economy poised for recovery . In addition, over the coming years the internet is expected to become an essential service, crucial for us to participate fully in society.

To seize these opportunities, the Commission calls on the Member States and on stakeholders to actively cooperate in the months ahead until early 2010 to draft a new digital agenda so that Europe can emerge from the current crisis with a stronger, more competitive and more open digital economy, driving European growth and innovation.

COM(2009)0390
EUR-Lex

SEC(2009)1060
EUR-Lex

This Staff Working Document accompanying the 2005-2009 report on the i2010 initiative sets out the trends and main achievements of this initiative.

The i2010 initiative is successfully meeting its challenges and delivering on its promises. Take up of ICT by European enterprises and citizens has risen substantially over the past four years and the rapid spread of broadband is stimulating a more intensive use of advanced internet services.

The quality of access has improved and has become cheaper, while use has intensified, in particular through the advancement of user-created content and social networks.

More and more people are going online, including those belonging to more disadvantaged social groups. Use is becoming more interactive and sophisticated and the internet has become a popular tool for communication and entertainment services.

This report analyses developments in Europe's information society and benchmarks Member States' progress in implementing the i2010 initiative. It also looks at developments in the ICT sector in the face of the economic crisis, with a focus on the impact it is having on R&D investment.

SEC(2009)1103
EUR-Lex

SEC(2009)1104
EUR-Lex

SP(2006)1999

The Commission presents its first follow-up report on the i2010 initiative, which addresses the key challenges of a modern information society and promotes a partnership between the Commission, the Member States and all relevant stakeholders to harness the digital economy for Europe.

The report notes that, in spite of improved economic growth in 2005 and predicted growth of 2% in 2006, annual GDP growth rests well below the 2.7% in the US between 2000 and 2005. Europe still has a mediocre productivity performance and a low investment in R&D, representing only 1.9% of GDP in 2004. Nevertheless, the ICT sector has continued to experience a higher than average growth rate, with estimated revenue increases of 3.6%5 in 2005. It is the most innovative and research intensive sector in the EU, representing 25% of the total research effort and 5.6% of the GDP between 2000 and 2003. ICT also generated at least 45% of EU productivity gains over the period 2000-2004.

But the contribution of ICT is not enough to improve the EU’s global position. Recent figures show EU investment in ICT research still lagging behind our competitors. The contribution of ICT to productivity has decreased significantly compared to the second half of the 1990s and is still about half that in the US. Overall no indicator points to a change in the trend or an acceleration in ICT developments which would put the EU onto a sustainable path of growth and competitiveness. However, there are some positive trends. Digital convergence is finally becoming a reality. Investments in networks resumed in 2004 and 2005 and broadband subscriptions grew by 60% in 2005. Telecom and cable operators are offering converged services, such as ‘triple-play’ services, or TV over IP. But revenues from these services do not compensate for the loss of voice revenues, and overall growth in the revenues of electronic communications is slowing down. Faster progress in convergence is needed to sustain the leadership of the European electronic communication sector.

The report states that the challenges identified in the i2010 initiative remain valid but need to be addressed more vigorously. Policy makers need not just to be more aware of the need to accelerate ICT developments; they should also build policies to enhance the positive trends in the ICT sector. Particular priorities are implementation of broadband strategies, coherent approaches to content and spectrum, integrated research and innovation strategies and more ambitious public services. Today there is a greater need than ever to get Europe’s ICT policies right to catch up with our major global competitors.

Three messages will therefore continue to underpin i2010 in 2006-2007:

- urgency: the increasing recognition of the role of ICT in growth and jobs should be converted into action, through a strategic approach to the opportunities of digital convergence in National Reform Programmes that combines macro and micro policy levels. There is also a need for expeditious treatment of legislative proposals under i2010 so that Europe can benefit fully from the fast moving effects of digital convergence on growth and competitiveness;

- partnership : joint action and responsibility between the Commission, the Member States and stakeholders under the Lisbon Agenda and i2010 not only to identify bottlenecks hampering innovation but also to take affirmative steps to coordinate policies across Europe in order to establish a single information space of 25 EU Member States;

- action : the EU must move from consensus on the importance of ICT for growth, jobs and the quality of life to action by vigorously implementing regulations and policies that assist competitiveness and by using the economic weight of public administrations in order to promote the emergence of innovative services for the benefits of citizens and for growth and jobs.

The Commission outlines the actions that it will take in the period 2006-2007 on the i2010 initiative. These include the following: make proposals for the review of the eCommunications regulatory framework, including a proposal to review the recommendation on relevant markets and a regulation on international roaming; promote an efficient management of spectrum; assess the developments in standardisation and interoperability with regard to mobile TV services; address trust, privacy and security issues in the forthcoming communication on an EU security strategy and in the communications on cybercrime and on Spam and malware; review the consumer protection regulatory framework, taking into account new technical developments; review standardisation for ICT; review eBusiness policies and trends and define the necessary policy measures; and follow up the commitments of the eAccessibility communication.

COM(2006)0215
EUR-Lex

The Commission presents its first Annual Report on the i2010 initiative, which addresses the key challenges of a modern information society and promotes a partnership between the Commission, the Member States and all relevant stakeholders to harness the digital economy for Europe.

The report shows that, despite an improvement in economic growth in 2005 and predicted growth of 2% in 2006, annual GDP growth remains well below the 2.7% in the United States between 2000 and 2005. Europe is still poor in terms of productivity and investment in Research and Development is low, representing only 1.9% of GDP in 2004.

But the contribution of ICT is not enough to improve the EU’s global position. Recent figures show EU investment in ICT research still lagging behind that of its competitors. The contribution of ICT to productivity has decreased significantly compared to the second half of the 1990s and is still about half that in the US. Overall no indicator points to a change in the trend or an acceleration in ICT developments which would put the EU onto a sustainable path of growth and competitiveness. However, there are some positive trends. Digital convergence is finally becoming a reality.

The report shows that the challenges identified in the i2010 initiative remain valid but need to be addressed more vigorously. Policy makers need not just to be more aware of the need to accelerate ICT developments; they should also build policies to enhance the positive trends in the ICT sector. Particular priorities are implementation of broadband strategies, coherent approaches to content and spectrum, integrated research and innovation strategies and more ambitious public services. Today there is a greater need than ever to get Europe’s ICT policies right, in order to catch up with major global competitors.

Three messages will therefore continue to underpin i2010 in 2006-2007:

Urgency: the increasing recognition of the role of ICT in growth and jobs should be converted into action, through a strategic approach to the opportunities of digital convergence in National Reform Programmes that combines macro and micro policy levels.

2. Partnership : Joint action and responsibility between the Commission, the Member States and stakeholders under the Lisbon Agenda and i2010 not only to identify bottlenecks hampering innovation but also to take affirmative steps to coordinate policies across Europe in order to establish a single information space of 25 EU Member States.

3. Action : The EU must move from consensus on the importance of ICT for growth, jobs and the quality of life to action by vigorously implementing regulations and policies that assist competitiveness and by using the economic weight of public administrations in order to promote the emergence of innovative services for the benefits of citizens and for growth and jobs.

SEC(2006)0604
EUR-Lex

SP(2006)1725

Results of vote in Parliament

Debate in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drafted by Reino PAASILINNA (PES, FI) on a European information society for growth and employment. (Please see the document dated 21/02/2006.) Parliament stated that the EU cannot achieve the Lisbon targets unless the Member States take decisive action to implement fully the i2010 strategy. The EU lags behind in research in information and communication technologies (ICT), investing only EUR 80 per head as compared to EUR 350 in Japan and EUR 400 in the US. The EU must therefore increase investment in research and innovation. Parliament considered that, unless the digital divide is overcome, enabling all citizens to gain access to, use and take part in the production of knowledge, there will be no knowledge-based society, but rather a cultural and industrial decline in the EU as a whole.

Parliament urged the Commission to adopt an innovative line in its reform of legislation on ICT, which must be regarded as a considerably broader concept than is the case in the Commission's communication. It must include the rights of consumers and users. Parliament went on to make some remarks and recommendations:

- all European legislation relating to communications and information must be founded on technological neutrality, thus guaranteeing that new inventions and actors can access the market as easily as possible;

- Member States should invest more heavily in the exploitation of ICT in public sector services, such as health, education, and government, in which ICT can make it easier to respond to future social service needs;

- Parliament was concerned that the Commission continued to formulate its policy on job-creation on the basis of little or no reliable statistical evidence. While headline growth continues in ICT, there has not always been similar growth in employment. Employment rates in the EU are currently seven points below Lisbon targets. The Commission must carry out in-depth statistical analyses of the effects of technological change on the ICT employment market in the EU.

Objective 1: A single European information space: Parliament made the following remarks:

- the i2010 programme represents a decisive phase in the emergence of the information society which should enable everyone to be a participant, through access to technology and knowledge, a user, through interactivity and the new forms of social interaction offered by networks, and a critical citizen with freedom of choice. The Commission and Member States must help ensure that technology is more accessible to citizens and meets the moral demands of society;

- legislation should support competition so as to reflect the horizontal nature of ICT and should seek to avoid the emergence and preservation of vertical structures which are harmful to competition and innovation;

- the Commission is required to guarantee media pluralism by interpreting and implementing the provisions which concern the electronic media infrastructure. Parliament drew attention to its repeated request to the Commission to draw up a green paper on concentration of media ownership and respect for the principles of freedom of information and pluralism. It regretted that this point is not covered in the i2010 work plan, and called on the Commission to establish a regulatory framework for the internet;

- an efficient information society calls for the universal provision of broadband and wireless technology, which requires further support at Member State level. It should also be possible for users to change their service provider without having to change their e-mail address;

- Parliament called for measures to be taken to protect producer's rights and to combat illegal and pirated content. It warned of the increasing attempts in the USA to use patent and intellectual property legislation as a protectionist tool of trade policy;

- the Commission must specify actions to provide protection from harmful content, and to promote the role of the European Network and Information Security Agency;

- the 'Television without Frontiers' Directive must be adapted to changes in a converging media world and this must be duly taken into account as far as its scope is concerned;

- the Commission must promote concrete activities for facilitating the creation and distribution of European content. The production of content which respects cultural and linguistic diversity presents an opportunity to encourage new skills and new jobs, particularly in the design and creation sectors;

- the management of radio spectrum should seek to make market access as easy as possible for new inventions and actors in the sector while facilitating the development of Community media;

- the Commission is asked to deliver, by September 2006, a complete and analytical overview of the EU's strengths and weaknesses in all ICT-related sectors;

Objective 2: Innovation and investment in Research: Parliament made the following remarks:

- Parliament u rges the speedy adoption of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and of the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme for 2007-2013, both of which must provide adequate financial resources to support ICT as a driver for growth;

- the Commission and the Member States must take concrete actions to exploit the opportunities created by ICT, in order to hinder the drift of jobs to low-pay countries. It is vital to increase the level of investment to achieve the Barcelona 3% GDP target and to keep it permanently geared to global competition levels;

- measures must be taken as a matter of urgency at EU level to remove obstacles to the development of the Next Generation Networks;

- Parliament welcomes the Commission's proposals to establish a common consolidated corporate tax base.

Objective 3: A single European information society:

- Parliament noted that public broadcasting will continue to have a major role to play in the ubiquitous information society as a protector of publicly accessible high-quality and independent information, and it stressed the importance of guaranteeing public broadcasting access to the platforms of the future;

- emphasis must be given to the issues of interoperability and best practices in public-sector electronic services for citizens and undertakings in matters of taxation, health, insurance cover and pensions etc.,

- over half of the EU population does not benefit in full from ICT. Parliament insisted that ICT also implies investment in human capital through higher budgets for education and culture;

- because of the ageing of the European population, there is a need to invest in product planning, particularly in the Design for All principle;

- the Commission must draw up a proposal for a charter of citizens fundamental rights for the digital age;

- a Charter of eRights should be adopted by public administrations in Europe as a shared set of principles and guidelines defining the framework within which all citizens can enjoy those rights;

- media education should serve to provide citizens with the technical wherewithal to bring a critical interpretation to bear on the ever-expanding volume of information and communication;

- Finally, Parliament felt that a focus on the gender dimension of ICT is essential, to prevent the digital revolution from having an adverse impact on gender equality or the perpetuation of existing inequalities and discrimination.

T6-0079/2006

A6-0036/2006

A6-0036/2006

The committee adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Reino PAASILINNA (PES, FI) in response to the Commission strategy paper on a European Information Society for growth and employment (i2010). It underlined the importance of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) for the Lisbon Strategy and said that, "unless the digital divide is overcome, enabling all citizens to gain access to, use and take part in the production of knowledge, there will be no knowledge-based society, but rather a cultural and industrial decline in the EU as a whole". MEPs called on the Commission to draw up a programme and a favourable legal framework to make citizens active participants in a knowledge-based society, thereby achieving the Lisbon objectives.

The report looked at the three policy objectives outlined by the Commission and stressed that the i2010 programme represented "a decisive phase" in the emergence of the information society. It made a large number of recommendations:

- technology should be made more accessible for citizens and should also meet "the moral demands of society";

- the Commission should guarantee and promote media pluralism by interpreting and implementing the provisions which concern the electronic media infrastructure;

- as Parliament had long demanded, the Commission should draw up a Green Paper on concentration of media ownership and respect for the principles of freedom of information and pluralism;

- a regulatory framework should be established for the internet, given that it is "the fundamental vehicle for an economy based on information";

- Member States should support the universal provision of broadband and wireless technology;

- users should be able to change their service provider without having to change their e-mail address;

- the Commission should specify "clear actions" to provide protection from harmful content;

- when reviewing ICT legislation, the Commission should lay down quality criteria such as the protection of childhood and freedom of choice of consumers;

- the "Television without Frontiers" Directive should be adapted to changes in a converging media world;

- the Commission should promote concrete activities for facilitating and supporting the creation and distribution of European content, and pan-European broadcasting systems such as EuroNews should be supported;

- public services and public broadcasting services, which contribute to "social cohesion, the democratic discourse and pluralism in Europe", must be able to take part in technological and social development and continue to perform their social function;

- Member States should take additional measures to ensure access to e-government services irrespective of place, time or wealth;

- the Commission should draw up without delay a proposal for a charter of citizens’ fundamental rights for the digital age;

- a Charter of eRights should progressively be adopted by public administrations in Europe as a shared set of principles and guidelines defining the framework within which all citizens can enjoy those rights;

- the Commission should establish a dialogue with the main players on the media market, with a view to drafting a Gender Equality Code for the media.

PE367.900

PE368.049

PE364.891

PE365.143

The Council held a public policy debate on the EU's i2010 strategy, on the basis of questions proposed by the Presidency, and adopted the following conclusions:

The Council invites the Commission to :

- ensure full implementation of the 2002 Regulatory Framework including the completion of market reviews by National Regulatory Authorities;

- review the impact of digital convergence on the creation, circulation and distribution of European content, and if appropriate, bring forward proposals to promote a rich and diverse digital content market, increased use of broadband and the development of Next Generation Networks (NGNs);

- encourage investment in ICT Research and Development (R&D) and wider ICT take-up in the public and private sector, notably through existing and future EU R&D Framework and Competitiveness and Innovation Programmes, including by promoting Small and Medium Enterprises' (SME) participation and ensuring that the results of these programmes are widely disseminated;

- launch early in 2006, an effective strategy for developing a secure and safe European Information Space, with the support of the European Network and Information Security Agency, based on reliable networks, which fosters greater trust and confidence, addresses identification and authentication issues, and recognizes the important roles to be played by suppliers, business users, citizens and governments, and which includes a timetable for implementation;

- encourage the efficient use of ICTs in public services, such as eGovernment and eHealth, through the exchange of experience and the development of common approaches on key issues such as interoperability and effective use of open standards;

- take account, in its Communication on eGovernment, of the Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment;

- prepare a European initiative on e-Inclusion in 2008 addressing issues relating to eAccessibility, equal opportunities, digital literacy and regional divides;

- promote education and training policies so that Europe has the skills it needs to research, innovate and use ICT;

- promote interoperability and open standards in the European Information Space by ensuring that European standardisation policy addresses the needs of the ICT sector.

Member States are invited to :

- identify information society priorities within their National Reform Programmes, so that the potential contribution of ICT to the Lisbon agenda and the action needed to implement it is fully reflected in national policies;

- ensure rapid and complete implementation of the EU electronic communications regulatory framework, including completion of the market reviews;

- ensure a more efficient and flexible use of spectrum through the coordination of policy approaches, where appropriate, according to Community competence and without prejudice to general interest objectives, in order to foster innovation, competitiveness, interoperability and convergence as well as a dynamic single market for innovative wireless equipment and services;

- promote the roll-out of advanced seamless networks through the rapid implementation of national strategies, aimed at increasing broadband coverage and multiplatform access, and stimulating take-up, making use, where appropriate, of EU structural funds, in line with the Commission Guidelines;

- encourage effective use of ICTs by public services and businesses (especially SMEs), by promoting the necessary skills needed for their deployment, promoting interoperability and open standards, and effective on-line public services through the introduction of organisational change;

- encourage the effective use of ICTs to build a fully inclusive information society by 2010, bridging existing and avoiding the emergence of new digital divides, through national policy instruments;

- strengthen support of research and innovation by encouraging private investments and cooperation between research and innovation programmes.

The Council invites all stakeholders to :

- continue to participate fully in an open and constructive dialogue with Member States and the Commission, including at high-level events, in order to identify the actions that need to be taken to achieve a globally competitive, innovative and inclusive information society;

- identify new business models, innovative technological solutions and effective self-regulation, which will promote competition, strengthen consumer trust and confidence in ICT products and services, and foster a safer, global internet environment;

- intensify the integration of ICT into business processes, through innovative and interoperable ICT applications, standardisation, organisational change and better skills, in order to realise the full benefits of ICT.

The Commission has put forward its proposals for the initiative “i2010: European Information Society 2010” to foster growth and jobs in the information society and media industries.

i2010 is a comprehensive strategy for modernising and deploying all EU policy instruments to encourage the development of the digital economy: regulatory instruments, research and partnerships with industry. The Commission will, in particular, promote high-speed and secure broadband networks offering rich and diverse content in Europe.

In its i2010 initiative, the Commission outlines three policy priorities:

- to create an open and competitive single market for information society and media services within the EU. To support technological convergence with “policy convergence”, the Commission will propose: an efficient spectrum management policy in Europe (2005); a modernisation of the rules on audiovisual media services (end 2005); an updating of the regulatory framework for electronic communications (2006); a strategy for a secure information society (2006); and a comprehensive approach for effective and interoperable digital rights management (2006/2007).

- to increase EU investment in research on information and communication technologies (ICT) by 80%. Europe lags behind in ICT research, investing only €80 per head as compared to €350 in Japan and €400 in the US. i2010 identifies steps to put more into ICT research and get more out of it, e.g. by trans-European demonstrator projects to test out promising research results and by integrating small and medium sized enterprises better in EU research projects.).

- to promote an inclusive European information society. To close the gap between the information society “haves and have-nots”, the Commission will propose: an Action Plan on e-Government for citizen-centred services (2006); three “quality of life” ICT flagship initiatives (technologies for an ageing society, intelligent vehicles that are smarter, safer and cleaner and digital libraries making multimedia and multilingual European culture available to all (2007); and actions to overcome the geographic and social “digital divide”, culminating in a European Initiative on e-Inclusion (2008).

i2010 is the first Commission initiative to be adopted under the EU’s renewed Lisbon strategy. It focuses on the most promising sector of the EU economy: ICT account for 40% of Europe’s productivity growth and for 25% of EU GDP growth. Member States are asked to define National Information Society Priorities in their National Reform Programmes in mid-October 2005 to contribute to the objectives of i2010.

COM(2005)0229
EUR-Lex

COMMISSION’S IMPACT ASSESSMENT

For further information concerning the background to this issue, please refer to the summary of the Commission’s communication of 1 June 2005 on the initiative “i2010: European Information Society 2010” to foster growth and jobs in the information society and media industries. - COM(2005)0229.

1- POLICY OPTIONS AND IMPACTS

Three broad options for the new initiative beyond 2005 were examined in this impact assessment:

1.1- Option 1 - No further Action Plan and a return to separate but parallel IS policy strands.

1.2- Option 2 - A continuation of the e Europe Action Plan as in 2000-2005.

1.3- Option 3 - A new and more flexible policy framework, an umbrella approach covering Research, Regulatory, Deployment and Policy .

IMPACTS

Option 1. This bottom-up approach would allow the different policy fields to develop at their own pace. There would be the danger of the dissociation of the information society and media from the competitiveness focus of other policies, as well as of focusing on too many different policy issues and losing sight of the requirement of a comprehensive strategy. There would be more limited European initiatives opportunities.

From a convergence point of view, there is a serious risk of regulations hindering the overall development of ICT and media markets. The EU policy will miss the convergence challenge.

Not all security issues will be covered. National strategies will create fragmented solutions and inconsistencies in a very strategic domain.

In terms of innovation and research, there would be no link between research and deployment.

With regard to e-skills, there would be no coordination between actions at EU level and the risk of not covering all the issues concerned.

Regarding e-Inclusion, this option would fail to address the key pillar of any IS policy. It would not benefit from the feedback from Member States and stakeholders.

From the public services perspective, this option is in line with subsidiarity and the spirit of better regulation. However, it dispenses with long preparatory work and consensus built with or under eEurope. It runs counter to EU and Member State administrations’ call for closer EU cooperation in the context of societal challenges.

Option 2 would have the advantage of offering continuity with the existing programme which is well-known to the outside world. However, its ultimate focus is to feed into the Lisbon strategy and the communications dimension is not sufficiently addressed. It would be difficult to keep the policy agenda in line with technological and market developments.

Specific actions related to the convergence issue would be offered.

However, there would not be sufficient coherence between all the security issues, such as networks integrity, data protection, malware and eSignature.

As under Option 1, there would be no link between research and deployment. However, it would address innovation through eBusiness.

In terms of eSkills, there would be coordination between actions at EU level but there would be the risk of not covering all the issues concerned.

On eInclusion, there would be no coordination of EU actions, a fragmented approach and possible overlaps. EU competence would be limited.

Regarding public services, there would be more coordination and the fruits of long preparatory work and consensus building could be reaped. There would be efficiency and quality gains through economies of scale (by sharing experience and common solutions).

Option 3 addresses the Lisbon dimension in a consistent way in the development of the priority areas. There would be consensus on broad objectives and adjustment of policy initiatives to concrete progress and needs. It corresponds to the recommendations both of the Kok report and to the expectations of the Member States. However, it will require a significant level of coordination between policies, and with the Member States, and a forward-looking approach to all the underpinning policy fields.

The convergence challenge requires a cross-sectoral and flexible approach with expanded coordination across Commission services and Member States, in particular for regulation and legislation.

In terms of security, it would trigger a new set of policy and research actions brought together under a coherent policy umbrella.

Regarding innovation and research, there would be better coordination between policy, innovation and research and the entire innovation system would be covered. There would be a better leverage effect from cooperation between financial support programmes.

The ICT skills issue requires a flexible, cross-sectoral approach covering work environments, social inclusion, etc. which would be met under Option 1.3.

In terms of eInclusion, the overall view and strategic line is a key IS policy pillar, although EU competence in this area is limited.

From a public services perspective, Option 3 can better contribute to the new Lisbon goals on growth and jobs through a common EU strategy than the other two options.

CONCLUSION: On the basis of this impact assessment, the Commission selected Option 3 as being the one with greatest potential in this important domain . Without such an action plan, policy responses to the challenges linked to the wider adoption of ICT might remain fragmented, eventually inconsistent .

2- FOLLOW-UP Monitoring and evaluation are designed at two levels:

• At the ‘meta’ level, through regular evaluation of the overall performance in relation to objectives, impacts, relevance, utility and lessons learned: Regular evaluation of the whole initiative is an essential component of its effective delivery. To that effect, it is proposed to draw up regular progress reports that may be supported by benchmarking to measure progress and to identify new priority areas for the following period. The current Action Plan will close at the end of 2005 and an evaluation would be launched in 2005. This would need to be in line with the new Lisbon governance cycle, so as to avoid overlap and duplication. The final evaluation of the new initiative, at the end of 2010, would also provide an occasion for contributing to the overall impact assessment of the Information Society and Media policies.

• at the priority/action level, through measuring performance in relation to benchmarking and exchange of best practices, and supported by a range of statistical surveys, studies and other empirical analyses.

SEC(2005)0717
EUR-Lex

The Commission has put forward its proposals for the initiative “i2010: European Information Society 2010” to foster growth and jobs in the information society and media industries.

i2010 is a comprehensive strategy for modernising and deploying all EU policy instruments to encourage the development of the digital economy: regulatory instruments, research and partnerships with industry. The Commission will, in particular, promote high-speed and secure broadband networks offering rich and diverse content in Europe.

In its i2010 initiative, the Commission outlines three policy priorities:

- to create an open and competitive single market for information society and media services within the EU. To support technological convergence with “policy convergence”, the Commission will propose: an efficient spectrum management policy in Europe (2005); a modernisation of the rules on audiovisual media services (end 2005); an updating of the regulatory framework for electronic communications (2006); a strategy for a secure information society (2006); and a comprehensive approach for effective and interoperable digital rights management (2006/2007).

- to increase EU investment in research on information and communication technologies (ICT) by 80%. Europe lags behind in ICT research, investing only €80 per head as compared to €350 in Japan and €400 in the US. i2010 identifies steps to put more into ICT research and get more out of it, e.g. by trans-European demonstrator projects to test out promising research results and by integrating small and medium sized enterprises better in EU research projects.).

- to promote an inclusive European information society. To close the gap between the information society “haves and have-nots”, the Commission will propose: an Action Plan on e-Government for citizen-centred services (2006); three “quality of life” ICT flagship initiatives (technologies for an ageing society, intelligent vehicles that are smarter, safer and cleaner and digital libraries making multimedia and multilingual European culture available to all (2007); and actions to overcome the geographic and social “digital divide”, culminating in a European Initiative on e-Inclusion (2008).

i2010 is the first Commission initiative to be adopted under the EU’s renewed Lisbon strategy. It focuses on the most promising sector of the EU economy: ICT account for 40% of Europe’s productivity growth and for 25% of EU GDP growth. Member States are asked to define National Information Society Priorities in their National Reform Programmes in mid-October 2005 to contribute to the objectives of i2010.

COM(2005)0229
EUR-Lex